i might be wrong

Yesterday I ran 7.52 miles. That is the longest run I've had since running the Nike Half Marathon last year. It felt good to get out there. I blew off running every day last week because I was tired of running in the cold. Yesterday it was a balmy 39 degrees when I went out. It was so liberating. I've had a lot on my mind lately with our upcoming move and I have been feeling a little stressed. Being out on the road with my iPod and my favorite songs really helped me get a little perspective on things. I really felt like I could run forever yesterday. I ran from my house through Clinton Hill and Fort Greene to the Brooklyn Bridge, over the bridge and back home. My coaches voices were in my head as I dug in with my elbows and took smaller steps while quickening my pace as I took on the incline of the Brooklyn Bridge. I've been beaten by the bridge in the past but not yesterday. I ran the damn thing. I wasn't even that winded after. Next time I'll run it harder.

Training is starting to catch up with me. My legs are really hurting. I ran 10 miles on Saturday, 4 on Sunday and 4.42 yesterday. Tonight I run with the Road Runner's. I'm looking forward to it, too since I missed last Thursday's class. Wonder what the coaches have in store for us tonight. Speed drills? Centipede? Time trial? Last week they introduced us to a track in Central Park. I didn't even know there was a track in the Park. It's near the 102nd Street Transverse. It's gravel and it's fast. I think my fastest time around was a minute and 24 seconds.

Well, my new Saucony Triumph 4's have given me blisters. The first 2 appeared right after the Brooklyn Half Marathon, however they were flat by the next morning. I currently have a nice big one on the side of my big toe. It's been there for a week or more and I don't know what to do about it. The blister doesn't hurt but I'm afraid it'll burst while I'm running and then it'll throb nonstop. What to do?

Why, consult the internet of course. I Googled "how to treat blisters" this morning and the advice is divided. Some folks advocate popping and draining. Others say to leave it alone and it'll drain into itself on its own (as my first blisters did). I don't really want to pop it because I'm afraid it'll hurt if I do. Right now it doesn't hurt at all. It's just not so nice to look at. I think I'm going to take my mother's advice and go with, if it doesn't bother me then I won't bother it. If it doesn't go away or get smaller by Tuesday night, I'll drain it and treat it with something called NuSkin. Apparently, it is a product used to keep blisters from becoming infected. It is also recommended to get some moleskin and make a donut in it the size of the blisters so it doesn't rub against the sock/shoe while out on the next run. I also learned that wearing 2 pairs of socks can protect one from blisters because the socks rub together and not against your foot. It's a little too hot for that these days. Not that I'm complaining because I felt like winter would never end!

I have been wondering if I should take the sneakers back to Jack Rabbit. The salesman did say I could return them if I get blisters or experience any other problems. It has been almost a month since I bought the shoes, however, so they probably won't take them back.

I love my new shoes despite the blisters. I am faster, they're lighter on my feet, and the design and color have grown on me. I also feel better about the fact that I didn't need those other motion control shoes. There's something about knowing my runner's stride is normal that makes me feel strong. This knowledges give me confidence and makes me feel graceful and fast out on the road.

Speaking of faster, we ran the Central Park track again last night. We did 4 repeats/sprints around the track. Slowest time out was a speedy 1:28. The fastest and last time around was 1:24. Coach Doug said we were at 7 minute pace that last time. I usually don't want to run with Doug because he's really fast and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with him. Something has moved. I was right on his tail yesterday every time we went around. Right out in front. I will try to run with Doug again next week.

Not bad. Average pace was 10:29. I could have done better. I should have put down the hammer right after the Harlem hills but I was too timid. Next time.

Looks like the new sneakers have caused more problems than blisters. Now it seems I have acute achilles tendonitis. It's been bothering me since the 10M on Sunday and seemed worse tonight on the training run. The pain could be caused by hill running, but I haven't run up any more hills than usual. I can't blame it on "too fast, too soon" either. My speed varies depending on the day. I put ice on it tonight and took a hot bath. It's feeling a little better. I have the Healthy Kidney 10K this Saturday. I will skip the race if my achilles tendon is still giving me grief. I should let it heal.

The Saucony Triumph 4's are not working out for me. I now have pain in my achilles tendon. A coach at the Road Runner's Club suggested it might be my shoes. We'll see if she was right. This weekend I ran 8 miles in my old Saucony MC 5 Stabil's and the pesky tendon started to bother me at 6 miles into the run. It wasn't bad enough to stop me from completing my run (The Williamsburg Bridge was the thing to do me in — more on that later) but it was a little uncomfortable.

Today, I picked up my number for tomorrow's Wall Street Run, which is only 3 miles. On the way back from the Road Runner's Club, Debra and I stopped into The Super Runner's Shop and I talked with sales guy there. I told him what I was running in now and what I'd run in previously. I told him about my gait analysis at Jack Rabbit Sports. He looked at me with a hint of skepticism and told me to take off my shoes and walk across the floor. He watched me walk and stared at my feet. He told me there was no way he'd recommend a neutral shoe for me even though my gait is neutral. The problem is my low arches. He wouldn't recommend a motion control shoe for me either because I don't overpronate. I do need some stability, however, due to the low arch problem. He recommended a stability shoe with no motion control. I tried on some Ascis but found them to be too hard and stiff under the arch so I tried on the Saucony Hurricane. They felt great. They're well cushioned, the have a big toe box and they provide good arch support, but not as much as the MC5's. I'll try them out tomorrow. Deb says she's been running in Saucony Hurricane's for 10 years. I hope I've finally found my shoe.

I usually keep a log of my training, but this week I've been a bit lax. So to keep track of my progress, I'll post a recap of my week in running:

Saturday - Didn't run the Healthy Kidney 10K. Missed out on a cool technical shirt. I took the day off the rest my achilles tendon.

Sunday - So much for rest. I couldn't stand it anymore and went for an 8 mile run. The course I ran started as a joke. Over dinner at Dressler, Clay suggested I run over there the next day for brunch. Via Manhattan. I took him up on it. I ran from home, to the Manhattan Bridge, over the bridge, up the Bowery to Delancy Street and then over the Williamsburg Bridge to meet Clay at Dressler again for brunch. I ran slowly because it was hot and I was overdressed for the weather. I was doing great until the Williamsburg Bridge. Had to stop and walk a few steps before I could get back in it. Stopping was a mistake because achilles tendonitis hurts only after you stop running. Thankfully the bridge was the end of the run, so I was able to finish without too much discomfort.

Monday - Designated day of rest

photo by ultraclay

Tuesday - Wall Street Run - 3 Miles - 25:51
My fastest time ever. I ran at an 8:37 pace. A co-worker, Debra, also ran. She beat my time by 11 seconds finishing in 25:40. Ah well. Can't win them all. Anyway, 25 minutes for a 3 mile run is a PR for me. I don't even run training runs that quickly.

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Central Park 1/2 Mile Repeats
We practiced water strategy for the races. I ran with Doug, the really fast coach. We did the half miles in between 4 minutes and 4:50. I was pretty whipped when I got home and basically a zombie.

Friday - That's today. I ate a slice a pizza today for lunch. Thin crust, but I feel guilty. I will run from home to the Williamsburg Bridge, over and back. Not sure of the mileage, but I want to do at least 6. Saturday, I can't run because of a wedding and Sunday I'm going to the Bronx. Maybe I'll get out for a run before heading up there.

I didn't make it into the NYC Marathon this year, despite the fact that I ran 9 qualifying races last year. I should have guaranteed entry but since I didn't join the NY Road Runners until Feb. 2006 instead of the required January 2006, I had to take my chances with the lottery. They didn't pick me.

Wait till next year? No way. I will run a marathon this year. I just signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon. It's November 18th. It's a flatter course than NY, but it's still a marathon — 26.2 miles.

If you'll be in Philadelphia that Sunday, be sure to come out and cheer the runners on.

The Front Runner's Gay Pride race was my 9th race of the year which means I now have guaranteed entry in the New York City Marathon next year! Woo hoo!

I really don't have to run any more races this year, but of course I will. I'm already signed up for 2 more NYRR races in July and of course the NYC Half Marathon in August. I may run another race between the half marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon just to see get a clearer idea of what I can expect to do in the marathon.

I really just coasted in the Front Runner's race. I was tired and didn't really feel like kicking my butt. As a matter of fact, if Clay hadn't gotten me out of bed Saturday morning, I may have skipped the race all together. I was so laid back about this race that I left my Garmin home and didn't bother looking at the clocks at the mile markers. I even walked up Cat Hill. I smiled to myself when I guy ran by me chanting "Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop." I thought, "Good for him." I just didn't feel like running Cat Hill. My time was better than expected, considering I walked up the hill and stopped at every water station, walking to the last trash can each time. I ran it in 48:55 at an average pace of 9:47. Not great, but not terrible. I'm just glad to have my 9th race done.

This article in today's New York Times is a little scary, though it isn't at all surprising. Apparently, smoggy and sooty air damages the lungs. The damage is also long term.

According to a study in The New England Journal of Medcine:
'

'A study that used the mass of data included in the Women’s Health Initiative found that women who lived in communities with relatively high levels of air pollution in the forms of tiny particles — aka soot — were far more likely to die because of heart attacks than women who lived in cleaner air."

If New York and other big cities around the country continue to ignore the pollution problems caused by too many cars and buses on the roads, then we are doomed. I've never participated in a Critical Mass ride, but reading this article makes me want to add it to my schedule on a monthly.

I was on the fence about Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan because I was worried about the impact on drivers from the boroughs and how it would affect the subways. Would the system be able to accommodate more riders? How would working class people be able to afford the fee?

But now, I think a better anti-congestion plan would be to remove a lane of traffic from all the main avenues and streets in Manhattan and the boroughs. Turn that lane into the bike lane, but put in a concrete divider to keep the riders away from traffic. Since there will be less lanes of traffic, people might be less likely to drive. Since there would be a dedicated and safe bike lane protected from moving traffic, then maybe people would bike more.

I don't know it it'll work, but we should try it. The mayor should try to get funding for this type of plan.

I'm running in my 10th race this year tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to do this 10K race through Central Park in an hour or less. I have never been faster than 1:09 in a 10K and was really disappointed in my performance in the Scotland Run. I hope to redeem myself tomorrow morning.

Joining me for this race will be Alex and Deb. Alex has really been training. He's been at sub-8-minute pace and hopes to do this race in 50 minutes. I really hope he meets his goal. I'm not sure if Deb has a goal for this one. She's a veteran marathoner and is pretty fast. She beat me in the last 5K we ran together.

I really hope I don't just give up out there. There is always a point in 10K races that I just think to myself that it's just too long and it's never going to be over. I slow down and eventually stop to walk. Then I get frustrated and tell myself I don't care about that time — that I just want to finish. But then I'm demoralized and pissed at myself when I don't meet the time goal I had in my head. I really hope I can keep my head in the game, run fast, fill the spaces and just go as fast as I can for 6.2 miles. One hour or less!

Note to self: Dropping out of a race for no good reason feels shitty.

I didn't finish my race on Saturday because "I didn't feel like running". How lame. I will not do that again. As it stands now I will be in a bit of trouble for the half marathon because I've not run further than 5 miles since my last race in June.

On a happier note, Alex managed to run the race in about 49:47 minutes. He achieved his goal. Deb ran it in about 58:12 minutes. Very good times from both of them.

I'm supposed to run in the Run for Central Park this coming Friday. I don't think Clay will let me ditch out on this one.

Every week I get asked this question by someone in my running group. They tell me how many miles they ran that weekend and how great it was. They are happy about their progress and I'm happy for them. Then they want to know how my training is going. The answer is "patchy". To be honest, I am quickly getting over marathon training. It's lonely out the in the streets. I signed up for the 18 Mile Marathon Tune-Up given by the Road Runner's Club this weekend, but I really don't feel like running 18 miles this Sunday. It's Atlantic Antic and I may be too tired to walk the street fair after running 18 miles. I'd much rather skip the training run and go to the Antic with Clay, but I'd be cheating myself if I skip this race.

November 18th seems so far away, but yet so close. I don't really feel ready. My longest run to date is 16 miles. After Sunday it will be 18. This 18 mile race represents the last organized Road Runner's Club race until the big event, the New York City Marathon. Well, that means I have 2 long runs (not counting my marathon in Philadelphia) ahead of me. A 21 miler and a 23 miler. I will have to do these alone. I am not looking forward to it. Man, I can't wait for training to be over. If only I could run the marathon without actually training for the marathon. The training was fun for awhile, but now I'm just over it.

November 18, 2007. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Marathon Day. Yikes.

Ok. I've slacked off on training the last 6 weeks or so, but I'm back in it and according to people who have done this before, I'm still in good shape. Since this is my first marathon, my only goal is to finish. In the beginning I had a crazy idea that I'd run fast enough to qualify for Boston, but that was a dream. My first 15 mile run burst that bubble. I gained a healthy respect for the distance and realize that finishing a marathon will be satisfaction enough.

I dread going out on long runs by myself. It's lonely. Strangers feel the need to call out to me. I get angry about the distance and the pain and there's no one to complain to or who can relate. Plus it's boring. I haven't been able to find a running partner this year, but I have found ways to make the hours out there on the road a bit more interesting. Instead of running loop after loop around Central or Prospect Park or back and forth along the West Side Highway, I've figured out a bunch of point to point routes. This weekend the NYRR Club is holding their Poland Spring Marathon Kick-off Run. It's 5 miles in Central Park (thankfully, it skips the Harlem Hills). I'm planning to run that race and then an additional 15 or so miles. The map above is a course I've figured out using mapmyrun.com. It'll take me from Central Park at 62nd Street, over to the West Side Highway to Chambers, over to the Brooklyn Bridge, along Adams, then State, then Vanderbilt, over to Prospect Park. I'll do a loop around Prospect Park and then take the short way home from there. That's a total of 21.75 miles.

My training schedule has me at 23 miles this weekend, but every coach I've talked to about this says there is absolutely no reason for me to do more than 20 before the marathon. I'm going to listen to them and ignore the training schedule (which shouldn't be hard since I've been pretty much ignoring for the last 6 weeks). The timing is perfect. This long run comes exactly 3 weeks before the marathon. The experts say a 2 or 3 week taper is necessary for recovery before running a marathon.

After being terrified for a couple of weeks, I'm beginning to get my confidence back. That 6 week slump did not help my speed or confidence, but I still have time to get some of it back.

I did my 20 mile run on Saturday, but not the one I blogged about last week. A friend told me about an organized run by Nike that took place on Saturday. They were running the last 10 miles of the NYC Marathon. The run turned out to be the last 8.35 miles of the marathon because NYC Marathoners are tapering and shouldn't run more than 8 or 10 miles the week before the race. I was happy to do my first 8+ miles with them. They split us into pace groups and off we went. We took the subway up to 103rd and Lex and ran the route from there. Over to the Willis Avenue bridge, into the Bronx for a mile and over to the Madison Avenue Bridge back into Manhattan. I ran with the slowest group and had to keep reminding myself that this was a training run, not the race. No need to take off at break-neck speed. I maintained this slow pace all the way until we ended at the marathon finish line — Central Park across from Tavern on the Green. I said my good-byes and thanked the pacers and off I went to back home to Brooklyn. I hit the 20 mile mark 2 blocks away from my house. Did I bother to run the remaining 2 blocks. Nah. I was hurting pretty badly. My time was 3:42:25. That was 11:05 pace. I am looking at a 4:42 finish for the marathon based on this training run. I'm trying not to get hung up on the slow time. This will be my first marathon, but the competitor in me wants to knock about 42 minutes off that time. Reality says that's not likely to happen.

Saturday was rainy and cold, but it actually didn't bother me. I was pumped to run all the way back home and do my 20 miles. Cardio-wise, I was fine. My lungs felt good. I could breathe. I wasn't very out of breath. I wanted to run faster. My legs, however, had something else in mind. You see, they didn't want to pick up the pace. They wouldn't let me run faster than 11 minute pace for very long. I was mad at my legs for awhile, but in hindsight, my legs were smart. You see, my brain kept saying "Run Faster" but my brain is a fool. That would have been dumb. It's a training run, remember. I have to be smart about the race.

Come marathon day, I hope to take the advice in this New York Times article and run the race in negative splits. That means I'll run the first half of the race slightly slower than the second half. I hope my legs will be strong enough to pick it up by mile 13 or 14 and pick it up even more at mile 20. I keep remembering a phrase I saw on a T-shirt. "I ran my fastest 10k 20 miles into a marathon". I'd like to be able to say that.

NYRR announced some 2008 races and I'm already signed up for the Manhattan Half on January 27. I've also applied to the insane sounding Empire State Building Run-Up. This is the race where you run up all the stairs in the Empire State Building... all the way up to the Observation Deck. That 85 flights of stairs and 1,576 steps. I've wanted to run this race ever since I read about it in Runner's World earlier this year. The writer described how his dad talked him into doing the race. He went on to describe his training and how he would run up every set of stairs he came across. Finally, he described the race. It sounded pretty insane. He had lots of advice for anyone planning to do tower climbs, but one valuable piece of advice was this, work your upper body. You use your arms a lot when climbing stairs and you'll use the rails a lot to propel yourself forward. It pays to have some strong arms.

The ESB Run-Up is invitation only. I've filled out the application and answered all their questions... Other Endurance Events/Training? None. Other "Unusual" Competitions? None. Previous Empire State Building Run-Up participation? None. Total Empire State Building Run-Ups? Zero. Other stair-climbs you have competed in? None.

My chances of getting in are pretty low, but I'm going to train anyway. It's starting to get really cold and windy. I don't mind running in the cold, in fact, I much prefer it to hot summer running, but I think I'll use some stair running to supplement my training this winter. If I get in the race, all the better.

For a person who hasn't run more than 6 miles at a time since the marathon in November, I sure am ambitious in my running goals. Not only am I running a half marathon this weekend, one that I haven't trained for at all, I am also running a half marathon 2 weeks after that and not only that... I'm also considering the More Marathon in April. It's crazy talk, I know. Really, it's not that cold out. I'm just being lazy. Actually, I'm not being lazy, I'm knitting and sewing up a storm (more on that later). Seriously though, I need to get off my ass and get out there and run. I think I'll be slapped back into reality after the Manhattan Half this weekend. I think I'm in for a reall ass-kicking. The Great Hill in Central Park is taunting me right now and will probably kick my ass all over the asphalt come Sunday.

Training is everything. I ran the Manhattan Half Marathon Grand Prix in 2:30. Not my slowest time, but still pretty slow for me. My legs are sore, sore, sore. Muscle memory is a bitch. Make that, lack of muscle memory is a bitch. I usually feel great at 10 miles in, but today I could hardly lift the legs. I went slow and walked at some points, including the entire mile between 11 and 12, which is a first for me. I didn't mean to. It just happened. I was hungry and dizzy and cold. Silly me didn't eat anything before heading over to Central Park (the usual paranoia about being late for a race) and I was looking forward to the free bagel at the end of the race, but alas, there were none. Apparently they ran out early because a lot of the early runners took 3 at a time.

I ran with my friend Clarence the first 3 miles before telling him to go ahead. I didn't want to slow him down. He ended up finishing in 2:05! Much faster than he thought he'd finish. He said he went on a crash 3 week training course and that was the key. Training.

I walked a lot in this race. I have never walked this much in a race, not even the marathon when I was tired and cold. That day I was able to tell myself to ignore the sore legs and keep going. I think stopping so much today made it worse. My muscles ended up getting cold and the lactic acid built up and that made my legs unwilling to pick up. Today I stopped at landmarks ("just make it Tavern on the Green" and "I'll stop at the Boathouse before Cat Hill", I told myself), water stations, before big hills (I walked up the Great Hill on the second loop) and mile markers. Pretty much any place I felt like stopping. I didn't see the need to really kill myself on this since I hadn't trained and it would be hard enough to get to the end.

This is not at all surprising. I had a bad race because I didn't train. Despite all of this, I am happy I finished my first race of the year. I can only get better from here, right?

"Congratulations TAMMI! You are eligible for guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon 2008, which takes place on Sunday, November 2. You will be able to take advantage of this opportunity starting at noon on February 25 when the 2008 online marathon application becomes available."

Aww yeah. I got this note in email today from the Road Runners. Yes! I'm in. I just need to register when registration opens on the 25th.

By the way, I ran the Bronx Half in 2:20:02 yesterday. Special shout out to my friend Ming, the Running Master aka The Mayor of Road Runner's Races, who had already finished the race but since he's training for Boston, had to run an extra 3 miles. He was doing his last 3 when he found me near the 12 mile mark. We ran it together. I was zoning out listening to Talib Kweli when I hear his friendly, "Hey Tammi!" Ming's great. When the wind kicked up, he ran in front of me. He coached me and showed me how to find the tangent and really got me to sprint into the finish. All I wanted to do was beat 2:32 and I did it. Thanks for the little push at the end, Ming.

The course itself was pretty nice. Part of it was through my old neighborhood where I had my second ever apartment. It was a one bedroom with wood floors and a window in every room in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. My aunt Denise still lives in the neighborhood and my mom and sister also moved to the area at one point. I ran past the playground my niece and nephew used to run amok in back in the day. Those memories made me smile. I was warned that the first half of the race wasn't as hilly as the last half. I think the whole course was rather hilly, which isn't surprising since the Bronx has some hills that rival places in San Francisco. I've only been in cars on the Grand Concourse so I didn't really have experience with the rolling hills. They were kind of nice to run, though I think the Gu helped a bit with my state of mind. I really had fun with this one. No misery felt at all. Just cruised along at my own pace with my music and my own thoughts. My sister works in the area on Sundays so she stopped by the see me at the start and we met up after the finish. I met a couple of her co-workers and then made my way home.

That's two five-boro half marathons down with three more to go. Brooklyn is next.

This morning while on the way to the first NYRR Long Training run of the season, a guy interrupted my magazine reading to ask, "Miss, are you running the marathon today?" This wasn't a weird questions since I did have my bib number pinned to my shirt, which happened to have ING NYC Marathon written on it. I told him I was just going to a training run and that the marathon is in November. He goes, "Oh, that's a long way away." I laughed and said, "Oh no it's not."

"Well, I hope you win," he told me. I found that funny, too.

It's funny, but it's also scary. November 2nd is right around the corner. It's just 13 weeks away. I only started my training 3 weeks ago. I know that physically I can do this and I just need to get over the mental hump. About 4 miles into my training run today, I thought about quitting after one loop around Central Park which is about 6 miles. But then somebody yelled, "Hey Miss Thang," and I turned around to see it was a woman I met last year when I was taking running classes with the Road Runners. I told her I was thinking about quitting after 6 miles and she convinced me to keep going. I ended up doing 11 miles today. If it hadn't been for her, I probably would have gone home after 6 and been disappointed in myself.

With running the more you do it, the easier it gets. I just have to keep that in mind when I feel that doubt creeping in while I'm out there on the road. But when I do let the doubt seep in, I hope I'm fortunate enough to run into another positive person who can make me stick with it.

I start running classes again next week. I know from experience that I will only get better the more I train. I shouldn't have regrets. I made my choices, but next year, I'm starting my training no later than March 1st.