Merry Holidays and Happy Christmas

First of all, I want to apologize for my absenteeism from blogland the past week. In the week since I've been back from Hawaii, I've been somewhat overwhelmed by a combination of a winter snowstorm, clinical work, holiday shopping, and a nasty cold that I haven't been able to shake. It's gotten so bad that I couldn't even run for a whole week! During that time, the best I could do was make up a new word to express my frustration - "rungry". I'm sure my fellow runners know exactly what I'm talking about.

But run, I finally did. 10 miles yesterday, and a 10k today, for Christmas. It was so nice to see all the holiday decorations on all the neighbor's houses and see so many smiles in everyone I passed by! It was definitely what I needed to get back into the holiday spirit.

So from me to all my family, friends, (yes, even the lurkers) near and far...I want to wish you all a very safe and happy holiday season! So many of you helped make this a very happy, fun, and successful year for me, and I'm so very grateful. Believe me, you all have meant so much to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'll be back this weekend for my second running video diary post (even if it probably will have little to do with running!) and next week for a recap of my running year. In the meantime, enjoy your holidays with good family and friends, and try and run a few miles outside (even if it's cold!) and encourage others to do the same! Who knows, you might come across Santa or some reindeers along the way (like I did this morning...haha). Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all!

Celebrating Sesame Street and3 Things Wednesday

Welcome to the neighborhood! In honor of Sesame Street turning 40 years young this week, today’s post is brought to you by the number 3. Okay kids, let’s count how many total 3’s we can find in what I have to say today…(If you need help, play this song and sing along as you read)

3 Things Wednesday

Leaving CSI (NYCM) – Now that I’m done with the written account and have shown the visual evidence for all the world to see, I think it’s time we officially put away the file on this marathon investigation. Before I do, let me say that 3 things that may not have been immediately clear from my description of this race. First, I don’t in any way consider this race as a failure for me. In as far as not meeting a time goal, yes it was disappointing, but it was not like it was a complete waste of time (as some may have suggested). I learned so much about the course and about myself that I know I’ll be a better and stronger runner for having gone through that. To me, NYCM was just one step of a process in my transformation to become a sub-3 marathon runner. In my book, as long as you haven’t given up on your goals, you haven’t failed. Second, I am not sad, depressed or giving up on running just because I didn’t run my time that day. In fact, I’ve been as happy and giddy and excited about running as I’ve ever been. Since the marathon ended, I’ve been running and training and speedworking like mad and really really enjoying it. If I could somehow bottle this post marathon glow that I’ve been feeling and distribute it, I’d have no doubt it’d light up the entire city. Third, let’s pretend the almost-sub-3 Marathon Club operates like Fight Club from now on, okay?

The Half Philly & Me – In case you haven’t heard, I’m heading down to enemy territory this weekend to participate in the Philadelphia Half Marathon. This will be my first race in PA and I’m already nervous. Originally, my plan was to run 13.1 easy and use the race as an excuse to head to Philly town to watch and cheer for friends running the full marathon, but ever since I inadvertently peeked at last year’s race results and found that the fifth place guy (top five get awards) in my age group ran a 1:27:27, I’ve worked myself into a frenzy thinking I’ve got a chance at hardware this weekend since I’ve beaten that time in 5 out of my last 7 races at the half marathon distance. Never mind that last year was a fluky year weather-wise (29 degrees at the start) and the race this year has already been sold out for weeks, once the idea and the wheels of the facebook machine start percolating, there’s no way to keep the racing thoughts at bay. So I’ll be going for it, even if it kills me, even if I end up failing miserably again. (Hey, don’t they say that it’s better to run hard and lose than not to have run at all? I’m adopting that philosphy as my mantra for this race…)

Race Goals – Speaking of the race, I’ve thought about and came up with 2 x 3 or 6 time goals for this half marathon. This is something I neglected to do in preparation for NYCM and it really showed when things got hairy at mile 22. Six might be a bit extreme but hey, no one ever complains about having too many goals to shoot for, do they? In order of reality to fantasy, they are:

1. My “Don’t Go There and Choke” Goal - Below 1:27:00

2. My “Doin’ My Thing and Representin’” Goal - Below 1:26:00

3. My “Away Game Tailgaiting” Goal - Below 1:25:16 (out of NY PR)

4. My “You Ain’t Catching Me” Goal - Below 1:24:25 (overall PR)

5. My “David Tyree Super Bowl MVP” Goal - Below 1:24:00

6. My “Omigosh That Trophy’s For Me?” Goal – An AG Award

P.S. Someone asked me if I’d be willing to wear NY gear during the race. I told her only if I’m preparing to run all the way home.
P.P.S. There are a total of 8 3’s in the post today from beginning to end. If you counted correctly, congratulations to you! Big Bird would have been proud!

Recap of My (Running) Birthday Celebration

First off, thanks to all my bloggy friends for the warm bday wishes. It was all very much appreciated and made my special day just a little bit more awesomer. Although I didn’t get to run a marathon to celebrate in style like I did last year, I still managed to devise an appropriate running tribute to commemorate the date and jump start the festivities…

More by habit than by personal choice, I had gotten up early yesterday morning looking for a quick and early start to a day of merriment and fun. Since I had already given my all to pacing a brisk 20 miles for the NYRR Long Training Run #2 a day earlier, I was planning for an easy and slow 5 miles in the adjacent park as my recovery run for the day. But as I took my gaze outside my window for the first time that morning and saw the pitter patter of raindrops on my balcony floor and the dark ominous clouds circling like vultures overhead, even a single mile recorded for the day was looking extremely unlikely. I was frustrated, but took some time to prepare breakfast and check e-mail. Every few minutes, I would pull away the window blinds and reassess the weather. The forecast called for rain and thunderstorms all through the morning but I was hoping against hope that I’d find a break in the rain to go for a run. After about an hour and a half, the heavy rain seemed to have tapered to a manageable drizzle and I took advantage of the situation to lace up the shoes and hit the road.

The rain was cumbersome and the humidity a bit stifling as I began my run, but I was happy and excited to be celebrating my birthday with a jubilant jaunt. Although I was a bit worried that my body would mount a mild protest given that I was running so fast so soon after the harsh 20 miler, I was shocked to find no signs of pain, soreness, or fatigue whatsoever even as I pushed the mileage and the pace. As the miles piled on, I became more and more euphoric with each step. At the end of four miles, where I would usually turn around and head for home, my mind suddenly became preoccupied with a single thought…Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to hit 14 miles so we can say we ran 34 miles in 2 days for our 34th birthday? Yeah, it was a nice thought, but given that I have never approached that kind of distance in consecutive days, and oh yeah, it was still raining, I wasn’t sure if my body was in a position to handle that much mileage and adversity. I almost convinced myself to make the turn toward home if it wasn’t for a familiar voice from a familiar friend who once told me...Someday, you will no longer be able to do this, today shouldn’t be that day! So, instead of heading home, I continued on the trail I was on and ran into the heavy wooded trails that I’d never been before. For six miles (three going forward and three coming back), I explored uncharted territory both literally and figuratively and defied both the weather and my age to challenge myself to do something I never expected I’d be able to do. As I was running each individual mile, 25, 26, 27, etc, I thought about where I was physically and emotionally at that particular age and reflected upon the important events of that particular age. I’d have to admit. I got quite emotional on the way back as I counted down the final 4 miles and remembered everything in the recent past few years that has brought me to where I currently am in my running. Luckily, because it was raining so hard by the time I was done, no one in my building noticed that my eyes were a bit puffy and red walking back from my wet run. Final Stats: 14.4 miles in 1:48:25 (7:33 avg pace) for two day total of 34.81 miles! Wahoo!

Afterwards, I went out to brunch with friends, got back for an indoor picnic and then out again to have a big huge barbecue with my extended family. Needless to say, I think I regained all the calories I lost all weekend within the matter of a few hours.

Thanks for celebrating this day with me…even if it was only virtually. Here’s my updated “grid” as promised. On tap this week, a step-back in mileage and my first race in well over a month! Have a good week, all!

My Award For Completing the Trifecta

How do you celebrate the completion of a Trifecta? Heather, An awesome runner in her own right (can you say trophy-envy...) wanted to know. Funny you should ask. Ordinarily I don’t get too excited about my race results, even the PR’s. I usually walk home in utter euphoria, veg out in front of the computer, anxiously wait for my time to become official, then proceed to update my PR List and think of the most entertaining way to recapture the experience on my race report. This time, however, was entirely different. You see, this feat of mine, the completion of the Roadrace Trifecta, wasn’t something I dreamt up at the spur of the moment after I crossed the finish line. Rather it was something I had set out to do a long time before, ever since last summer when one of my friends inadvertently challenged me by asking if I considered myself a runner or a marathoner. I didn’t have a good answer for him at the time but as the summer wore on, I realized that I really wanted to be a versatile runner, good in all distances. And that, truth be told, was the origin of the Trifecta challenge.

Since in my book, versatility was synonymous was good, I was careful not to acknowledge or believe that I was any good at this running thing until after I had completed what I had set out to do. I know I’ve been flamed and defamed many times over the past several months for refusing to believe that I’m a fast runner, but I can’t help it. I’m adamant in my beliefs not because I’m trying to be humble or play some reverse psychological warfare game with my audience, but I really didn’t think my credentials are adequate to support that sentiment. (With sincere apologies to those who still desperately want to label me as such, please review my previous post to see why your claims are not justified).

But after I crossed the finish line on Saturday, I, in essence have graduated. My trifecta was complete. I have in my mind attained the status of a good (but not fast!) runner. As such, I felt I needed to get something to commemorate my achievement. Although it would have been nice if NYRR could’ve provided a trophy, plaque, or even a certificate to acknowledge this momentous occasion, I really had no grandiose perception that anything I do would be just cause for a public celebration. Still, I felt I needed something special, something symbolic, an emblem of some sort to show the world what a badass…er…I mean…good runner I now was. So I went to the running store and got me one of these…

It’s supposed to be ultra-polarized and offer SPF40 protection. I didn’t really much care. I just think it’ll go well with my bandana and tech t-shirt look. Hopefully, I won’t look like the guy who brings his own bowling ball to the alley but can’t bowl over 100 to save his life. But now that I am Trifecta-certified, I think I've earned the right to swag a little even on runs in the rain. What’d you all think?