I get a lot of questions about what I wear while running, what I eat, how I train, etc. So, here's the lowdown....
Clothes
I work at lululemon and love their clothes. I think they have some great products for runners, both male and female. I love the Speed Shorts (I have 6 pairs!) for warm weather running and indoor. For races and cooler weather running, I wear crops and long tights for the winter. All lulu crops/tights are made out of luxtreme so it's very moisture wicking and retains its shape. For tops, I love the Cool Racerback and the Swiftly Tech. I wear lulu socks and the hilariously names "smooth move" thongs when I run. For cold weather running, I layer a Swiftly Tech long sleeve with a long sleeve top made of our running luon (moisture-wicking yet warmer b/c it's brushed, so it feels like fleece). When it's really cold and/or rainy/windy, I wear one of our DWR jackets.
Caveat- I get cold very easily. I can run a full fall marathon in a long sleeve top.
Food while training
Cliff bar or oatmeal packet pre long run. A GU or Cliff Shot Bloks every 6 miles. Coconut water post run (O.N.E with passion fruit is my current fave). Sometimes a gatorade- just depends on where we end the long run. (if there's a dude selling gatorade and i'm dying, i buy it)
I drink Nuun post long runs for the electrolytes.
Sneakers
Brooks! I have been wearing the Adrenaline series for 6 years. I just recently purchased the Mizuno Wave Elixirs and am in love. They are a light weight shoe that feels wonderful.
Training
My training schedules are a mixture of schedules from my previous coach in Florida, advice from runners/triathletes and a lot pf personal experience. I've learned that less mileage works better for but that I need 3-4 20ish mile long runs. I do a lot more cross-training and yoga now during my training. I roughly use the 4 week build up, 1 week drop off. I gradually build up my miles for 4 weeks and then drop down to a 13 or 15 mile long run. I've also stopped doing a medium long run in the middle of the week. I'll do 7 miles but it's broken up. Speed is a workout I try not to miss.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Riding in a van with 5 strangers
My latest Ragnar adventure was completely different from my previous experience. 1) we had vans- big vans where we could stretch out and lay down, 2) I was with Ragnar employees and 3) we had hotel rooms instead of sleeping bags on pavement. It was a great whirlwind trip.
I arrived on thurs, picked up the 15 passenger van and promptly got lost. Ended up driving through the Vegas strip. Finally found my way out of town and headed to the Lowes Hotel in Lake Las Vegas. Met 2 of my teammates, who I was also sharing a room with, Trish and Ang. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow at 11pm. We met our team in the lobby at 4:20 and headed to the start, in the Valley of Fire. My van was: trish and ang (they are friends), Kevin (marketing dir at Ragnar), Bruce (safety and Ragnar course creator extraordinaire), his friend Garit and me. The park we started in was beautiful - the rock formations are very cool, very red and everywhere.
We started our 195 mile journey at 7am. I ran legs 4, 16 and 28. My first leg was 6.5 miles. I'm apparently not very adept at reading elevation charts b/c I didn't think I had to climb a lot but boy did I! Uphill for over 2 miles and I'm not talking about Park Slope inclines. This was a big climb. I had some relief with some flats and downhill but then another climb came. I had to stop and walk b/c I felt like my heart was about to pound out of my chest! I finished in 50mins. When I finished my leg I was bent over panting and trying to figure out why i was dying and then one of my teammates clued me in that we are at an elevation of 2500 which is significant for me coming from sealevel about 12 hrs prior. I forgave myself for dying on the uphills.
After our 6th leg, we met up with van 2 at exchange 6. Their van was 6 guys; 6 very funny guys. After our first leg of the race, we had time to go back to the hotel and rest. We ate and swam in the pool. Then, at 5ish, we were off to start our 2nd leg of the relay. Most of us had short, easy runs. Mine was 3.1 miles at 6:45pm and I did it in 21:40. I was flying and felt great. I slowed down at mile 2.4ish when the bike trail turned to sand and I had to jump down a 2 ft ledge. Kinda ruined my stride. I was psyched though for my time and how I felt.
After this leg we went to a hotel and got to sleep for about 2.5 hrs. I also got a lesson on how people from Utah speak and experienced my first Jack in the Box restaurant outing (although I didn't eat anything and use the term "restaurant" loosely).
Our 3rd leg began at 2:30ish. I had a 7mile trail run. It was incredible. A little rough on the feet b/c of the big rocks and uneven road but being out there alone in the desert with a near full moon was beautiful. I flew through my 7 miles and finished in 53:45.
At the end of our 3rd set of runs we got pancakes and I was a happy, happy camper! The finish line was at the Red Rock hotel. We lounged by the pool, got some food and drank some beer.
I'm now falling asleep on my red eye back to nyc. The trip was totally worth the tiredness and sore legs that are coming. I'm hooked on these races and can't wait to do another one!
I arrived on thurs, picked up the 15 passenger van and promptly got lost. Ended up driving through the Vegas strip. Finally found my way out of town and headed to the Lowes Hotel in Lake Las Vegas. Met 2 of my teammates, who I was also sharing a room with, Trish and Ang. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow at 11pm. We met our team in the lobby at 4:20 and headed to the start, in the Valley of Fire. My van was: trish and ang (they are friends), Kevin (marketing dir at Ragnar), Bruce (safety and Ragnar course creator extraordinaire), his friend Garit and me. The park we started in was beautiful - the rock formations are very cool, very red and everywhere.
We started our 195 mile journey at 7am. I ran legs 4, 16 and 28. My first leg was 6.5 miles. I'm apparently not very adept at reading elevation charts b/c I didn't think I had to climb a lot but boy did I! Uphill for over 2 miles and I'm not talking about Park Slope inclines. This was a big climb. I had some relief with some flats and downhill but then another climb came. I had to stop and walk b/c I felt like my heart was about to pound out of my chest! I finished in 50mins. When I finished my leg I was bent over panting and trying to figure out why i was dying and then one of my teammates clued me in that we are at an elevation of 2500 which is significant for me coming from sealevel about 12 hrs prior. I forgave myself for dying on the uphills.
After our 6th leg, we met up with van 2 at exchange 6. Their van was 6 guys; 6 very funny guys. After our first leg of the race, we had time to go back to the hotel and rest. We ate and swam in the pool. Then, at 5ish, we were off to start our 2nd leg of the relay. Most of us had short, easy runs. Mine was 3.1 miles at 6:45pm and I did it in 21:40. I was flying and felt great. I slowed down at mile 2.4ish when the bike trail turned to sand and I had to jump down a 2 ft ledge. Kinda ruined my stride. I was psyched though for my time and how I felt.
After this leg we went to a hotel and got to sleep for about 2.5 hrs. I also got a lesson on how people from Utah speak and experienced my first Jack in the Box restaurant outing (although I didn't eat anything and use the term "restaurant" loosely).
Our 3rd leg began at 2:30ish. I had a 7mile trail run. It was incredible. A little rough on the feet b/c of the big rocks and uneven road but being out there alone in the desert with a near full moon was beautiful. I flew through my 7 miles and finished in 53:45.
At the end of our 3rd set of runs we got pancakes and I was a happy, happy camper! The finish line was at the Red Rock hotel. We lounged by the pool, got some food and drank some beer.
I'm now falling asleep on my red eye back to nyc. The trip was totally worth the tiredness and sore legs that are coming. I'm hooked on these races and can't wait to do another one!
Monday, October 18, 2010
newfound love
I can't believe i'm writing this - wearing these sneakers is better than eating chocolate right now. I feel like i'm walking on clouds and running, oh my god, running is wonderful! My feet no longer hate me. I still run in the Brooks Adrenaline series shoes but these Mizuno's are my newfound love.
for all you NYC readers, I highly, highly recommend Urban Athletics (http://www.urbanathleticsnyc.com) for shoe buying. I went to the downtown location and Peter helped me (and Jess) buy fantastic shoes.
I'm racing in these - the Mizuno Wave Elixir 5. and yes, they are black and purple. total LOVE!!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
a blustery day
Last 20miler...um, well, 19 is close enough. I thought I rested enough this week but my first Capoeira class on Tuesday night reeked havoc on my thighs. I haven't had to squat and move like I did in Capoeira in a long time so my inner thighs were screaming at me.
We only ran 16 miles all week but I am feeling tired and a bit burned out. I thought I'd be okay to run my last 20miler on Friday with Jess (before her Puerto Rican bday weekend). However, I was feeling it by mile 7. The 3/4 of a mile uphill on 9th St was torture. Running down Vanderbilt felt good but it was slower and my legs felt really, really heavy. Plus, it was windy, windy, windy. We had to reroute a few times b/c it was so windy that we felt like we were standing still! Jess only ran 13 and I met her 2.5 miles in so at mile 15.5 I was on my own. I decided to run around Cadman Plaza track so I wouldn't have to think, just go in circles. I hit mile 19 right as I was about 2 blocks from my house and considering I felt like a drowned troll, I decided to stop and not push it. Knees, hamstrings, feet were all hurting.
I then had quite the adventure trying to track down my new sneakers - the Mizuno Wave Elixirs! I had to have a certain color so the store uptown sent them to me but they got the address wrong so I had to find Sami on Bergen St. After a few phone calls to UPS and lots of funny conversations with the bagel guys, the pizza guys, the hot dog place next door, I found Sami and my sneakers!
We only ran 16 miles all week but I am feeling tired and a bit burned out. I thought I'd be okay to run my last 20miler on Friday with Jess (before her Puerto Rican bday weekend). However, I was feeling it by mile 7. The 3/4 of a mile uphill on 9th St was torture. Running down Vanderbilt felt good but it was slower and my legs felt really, really heavy. Plus, it was windy, windy, windy. We had to reroute a few times b/c it was so windy that we felt like we were standing still! Jess only ran 13 and I met her 2.5 miles in so at mile 15.5 I was on my own. I decided to run around Cadman Plaza track so I wouldn't have to think, just go in circles. I hit mile 19 right as I was about 2 blocks from my house and considering I felt like a drowned troll, I decided to stop and not push it. Knees, hamstrings, feet were all hurting.
I then had quite the adventure trying to track down my new sneakers - the Mizuno Wave Elixirs! I had to have a certain color so the store uptown sent them to me but they got the address wrong so I had to find Sami on Bergen St. After a few phone calls to UPS and lots of funny conversations with the bagel guys, the pizza guys, the hot dog place next door, I found Sami and my sneakers!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
a showdown at the water fountain
Apparently, I was crowding some dude who, I'm not kidding, slurped water at a fountain in Prospect Park for over a minute. After about 30 seconds I stepped to the side so he could see I was waiting and, just barely moving his mouth from the water, turned his head and said to me "back up off me....fuuuuck." I just laughed. Probably not the best move b/c he was about 6'5" and 300 lbs but oh well, I had the run club there as back up.
Don't mess with thirsty big guys!
but, we got our water and finished our 3.5 mile run safely and without anymore encounters.
Don't mess with thirsty big guys!
but, we got our water and finished our 3.5 mile run safely and without anymore encounters.
a good long run
Saturday was one of our slower long runs and one that we actually hit our target time for a long, slow distance run. We met at 8:30, after I ran 4 and Jess ran 3 (she was unsure of how many miles she wanted to run). We reversed our normal route so we ventured into Manhattan first, down by South Street Seaport, around Battery Park and then up to Houston and across to the W'burg bridge.
That bridge SUCKS!!! holy cow - running from the Manhattan to BK side is a long, gradual hill whereas BK to Manhattan is a short, steeper hill. We were feeling good and knew we had a bunch of flat miles ahead of us. Water is a bit of a problem over in Williamsburg...there just isn't any! We opted out of running up Vanderbilt and just continued along Flushing to Dumbo to the new Brooklyn Bridge park.
I finished my 20 and with a strong last mile. It was hotter than we expected. We were in shorts and a t-shirt. We were pretty much dying for water b/c we didn't have that much over the last 5 miles of our run. Ending at the BK Bridge park is perfect for that expect when you have to wait for some rugrats to use the water fountain!
Today was a good long run. I had energy for my 6 hr shift at lululemon and even managed to go out and have fun that night - as opposed to crashing and burning in my bed.
That bridge SUCKS!!! holy cow - running from the Manhattan to BK side is a long, gradual hill whereas BK to Manhattan is a short, steeper hill. We were feeling good and knew we had a bunch of flat miles ahead of us. Water is a bit of a problem over in Williamsburg...there just isn't any! We opted out of running up Vanderbilt and just continued along Flushing to Dumbo to the new Brooklyn Bridge park.
I finished my 20 and with a strong last mile. It was hotter than we expected. We were in shorts and a t-shirt. We were pretty much dying for water b/c we didn't have that much over the last 5 miles of our run. Ending at the BK Bridge park is perfect for that expect when you have to wait for some rugrats to use the water fountain!
Today was a good long run. I had energy for my 6 hr shift at lululemon and even managed to go out and have fun that night - as opposed to crashing and burning in my bed.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
a few easy runs
Jess and I have strayed from our original training plan, opting instead to listen to our bodies as we get closer and closer to our races. We are fatigued and fighting off a some minor aches and pains and why push it? We both have goals and want to reach them but running ourselves into the ground isn't the way.
So, Tuesday, instead of doing a track workout, we ran 6 miles at a nice 8:15 pace. We then stopped at Cadman Plaza and did some core work.
Wednesday we ran a few miles before run club and then did some interval work with the ladies. Ended up with 5.5 miles and then we sped walked home and i'm not kidding! We got called out by 2 people for our speed walking. I felt like a Florida mom (aka Nancy!)
Then, we forced ourselves to meet at 7:30am for a walk/run. Tonight we are off for a pilates for athletes and injured people, aka, foam rolling and core work!
So, Tuesday, instead of doing a track workout, we ran 6 miles at a nice 8:15 pace. We then stopped at Cadman Plaza and did some core work.
Wednesday we ran a few miles before run club and then did some interval work with the ladies. Ended up with 5.5 miles and then we sped walked home and i'm not kidding! We got called out by 2 people for our speed walking. I felt like a Florida mom (aka Nancy!)
Then, we forced ourselves to meet at 7:30am for a walk/run. Tonight we are off for a pilates for athletes and injured people, aka, foam rolling and core work!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Learning the art of goal setting and failure
I've written down goals for years and I love going back through my journal and seeing that I have achieved many of my goals. What I have to realize when saying that statement is that I didn't achieve my goals over night. Many of them took years.
This weekend was a big reminder that failing to achieve a goal isn't really failure, it's just another step closer. My goal was to run a 1:35 half marathon. I ran a 1:40 and was dying. I started off to quickly, got caught up in the pace and then couldn't sustain it after mile 10. After a day or two of sulking, I realized that I'm getting closer and closer to my goal time!
My favorite example of "failing" is my 2008 Marine Corp Marathon. I had my sights set on a 3:35 time. I thought I was doing it correctly - eating well, doing track workouts, running lots of miles, sleeping well, etc - to get slightly injured 2 weeks before the race and thus not feel great during the race. I ended up running a 3:41:05 - yup, 6 seconds off qualifying for Boston (they gift you the seconds, so a 3:40 qualifying time is really 3:40:59). The next year, however, I ran a 3:34 and felt great. My body needed that step - that piece of the puzzle that reminded me to not overtrain, to listen to my body and to have fun! Because really, when it's not fun, it's not worth doing.
so, with my "failure" in my back pocket, i propose my new BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) for 2011 - run a 1:35 half marathon!
This weekend was a big reminder that failing to achieve a goal isn't really failure, it's just another step closer. My goal was to run a 1:35 half marathon. I ran a 1:40 and was dying. I started off to quickly, got caught up in the pace and then couldn't sustain it after mile 10. After a day or two of sulking, I realized that I'm getting closer and closer to my goal time!
My favorite example of "failing" is my 2008 Marine Corp Marathon. I had my sights set on a 3:35 time. I thought I was doing it correctly - eating well, doing track workouts, running lots of miles, sleeping well, etc - to get slightly injured 2 weeks before the race and thus not feel great during the race. I ended up running a 3:41:05 - yup, 6 seconds off qualifying for Boston (they gift you the seconds, so a 3:40 qualifying time is really 3:40:59). The next year, however, I ran a 3:34 and felt great. My body needed that step - that piece of the puzzle that reminded me to not overtrain, to listen to my body and to have fun! Because really, when it's not fun, it's not worth doing.
so, with my "failure" in my back pocket, i propose my new BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) for 2011 - run a 1:35 half marathon!
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