The 2022 NYC Marathon

The 2022 NYC marathon – if you followed along at all, you already know that it was a hot day for November in NYC. I think that would be the TL:DR for this race – “It was hot, we felt like death.”

But if you’ve found this race recap, you’re probably looking for something a little more long winded than that simple summary. Before I get into it, let me mention that this post is going to have less photos than my standard recaps, and I apologize in advance for that. Unfortunately, my phone wasn’t very cooperative during this race, as it wound up drenched in sweat, which made it damn near impossible to use.

Race morning started with an early morning alarm, and excitement as I rolled myself out of bed, despite the early hour. I got myself dressed, pulled an (ultimately unnecessary) throwaway layer of clothes over my marathon outfit, and ate breakfast as I waited for my friends to arrive – I had arranged an early morning uber for Mike, Katie, Darren and myself, that would take us to the hotel that our bus to Staten Island would leave from.

As my friends arrived, they were as sleepy and excited as I was, and we piled into the uber as soon as it pulled up to the house. I felt like I needed to pinch myself, race morning had finally arrived. It was about a 45 minute drive to the hotel for the bus, and then an hour of waiting around and taking advantage of real bathrooms before we headed to the land of the porter potty. The morning would basically just be a lot of waiting around, as mike and I weren’t scheduled to start the race until 11:30 – and we had left my house around 5 am.

We met up with a bunch of my friends from Landshark Endurance (formerly known as the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team), and loaded onto the Staten Island busses together, and once we got to the club tent, set up as circle as we organized ourselves before heading into the start village. Darren had hooked us up with folding chairs, which was honestly brilliant of him – I don’t know why I had never thought of it before! Most of the team headed into the start village before Mike, Darren and I, as they had earlier start times, and when we looked around and saw the club area had emptied out, we decided it was time for us to go through security and into the village as well, even though we had another hour and a half to kill before our start time.

The three of us hung out in the start village, grabbed dunkin hats – despite it being already too warm to wear them, and just waited for the booming announcement that the wave 3 corrals were closed. Once it finally boomed over the loud speakers, we headed towards the porter potties one final time before going towards the corrals. There was no line, but there was also no toilet paper. Thankfully another woman saw me checking various stalls and pulled out a roll of TP and offered me some. I love prepared runners.

Once we had all used the bathroom, we began our final preparations with gel placements in our belts and body glide applications. We walked from the orange village to the corrals and lined up at corral b waiting for them to open. I took this opportunity to use the bathroom one last time before starting – I had been drinking so much water in anticipation of the hot weather that I felt like I endlessly had to pee and was hoping I wouldn’t feel that way on course.

As soon as I was out we were able to head into the corral, which was hot with the body heat from all the runners. Around 11:15 they started moving us forward, and out onto the Verrazano for our 11:30 start. The air was electric with nervous energy, as all of the runners prepared to start their 26.2 mile journey. The national anthem was sung, a cannon went off, and the shuffle forward over the start began, as Frank Sinatra’s voice rang out singing “New York, New York.”

Mike, Darren, and I made it to the start line together, but we lost Darren pretty much immediately after that, as he took off across the bridge. Mike and I were all smiles as we took in the excitement of the moment, of finally making it to the start of the NYC marathon together.

The focus of the beginning of the race was to keep a steady pace – I was aiming for about an 11:30, hoping that we could start there and then progress the pace faster later, like we did for our 20 mile long run. It was congested on the bridge, which was a stark difference from the 2021 race, which had a smaller field. But the runners all seemed so happy, and as usual people were climbing up on the middle barriers for selfies, and workers in trucks were blasting music and dancing as runners went by. When we finally made it to the downhill of the bridge, I realized the 5 hour pacer was right near us, and we tucked into their group for a bit.

On the exit of the bridge, a runner directly in front of Mike and I snagged her foot on the road and went down. We stopped to make sure she was ok, and when she got up and kept moving, we did as well. I hope that she went on to have a good race, because it is a tough break to fall in a race, especially that early.

We had lost the pace group, but managed to catch up to them before mile 2…. Only to then loose them around the mile 3 aid station.

As we made our way through Brooklyn, I was glad that I had decided to carry my handheld water bottle for the beginning of the race. I had it filled with liquid IV, since Gatorade tends to bother my stomach, and I wanted to make sure I was taking in enough electrolytes for the warm weather. I still grabbed water at each aid station that we ran through, and Mike and I would split for a second as I ran through and he walked, but then he would pop up beside me again a minute later.

Mentally, I had broken the marathon down into blocks between my spectators. The planned sightings looked like this:

Mile 8 - Dennis (my husband), Jude (mike’s husband), Tommy (my brother) and Sophie.

Mile 8.5 – Michal with the Landshark Endurance team cheering squad

Mile 12 – Jennie and her bother Matt

Mile 14 – My parents

Mile 16 – Dennis, Jude, Tommy and Sophie again

Mile 19 – Carson

Mile 23 – Jennie again

Mile 25 – Tommy and Sophie

Finish line seating – Dennis and Jude

I was so thankful that we would have so much support on course and looked forward to seeing my people at every opportunity. I am 100% the kind of runner that is highly motivated by seeing her people on course.

The first 8 miles were warm, but I was feeling good as we turned onto Atlantic Avenue and started looking for the first group. The crowds were wild at that point, and it brought a smile to my face every time some spotted my shirt and yelled “Happy Birthday!” It really made me feel like the whole world was out there cheering me on.

Tommy, Dennis and Sophie brought out the cat signs that my Mom and I made for the 2021 race, and it made them easy to spot despite the crowds. We pulled to the side and said hello, Mike grabbed his traditional marathon shot off of the poster Jude was holding, I passed off the dunkin hats I had grabbed at ft. Wadsworth and my handheld water bottle, which was empty at that point.

After we left our spectators and started moving forward on the course again, Mike and I started to drift apart as we ran. I don’t wear glasses when I run, so it is often hard for me to identify a face in a crowd, but I was able to spot Mike thanks to the bright orange BibRave cap he had on. He was feeling dehydrated, as we headed into mile 9, which was unfortunately one of the three miles on course that did not have aid stations. I was already kicking myself for passing my handheld water bottle off to Dennis but knew from past experience that if I had kept it, my shoulder would be in pain by the end of the race.

Throughout mile 9 and into mile 10 I kept pulling ahead of Mike, and then struggling to find him in the crowd. Eventually I told him that if he saw me pulling ahead he should call out, or I was going to wind up losing him all together. I felt so relieved when I saw the mile 10 aid station…. But then I saw that there were no cups visible. I kept running further into the station, assuming that later tables would have some, but they never did. And then I realized that people were drinking from jugs of water and Gatorade that volunteers were pouring into runners’ hands or directly into their mouth… can someone please explain to me how on earth NYRR let this happen, on a 75 degree day, after we dealt with a 2+ year pandemic? Despite my disappointment and disgust at the circumstances of this aid stop, I put my hands out and thanked the volunteer that poured water into them. But it was not the aid station that we needed. I hoped that the mile 11 station would be better, but texted Jennie, who would be at mile 12, and asked if she could get us water bottles, just in case.

Mike was feeling even worse after the lackluster aid station, and the gap between the two of us got even bigger as the race went on. Unfortunately, the aid station at mile 11 was even worse than the one at mile 10, as all of the bottles were being poured directly into people’s mouths, and I just could not talk myself into that level of communal water. There was a medical tent taking the “pour into the hands” approach, so I did wind up getting a handful of water there (I mean, how ridiculous does that sound?!).

As we approached mile 12, I completely lost Mike. I sent him a text, and spent about 5 minutes slowly walking backwards, trying to spot that orange cap. But then a text came in from him, telling me to keep going without him. I felt bad, but we had discussed it before the race and agreed that it was okay if we needed to split up and run our own races. I also felt like I needed to keep moving forward, and get to Jennie, who had water for me. The humidity and heat were already starting to make the day hard, and I needed the water she had. It was such a tease as we ran by the crowded parts of Brooklyn, where the streets were lined with spectators at restaurants, all holding various drinks. I seriously contemplated stopping and asking for a cup, not sure if this would be an issue for the rest of the race.

I spotted Jennie and her brother, and she held up a giant string of cats wearing birthday hats, which made me smile so big. She was cheering as I approached and handed me the best birthday gift – a giant bottle of cold water! I thanked her, gave her a very sweaty hug, and headed towards the end of the Brooklyn part of the race, and onto the Ed Kotch bridge, which spit me out in Queens!

My parents had driven into queens to spectate, and I knew I would spot them between miles 13 and 14, just after the bridge. They were decked out with home-made signs, and I laughed when I saw Mom had even made a frosty the snowman one, to help the runners think cool thoughts. Dad was smiling and holding not one but two phones as I ran up to them, capturing my approach. I gave them hugs, complained about the weather, and kept trekking forward.

By this point in the race, I was soaked to the bone with sweat. Every article of clothing I was wearing was completely wet. I had opted for a sports bra that had a pocket for my phone, but even that was so wet that any time I took my phone out I had to let it air dry for several minutes before I could take a photo or answer a text. It made it a little complicated to update my spectators, but I did manage to send out a message to Den and ask him to fill my water bottle and add a tube of liquid IV, then pass it back to me at mile 16, where I would spot him next. After the messed-up water stations, I did not want to rely on the race to have hydration for the rest of the miles ahead.

I crossed from queens into Manhattan, and as usual it was eerily quiet on the Queensborough bridge. It is a mental game as you cross into Manhattan, because with no spectators and another uphill climb, it’s hard to talk yourself out of walking. I did all I could to keep moving forward and enjoyed watching the skyline off the side of the bridge. As I approached the end of the bridge I could hear the crowds on 1st avenue and knew in less than a mile I would see more of my people.

The crowds lining 1st avenue did not disappoint, and I soaked in the cheers as I made my way along. Before mile 17 I spotted Sophie perched on Tom’s shoulders, cheering, and holding up a giant cat head poster. When I got closer to them I saw Den and Jude. Den passed me my water bottle, freshly filled up, and I made my best attempt at taking a selfie of us all, despite my phone really fighting me in the process- It was wet, and I had wet hands, which are not the best combo for phone use.

From there they would split into 2 spectating teams – Den and Jude would head for the finish line, and Tommy and Sophie would head for a point during mile 25, on the last stretch of 5th avenue before the final turn into central park.

The day was only getting harder, and I was struggling to keep myself motivated to move forward. But getting some electrolytes in from the handheld water bottle helped. I would see my friend Carson around mile 19, just before heading into the Bronx, and two bridges later I would find Jennie on course again in central park. This was my 10th marathon, and I have never seen so many runners struggling at aid stations and medical tents. at one point, a runner ahead of me straight up started puking in the middle of the road. I was able to get my water bottle refilled as I ran out of water, and even took an extra gel.

I was so focused on running as I got closer to the Bronx that I almost missed Carson cheering on the side of the road – as I got closer to her, I saw she was holding a “Happy birthday” sign, and a “Go Mike!” sign, and I thought to myself, what a coincidence, that she’s cheering for someone with a birthday, and someone named Mike – and then I realized that the Birthday sign was for me, and it was my friend holding it. I may have been a little delusional at that point. But I was so happy to see her, and it gave me the boost of motivation I needed to get from Manhattan into the Bronx.

At this point in the race my pace had slowed considerably. My dad had started texting me encouragement. As I left the bridge and entered the Bronx, he sent me a text that read “The Bronx loves you” and you know what I saw after looking up from reading the text on my watch? A big sign, with a heart that said the exact same thing. I almost cried when I spotted it.

I had forgotten just how long the Bronx feels when you are this deep into the marathon. I was struggling to take in water because I had to pee so bad. But I knew that I had to keep hydrating, so I made the decision to stop at a porter-potty, which luckily still had toilet paper. I felt much better once I was back on the road, and soon after accepted a water bottle from a spectator who was kindly handing them out. I had to constantly push myself to keep running, I wanted to just walk so bad at this point in the race. I told myself that I could just get back to Manhattan running, then I could take a break. With every corner we turned in the Bronx I expected to see that last damn bridge, and every time it wasn’t there I questioned if I could make it to the bridge… until, finally, I could see it, and knew that I would make it back into Manhattan.

I had taken a few walk breaks up until this point, and each one was harder to talk myself into running again after. So while on the bridge I decided to set my watch to run/walk intervals, knowing that I could skip the walk portions if I felt good, but mainly hoping that having the intervals would up my mental game, and keep me from walking too much. I went with a 2 min run/30 second walk.

I made it across that last damn bridge, and back into Manhattan. Now I just had to make it to central park. The sun was starting to set, and I really wanted to make it to the finish before it got dark. Thankfully, the crowds were still out in full force cheering, and putting a smile on my face each and every time someone shouted at me with wishes of “Happy birthday!”

Finally, I saw the sign welcoming me into central park, and made the right turn onto the familiar roads of central parks, where I have spent plenty of weekend mornings logging miles at the smaller NYRR races. I kept up with running intervals as I made my way through the park, looking for Jennie and her brother as I went, knowing that they would be in the park to cheer me on. As I ran, I spotted Darren, who I hadn’t seen since the Verrazano. We chatted for a minute, and griped about how the race was going. He had lost his salt early on, and was as over the warm weather as I was. We ran together for about a half mile, but then he opted to walk a little longer when I was ready to go into another run interval, and we parted ways.

Soon after I spotted Jennie, around mile 24. As much as I had struggled to make it through this race, I couldn’t believe that it was almost over. I gave her a quick hug and she cheered me on as I rejoined the runners moving through central park. Even though there were only two miles left, I would still get to see Tommy and Sophie at mile 25.5 and Dennis and Jude at the finish line grandstands. I willed myself to keep moving forward, even though my body was tired.

At this point I basically could not use my phone for anything other than reading messages that got relayed to my watch, as it was too wet to be useful. Tommy started sending messages saying that him and Sophie were going to have to abandon their spot and head to the dinner reservation we had booked, and I was super bummed, as I was almost to the little span of 59th street that you pop out onto before making the final turn back into central park, where I knew they were waiting. I has resigned myself to not seeing them, when during a walk interval I heard Tom cheering for me, and Sophie yelling out as well. I almost cried happy tears when I saw them, and it was exactly the push that I needed to start running again, and get myself to that finish line (Tom later explained that he had checked find my friends, and when they saw I was so close opted to wait for me to run by before going to check in to the dinner reservation).

I was back in the park, and in the end of the final mile. There were signs up telling me I only had 800 m to go – two laps of the track, I could do that. I could hear the finish, and the sides of the course were lined with spectators. 400 m to go. It was the end of the marathon. I came up one final hill and around a corner, and could see the finish line at last, as lit up as the sun went down. The grandstands lined the finish, and I spotted Dennis and Jude holding up a giant cat head, and smiled as they cheered me to the finish.

I crossed the finish line, and felt like I was in a dream. It was over, the race was done. I followed the stream of runners, barely aware of my surroundings, but with a smile plastered on my face. I got a medal from a volunteer, and picked up a recovery bag that was filled with snacks and drinks. I had run with the NYPD team, so a volunteer directed me to a tent right at the finish, and I got to avoid the very very long walk out of central park, instead plopping my butt in a chair in the NYPD tent for a few minutes, while I collected myself.

I was able to dry off my phone, and checked the tracking to see where Mike was at on the course. It was going to be about 40 minutes before he was projected to cross the finish, so I decided to make my way to meet Tommy and Sophie at the restaurant for dinner, that way I could change into dry clothes. I collected my checked bag, and hobbled my way out of the park. When I got to the security exit, Tommy was waiting to escort me to the restaurant, which was about a block away. He offered me a piggy back ride, which made me laugh – I was pretty sure I would not be able to jump up onto him, and instead handed him the bags I was carrying and took his arm, shifting some of my body weight onto him.

We were eating dinner at the Smith, and luckily the table was ready when we got there. We were a party of 8, Me, Tommy, Sophie, Carson and a friend of hers, plus Mike, Jude and Dennis, who would join us once Mike crossed the finish line. I was able to change into dry clothes and we ordered some apps while we waited for the rest of the group – I could probably write a whole blog post about the injustice of their bathroom being in the basement, but I’ll stop yammering on. Once everyone arrived, I ordered something bubbly for a group cheers, and did my best to eat a burger. It was delicious, but I struggle to eat after long races. It was a good call to eat before going home, as in past years I have felt delirious after making the hour plus trip home before eating post race.

We took the subway back to penn station, and the LIRR back home. It was a long, hard day, and there were moments that I wanted to quit, but I was proud of myself for continuing to show up and put one foot in front of the other.

I am also proud of Mike, who somehow managed to pull off a marathon PR despite the bad weather!

Week 3: Training for the 2022 NYC Marathon

Marathon training always flies by fast, but I can’t believe it is already week 3! I was looking at my calendar yesterday and realized that I have managed to book something almost every weekend before now and the race, so I am sure to be squeezing in long runs between activities at some point. This week started with an off day, with no running on my schedule.

When I got home from work I changed into my workout gear and knocked out a 10-minute peloton core class. Sophie and had plans to meet up at the gym and do a group Pilates class, so we met there right before class started. I have been enjoying returning to group workouts, and it is nice that the cost is included in the cost of the gym membership, as it lets me just have fun as we try new classes instead of worrying about getting my “money’s worth.”

Once the class was over we decided to head to the weight room, as I wanted to do a few lower body exercises – my knee was still bothering me a bit, and I felt like it would be good to revisit some of the strengthening exercises that I had been given when I did physical therapy back in 2019, as the pain felt similar (but less intense). We spent about a half hour between three machines, switching off for sets so we would get a break between each bit of work.

It had thunder stormed for a bit on Monday night, which meant that Tuesday morning gave us the gift of cooler temps and low humidity. I had forgotten to locate my headphones when I set out my clothes the night before and settled for grabbing my Shokz open swim headphones (which are waterproof, so they don’t have Bluetooth capability). I had been listening to the Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix audio book as I swam, so that morning I got in another chapter as I ran.

My Mom and Dad were waiting outside when I got to their house, and we got right on the road this morning. Mom and I chatted for a bit at the start of the run, and then I got into a groove and started the audio book as the conversation petered out.  It was another three mile morning, and when the run was done I headed home and had some eggs for breakfast.

After work I decided to walk to the pool again and managed to find an empty lane for laps. I got in 30 minutes, and then walked home and did a 10 minute peloton core class, before digging into some thai food. I am hoping that while the pools are open for the summer I can get there every two or three days to swim some laps. Since I am just returning to running, I worry that my mileage isn’t high enough for marathon training, and supplementing with swimming laps makes me feel better about the volume of work I am doing.

It was another miracle in July on Wednesday morning, as we had mild temperatures in the 60s and relatively low humidity again that morning. I had a restless night of sleep and was worried my body would be against waking up to run, but like clockwork I woke up just before 5:30, and got moving once I transferred one of our cats, Binx, from my lap onto my still sleeping husband.

I got ready, this time with my regular headphones since I had managed to find them the night before, and was greeted with a pretty sunrise as I stepped outside. I had 4 miles on tap that morning and got to my parents’ house early enough that they were not yet waiting outside for me.

We headed out together and got on the road, and as I chatted with my mom during the first quarter mile I almost felt like my old self again. My stride felt natural, and my feet moved with a cadence they had so many times before, unlike the slower paces I had become accustomed to as of late. After a moment of taking in the feeling I slowed myself down, knowing that if I pushed my knee was likely to feel even worse than it had over the last week or so. But it was nice to know that, even if it’s just for a moment, running can feel good again. It makes me feel like I can build back to where I was, as long as I take things slow and trust the process. The four miles slipped by without any fanfare, feeling like a normal morning run to me.

Run three of the week was slated for Thursday morning, and I worried about its fate as I saw thunderstorms in the forecast. I texted with Dad, and we decided to push the run to Friday when the skies would be clearer. Thursday became a day of strength training – in the evening, since I took full advantage of a little extra sleep in the morning. When I got home from work Den was setup in the home gym on Zwift, so I grabbed a jump rope, kettle bell, and resistance band and headed out to the backyard patio. I turned on some up beat music, and started a cycle of jumprope until burnout, kettle bell thrusts and squats, and then monster walks and side squats with the resistance band until my heart rate was back down in zone one, at which point I would start the cycle again.

It wasn’t the best or most structured workout, but I enjoyed listening to my body and going through motions that felt good. It was a break from my normal routine, and I really enjoyed it. Eventually I called it quits, and finished my workout with 10 minutes of core.

Mike had inquired about joining for a morning run, so on Friday I picked him up on the way to my parents’ house. It had not been an easy wakeup morning, as my alarm ripped me from sleep when I was not expecting it, but once I was on the road I was happy to be getting my run done. The weather had returned to the soupy, humid air that is expected in July, and I was happy that Mike joined us as we looped around the neighborhood. It was warm enough that instead of waiting for a water signal, my dad pulled alongside us several times during the short run and mandated water intake (not that I minded, the water was refreshing!). We kept the pace conversational, but I still struggled to talk at times, just because of the conditions. I dropped Mike off after the run, and went on with my standard work day.

I took it easy on Saturday, and caught up with my housework. Den and I went shopping to get supplies to do some weekday lunch prep, and I got all my stuff together for Sunday - I had plans to run a NYRR event and then head to Brooklyn to go to smorgasbord with my brother and some friends.

Sunday’s race was the NYRR team championship, one of their weekly races that I hadn’t done before. It was a 5 mile race, that we planned to tack 3 miles on to so we’d get a total of 8 miles done.

Dennis came along so that he could join us for smorgasbord after, so the two of us got up around 4:45 and stopped to grab some bagels before picking Mike up. I drove the three of us into Manhattan, and after a few loops of city blocks we managed to find street parking. It was a little under a mile walk to the start area of the race, where we met up with Apryl, another member of the BibRave community. Apryl and I had been chatting online for years, and since she recently moved to NY I was excited to finally meet in person and get to run together.

We picked up our race bibs and race giveaway, which was a cool reflective Fanny pack! I really like when races give out something other than a shirt.

We headed towards the porter potties, and got in just in time before the race got started. We hopped into the corral right as the crowd started moving forward, and started our running intervals as soon as we crossed the start line.

Thankfully the course headed south from the start, so we got to avoid Harlem hill. Mike, Apryl and I chatted as we made our way first through the three sisters, then around the south side of the park. The weather wasn’t too warm when we started, but the heat turned up as we made our way further into the run, and I was happy each time I spotted an aid station and got a cup of water. The second half of the race took us around the bottom of the park and then north towards the finish, and included a trip up cat hill, and a spotting of the cat statue that lives at the peak of it.

The different teams within NYRR were out in full force as we approached the finish, with the front runners even forming a cheer tunnel on the course! We crossed the finish with smiles on our faces, and grabbed some water before venturing out to do the last three miles of our run.

We explored Central Park a little as we got in our final three miles, first heading north in a way that would have brought us up the backside of Harlem hill, but bailing onto one of the smaller, more wooded trails before the climb got too bad, and then approaching the hill from the other side, enjoying that downhill that took us to the base of Harlem hill before turning around.

Eventually we made our way back towards the ball fields, where Dennis was waiting on a rock as we ran. With our miles complete (8 for me and Mike, and 14 for Apryl), we took a minute to stretch before heading back to the car.

From there Mike, Den and I picked up Carson and her boyfriend before heading to Brooklyn, where we stopped at my brothers apartment to pick him up, and so Mike and I could each shower quick and change before heading to get lunch.

I had never been to the prospect park smorgasbord before, and it was easy enough to find once we made our way into the park. It was a loop of maybe 20-30 vendors, all serving different foods. One of the first booths we saw was selling different types of lemonade, and we all gave into temptation on the hot day, getting drinks as we decided on food choices. We took the try everything and share it all approach, sampling things like dumplings, rainbow grilled cheese, poutine, and pad Thai. It was a fun afternoon, and a yummy way to refuel after a training run while catching up with friends.

Week 2: Training for the 2022 NYC marathon

Well, I resisted going out to run on Sunday, but mentally bargained with myself that if I rested Sunday, I would run a few miles Monday to make up for not doing a “long” run like my training plan had called for over the weekend – I was only supposed to run 6 miles, but instead opted to participate in a 5k. 

Logically, I know that missing 3 miles this early in training is not going to keep me from crossing that finish line in November. Heck, if anything skipping it and gradually increasing my training load would probably help prevent me from getting an injury from ramping up too fast! But I just couldn’t get over the mental hurdle of feeling like I didn’t stick to the plan that I committed to, and felt the need to “make up” some miles on Monday morning.

Sunday night the forecast was calling for thunderstorms on Monday morning, so I pulled an outfit and laid it out on my treadmill to make the morning as easy as possible. I woke up before my alarm went off, and managed to sneak in a few minutes of cuddles with my cat before rolling out of bed and heading downstairs. 

I decided to stack a few peloton classes – a 5 minute pre-run stretch, a 30 minute Disney run, and then a 10 minute core class. 

The class wasn’t anything particularly special – I followed along as the instructor shouted to increase and decrease the speed, just at a slower average pace than I was used to. The incline is still broken on my tread, so I avoided any ups and downs, and just stuck to trying to run as much as possible. When the class had ended I had 2.5 miles done, and I rolled out a mat to do some core work.

I had to modify some of the standard planks to forearm planks in the core class, as I have been having some carpal tunnel issues with my wrist, but other than that I put in as much effort as I could. It was a bit frustrating to not be able to perform the exercises as well as I used to, but I tried to remind myself that fitness isn’t always linear, and I needed to give myself grace as I worked on building back up. The core class was the beginning of a 5 week challenge that one of the peloton instructors was hosting, and I decided it would be a good motivator to get me to do more core work.

Monday night I met Sophie at the gym, and we took a TRX class together. Back when I did orange theory regularly, I was familiar with TRX – but now, I felt like a fish out of water. It almost felt comical at times, but with a few modifications I managed to survive the class. 

Tuesday morning I had what is becoming the standard morning run routine of rolling out of bed and heading to my parents’ house for the morning run. Dad got a good laugh when I ran by a dumpster in front of a house and a squirrel popped up and gave me a surprise as I went by. It was a morning in July, so of course it was hot and humid. It was a slog through the three miles, but I was happy to be done when my watch chimed at the three mile mark. 

On Tuesday night I once again headed to Emerge (my favorite yoga studio), this time for a massage. I had booked it a few weeks ago, as my shoulder had been bothering me, and when the same thing happened earlier this year combining acupuncture and massage got me back to feeling normal. It was an intense deep tissue massage, complete with cupping that I almost want to call painful (I was, surely enough, bruised from this the following day, to my mom’s shock when she saw my back the next morning), but my shoulder felt so released after it was done. Before leaving I scheduled another one for next month, just a few days after the NYRR 12-mile training run. I know if I book it, I am more likely to go through with it, and I really do feel like it helps my body recover. After I got home from the massage I begrudgingly did my 10 minutes of core that I committed to, and then spent the rest of the night not working out.

My body seems to be getting on board with these earlier wakeups (and earlier bedtimes), because on Wednesday I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm for the third time this week. My cats were annoyed that I was exiting the bed, but Dennis did not even notice. I got ready and hopped in the car to head over to my parents’ house, where their bikes were waiting in the driveway. As soon as I got out of the car, I realized I was missing a crucial item – my Garmin. Ugh! I had dropped it into my backpack the night before when I got the massage, and never put it in my morning run pile, and my sleepy brain totally forgot about it. 

So, I am not even sure that this run counts since there was no running watch involved (that’s how it works, right?). I settled for tracking the run with my phone and got on the road. I really didn’t have any time to waste since it was my first 4-mile morning of this training cycle, and I hadn’t gotten up early to account for the extra mile. A mistake? Perhaps. It was the kind of morning where the humidity makes the air feel soupy, so I knew it would be a somewhat difficult run.

I added a big old loop to the front end of the run, because in my head that meant I was getting the extra mile out of the way first, and then could continue onto my standard loop. By runner logic, it made the whole run feel shorter. Dad and I chatted a bit as we passed along miles, and Mom lingered a little behind us. When I checked my phone to see the distance as I knew we were approaching 4 miles, dad was surprised to hear that we were already at 3.9 miles, and he faked outrage that we had gone more than the 3.5 miles he petitioned for the day before. 

I hit 4 miles about a block before getting back to my parents’ house, so I took a little cool down walk to finish off the morning. I did have to rush a little when I got home to get out the door for work, so I only had time to mix a protein shake and grab a superhero muffin. 

That night I planned to do my 10 minutes of core before bed, but after going out to dinner with my husband I was stuffed to the brim, and instead committed to making up the 10 minutes another day of the week.

Thursday morning I once again headed out with my parents for another three mile loop, and for the first time in this training cycle it felt routine. It was still slower than I wanted it to be, but I was able to settle in and enjoy the miles - It felt like it used to when running was really a steady routine for me. My knee felt a little sore after the run, so I made a note to add some resistance band training into my routine for the rest of the week. 

After work I met Sophie at the gym and we did two group fitness classes together. First a 30 minute arm class, and then the stepper class again. By the time I got home I was POOPED! I snuck in my 10 minute core class, took a quick shower, and then got in bed around 8:30 pm, so it was an early night for me.

Even though I went to bed super early on Thursday, I slept as late as I could before work on Friday - my body felt exhausted! My brain was in a fog that morning after such a long night of sleep. The only exercise that I did Friday was a 10 minute core video, to check off a box for the core challenge that my friends and I are participating in. 

Since MIke and I are planning to run the NYC marathon together, we want to do as many runs together as we can. While this isn’t practical on weekdays because we have different work schedules, we try to sync up our weekend runs whenever possible. I had plans to head into the city to see “Little Shop of Horrors”, so between that and the heat of summer we knew we would need to get out early for the run. My parents agreed to bike along and pass us waters as we ran, so we agreed to meet at their house at 6 am. I picked up mike on the drive over, and we quickly got on the road.

This was my first time running with another person (at least with someone else who was also running) since March, and I had almost forgotten how much misery loves company. Now don’t get me wrong, I love having my parents join me on their bikes for my runs, but it is just different when you have another runner along. The four of us made our way around the neighborhood, Dad making sure we stayed hydrated despite the heat. Mike and I caught up, cutting each other off as we flowed from one story into another. 

The plan was for a 6 mile run, and at mile 4 we decided to take gels, even though it was a short run - in part because of how hot and humid it was, and in part because we both like to practice our fueling on every “long” run, to make a consistent habit out of it. The 6 miles flew by - in my mind at least - we certainly didn’t break any speed records. But we had a good time, and I even ran through a sprinkler at the end to cool down. Since we weren’t in a rush after the run, we loaded up the peloton app on the TV and took a post-run stretch together. 

I spent the rest of my Saturday in Manhattan. Dennis and I met up with some friends and went to brunch, followed by seeing the “Little Shop of Horrors” revival, which was very good. After the show we headed to a bar, and then found a restaurant that served super yummy tacos and quesadillas. By the time we got home I was ready for bed, after an awesome Saturday that was both fun and productive.

I had one thing on my Sunday schedule - cross training! Where I live we have community pools, and we had finally gotten around to picking up our pool pass, so I wanted to swim some laps. My knee was still feeling a bit sore, so I figured it was a better choice than biking. Dennis walked with me to the pool, which is just under a mile away from our house. When we got there I was able to snag a free lane, and popped on my aftershokz open swim headphones with an audiobook playing to entertain me as I swam back and forth. It felt really good to get into the routine of a stroke and I knocked off laps for a half hour. 

We walked home together, and finished our weekend with a nice pasta dinner, and some mindless TV to relax. 

I’m hoping that as my miles continue to ramp up in this training cycle, I find time to get to the pool and swim more often. 

Week 1: Training for the 2022 NYC Marathon

The finish line of the 2021 NYC marathon

I wasn’t sure this would happen in 2022, but here we are – week one of training for the NYC Marathon! So as of writing this, we are 17 weeks out from the big day. Right now, it feels like that time is going to pass in the blink of an eye.

I am somehow more nervous for the miles that I am supposed to run this week than I have been for past training cycles, probably because I am coming off the longest running hiatus I have taken since I first started running in 2015. It has been a few months since I have trained consistently, my last long run being the NYC Half marathon in March. Since then I have completed a total of ONE run that lasted longer than 20 minutes…. So I have my work cut out for me.

I took the time to make my traditional excel sheet, with color coded runs and mileage tallys, which tells me what mileage I need to run on a given day. NYC will be my 10th marathon, and I have tried a bunch of different training plans over the last 5 years. I first pulled up the plan that lead to my marathon PR, the runners world “Break 4 hours” plan. While my race wound up taking 4 hours and 13 minutes, it still stands as my PR, and I was eager to give it another go – but I had to admit to myself that my base fitness is not at that level right now. The first week of that plan has a 7 mile track workout, and I haven’t run that far at even an easy pace in months. So I tucked that plan away, and reached for a more basic plan – Hal Higdon’s marathon novice program. I was a little bummed to make this decision, but I know that starting off with that plan will help me ease into longer runs and higher mileage, and that I can always add in speedwork as my fitness improves. 

Since the mileage starts out lower with this plan, I want to make sure I am focusing on caring for my body, with regular strength work, yoga, and solid nutrition. To set myself up for success I spent Sunday with my slow cooker, meal prepping chicken and rice to have for lunch during the week. 

Since I didn’t have any mileage planned for Monday, I went to my favorite yoga studio after work. I had an acupuncture appointment scheduled, something I started doing earlier this year after a pinched nerve lead to shoulder pain. I also really like that the sessions force me to unplug and take time to breathe and relax, something that I am not always great at making time for. 

When I got home Den and I took a walk to the library to pick up a book I had put on hold, which was about 2 miles round trip. Not running, but I feel like any miles under foot count when you are marathon training. I rounded out the night with a 20-minute restorative yoga class via the peloton app, and then a little reading before bed.

For months I have struggled with morning wakeups, but there is something to be said for having someone else hold you accountable – and my Dad knows that, which is probably why he texted me Monday night saying that his bike would be hitting the road at 6:20 the following morning. It was the exact motivation I needed to get in a morning run, which is really when I prefer to run while marathon training. I got to my parents’ house, and both my Dad and my Mom had bikes ready to go, so I would have company on my run. My primary goal was to get through three miles without walking, regardless of the pace. As we left the house, Dad teased that he didn’t need a helmet because we would be moving so slow – which was unusual, because my Dad is ALWAYS a helmet person. Wearing a helmet while riding a bike is something that was ingrained onto me from a young age…. Perhaps because I was known to ride a little too close to hazards as a kid. 

Having struggled to run shorter distances without walking in the previous weeks, I wasn’t sure I would be able to pull this off, but I knew having my parents along with me would give me an extra push. We got moving and chatted a little bit. It was a warm morning, and I was struggling. But I picked a 3 mile route that I had probably run a hundred times before, and focused on landmarks – I knew the fire hydrant that marked one mile, the tree at the two mile location next to the sump, and that I would hit three miles right as we got back to the house. I focused on just getting to each of these, regardless of the pace I was running. It was a “short” run, but damn, I wanted to walk. 

Somehow, I pulled it off – which I know, may not seem like much.  A big part of me wants to say it was “only” three miles. But for where I am mentally and physically right now, 3 miles is an accomplishment! My legs agreed that it was a big deal, as they felt wobbly as I walked for a minute after hitting the three mile mark.

That night I got in a little cross training, by heading to a group class at crunch fitness with Sophie. We recently joined in an effort to do more strength training, and I am hoping that eventually I will work up the courage to go near the squat rack, like I used to!

My alarm went off Wednesday morning and I once again dragged myself out of bed and headed to my parents’ house, so they would bike along with me as I ran. This time Dad pulled on his helmet, as Dennis had teased him about not wearing one Monday. Dad’s rebuttal included comments about how Dennis has been known to mow the lawn in sandals, so Den is naturally scheming to pick out the safest outfit possible the next time he breaks out the mower – does anyone have a bubble wrap connection?

The miles were just as slow as Tuesday’s, but I felt more at home as I ran. I chatted with Dad about my training schedule, trying to decide if I should tack miles on before or after Saturday’s 5k, or if I should do a separate long run Sunday. I was skeptical about doing an additional long run Sunday, as this was my first week back to running and the training plan only called for 4 days and 15 miles of running, so adding the extra 5k would increase the weekly mileage by 20%. Three miles doesn’t sound like a big adder, but 20% is a significant increase!

Dad pressed the point that I was just starting to run again, and that I shouldn’t jump into things too fast. He advocated for me to just run the 5k, and wait until next week to do my first “long” run, which was ultimately what I decided to do. When I finished my run, I felt it in my legs, and I was hungry! I headed home and decided to actually make myself eggs before heading to work, at the expense of stretching post run. I know, I know, I should be doing both things, but I started a new job with an earlier start time, so I am still figuring out the timing of morning runs. 

Thursday was my final pre-work run of the week, and I really wanted to roll back over after a less than stellar night of sleep. But it was week one, and I knew I would be starting a bad habit to already be hitting snooze – plus, my bike escort was waiting for me. 

I changed up the route that morning, instead of going for my standard three-mile loop and spotted a few other runners out at the same time, which is unusual. I wondered if they were starting to train for NYC as well. I really wanted to stop and walk about halfway through but settled for chugging some water as I ran. By the end of the run. Sweat was dripping down my face, and I even ran through a sprinkler as I approached mile 3. I took a 5 minute post-run stretch class before getting on with my day.

After work Sophie and I wanted to go swimming, but mother nature had another plan, as thunderstorms loomed in the forecast. We settled for doing another crunch fitness class, this one called “HIIT the deck,” which felt like a jazzercise class. It did force me to work on single leg motions and squats, so I count it as solid cross training for my legs. We had fun with it, even if it made me feel a little like I was back in high school and trying to learn the dance combo as I auditioned for the school musical. 

Friday was a rest day, that I took seriously. I did a restorative yoga class after work and took it easy for the night.

I didn’t really plan on doing a race so early into marathon training, but on Saturday morning my younger bother had invited me to participate in a local 5k that his police academy class was helping with, so I agreed. I really feel like I should be putting the word race in quotes or something, because I was in no way racing this event. Since I decided to participate instead of doing a “long” run, I wanted to try to push the pace a little, and at least finish faster than my week day runs had been.  

The race was called “the Bayshore fire department race to the pump 5k.” and on Saturday morning I met my brother at my parent’s house, and he drive Sophie and I with him to the start. Kevin claimed he wasn’t planning on racing, but I knew from past experiences that he would take off as soon as the race started, and we would not see him again until we finished. When we got there Sophie and I hung out and entered a few raffles as Kevin worked with his classmates to set up the food drive tent. We picked up our race bibs and then hung out on the beach as we waited for the race to start. Eventually an announcement was made asking all runners to head to the start line.

They had little cheerleaders chanting at the start, and a blow horn sounded to let us know it was time to go. Sophie and I decided to stick together, and we watched as Kevin disappeared into the first row of runners. The course was on small local roads, all along a channel. We had water views and even some shade covering us at times. Sophie and I chatted and just focused on forward motion as we made our way along the course. At about the half way point there was a water stop, and we grabbed little cups, since it was hot out. 

The second half of the course included a little out and back, before we crossed over the channel and headed to the final turn of the race. As soon as we turned the corner we could see the finish line - and a fire truck spouting water on the other side of it! I really liked that it was truly a “race to the pump!”

Sophie and I crossed the finish line together, and Kevin was waiting for us right on the other side - he had finished the race in 19 minutes and change, placing second in his age group and 9th overall! Sophie and I agreed that we had to run though the water that the truck was pouring out, and had fun doing it!

After the race there was a free drink for each runner, which I was pleasantly surprised to learn was not beer - instead it was an alcoholic Gatorade that a local brewery makes! It was dangerously good. There were also bagels, and free stretches from a local PT place, which I took advantage of.

We waited for the award ceremony, and the raffle prizes, which we had some luck with - I won a $50 gift card to a local tattoo parlor, and Sophie won a soft cooler filled with white claw, AND the “basket of cheer!” Her new apartment will be well stocked!

After all that was done we packed it into the car, and headed to brunch to celebrate my Mom’s birthday.

On Sunday I woke up and headed right to the yoga studio, and took a nice stretchy class, that was just on the cusp of a challenge. Normally the Sunday morning class is intense, but it was like the universe knew I needed a slower flow. After the class I had another acupuncture appointment, and was glad that Vanessa offers this service at her studio, as I felt really taken care of.

I spent the rest of Sunday mentally battling my rest day. I felt like I HAD to do something, whether it be a swim, run, or bike, but reminding myself that I need to ease back into doing all these things, and instead cleaned the house and finished reading a book.

That’s the end of week one - thanks for reading, and I hope that we can make it to the NYC marathon finish line together!

Week 3: When it's Humid, I head for the Treadmill.

 I was met by, as my dad says, Hot, Hazy, and Humid weather when I headed outside for my run on Monday morning. It was the end of June in New York, and the humidity was very much out to play. I managed to get out of the house before 7 am and worked my way through the 6 miles on my training schedule. The miles were difficult, and slow going, but I kept going even when I wanted to quit. I walked a little at the end of my miles to cool down, red faced and exhausted, but happy that my miles were finished for the day. I rounded out my day with some yoga that evening, so that my legs would feel fresh when I took on speedwork the following day.

When I had done speed work a week earlier, it was borderline a traumatic experience. I was DREADING another speedwork session. I told myself I was going to get up early to beat the heat, but then just could not get myself out of bed that morning. So, I packed a gym bag, and after work I headed to my parent’s house to get in my interval run on the treadmill. I was honestly worried about being able to hit the prescribed paces in the workout but figured that I had a better chance on the tread than I did outside.

My schedule called for 8 600m repeats, at a 7:50 pace. I took a warmup class, stretched, and then picked out a HIIT class from the peloton, so that the energy of the class would match my goals for the intervals I had on tap. I was skeptical the first time that I rolled the speed up to a 7:53, but managed to hang on for 600m. and after 400 m of recovery, I managed to do it again. It kept going like that – a slight disbelief, a hard effort, another interval checked off. At the end of the 45 minute class I was dripping with sweat, but only had one more interval to go! I popped on a 20 minute Pop Punk run, and made it through my last interval, and glided into a nice cooldown to finish off my run. This run was so welcome after the struggle that intervals had been the week before.

The next day I focused on strength training, and after work met up with Sophie to do a few peloton classes. We did an hour of strength training total, consisting of a 20 minute lower body resistance band class, a 20 minute strength for runners class, and a 20 minute core class. As we are early in our marathon training, we even did a nice 10 minute stretch to close things out. How many weeks do you reckon I will actually manage to keep up with strength training and stretching like this?

Thursday morning called for a 6 mile tempo run, which I knew I was not up for just yet. I planned to run in the morning and had to fight to get myself out of bed. I set a goal of trying to hit around a 9-minute mile for 3 miles, and planned to run 7 miles total, so at least I would get the full mileage that the training wanted, even if the paces were not perfect. I let myself take it easy the first mile so my body would have plenty of time to warmup, and then tried to take the pace down when I got into mile 2. I fought to get the pace to just under a 9 min/mi, and didn’t quite get there for mile 2 – but by the time I rolled into mile 3 I had found my stride, and managed to hang on to the pace for miles 3 and 4. I spent the last three miles slowing down and just getting the miles under foot. It was a hard run, but I was happy that I had dragged myself out of bed at the end of it.

On Saturday I had my first race since march of 2020 – the NYRR pride run! It was a freaking humid morning, so I had no plans to run at an all out pace, but I was excited for the “event” that is a race, at long last! Mike and Jude picked me up, and we headed into Manhattan together. We pre-reserved parking at a lot near Carson’s apartment, and met up with her before heading into central park. They had covid precautions in place, so they had asked runners to pick up their bibs in advance if possible, so Carson had gotten our bibs and shirts earlier that week.

NYRR had set up the race to have a “rolling” start, with different start times based off your pace, but we all decided to start at the later time, together. We headed into central park, checked our bags, and were able to run right up to the start line and begin our race without being packed into a corral. Carson and I stuck together as we made our way through central park. This year the race was a 6k, and when we got moving, I was pretty much immediately dripping with sweat. It was central park, so of course there were hills - first up were the three sisters, then we made our way around the south side of the park before going up Cat hill. It was nice to be running with Carson though, and we did all we could to make it through the miles without melting.

When the finish line was in sight, Carson picked up the pace to fly through the finish, and I matched her stride for stride – although had she gone much faster, I probably would have thrown up. They gave us ice pops as we left the finishers chute, which were so good in the heat. We waited for Mike and Jude at the finish line, and then found a restaurant that served crepes, and we each ordered a different type and shared them, as we caught up. It was a great morning in the city, and made me really miss the days of races!

My last run of the week was a long run of 10 miles. It was humid again on Sunday, so I decided to just take the run inside, and headed to my parent’s house to use their treadmill. I did my diligence with a warm-up stretch and a warm-up run, and then started with one of Bec’s 60 minute marathon race prep classes. When I made it through the hour long class, I was dripping with sweat. I sat down on the treadmill for a minute to catch my breath, and then got up and went into another class, a 20 minute rock run with Andy Speer. By the end of the second class, I was at just over 8 miles, and ready to be done with my treadmill run. I stalled for a few minutes, swapping a load of laundry, and then clicked into a class that I always enjoy, one of Chase Tucker’s 20 minute pop. It got me to pick up the pace a little and carried me through the 10 mile mark I was aiming for. I forced myself to stretch, and was glad that I was done with another week of training.

Week 1: The shortest week of training

 The first step of marathon training? Pick a plan that works for you, and will help you reach your goals. In the past I have tried a handful of different training plans, from the Runners world app to a Hal Higdon plan. Both were fine, but my favorite so far has been Hanson’s marathon method.

Their plans consist of longer weekday runs, include a speed work session and a tempo run each week, and a “long” weekend run that builds up to 16 miles as the training progresses. The runs all have specific paces, based on the runner’s goal marathon time. I was using this plan to train for the Chicago marathon in 2019, before I got hurt, and really felt like my fitness was building up well.

The training plan starts on a Thursday, for whatever reason, so it was business as usual until then. Peloton had released a new series of classes that were all focused around the musical “Rent,” so my goal until then became to work my way through those classes.

The week before I started training I had gotten to go to Disney world, and after a few says of walking around the parks my knee had started to get sore, in the same way that it had when I had runners knee in 2019. As a precaution, I started using my knee band, and that carried over to runs during the first week of training. I also started doing some of the exercises that I had learned in physical therapy, in hopes that I could squash this issue before it got any further.

On Monday I did the Rent spin class, and the full body strength class, and then followed it up on Tuesday with the Rent run. I bundled my run with a short strength for runners class. Since injuring my knee in 2019, I have learned that the issue I had can be caused by weak quads, so this cycle I am committing to making time for strength training. When Wednesday rolled around I did some yoga before work, and then a spin class after. I wanted to run more early in the week, but didn’t want to stack on miles before my training plan officially started.

Thursday was the day though – I was excited to officially start a new training plan, which would get me to the start line of the Chicago Marathon. It feels like that is a long time coming, since I was supposed to run this race almost two years ago. The plan said six miles. I laid my clothes out the night before and got up early enough that I could get in my miles before work.

It was pretty nice out that morning, and I was just so happy to have a goal to work towards once more. I did not worry about my pace, and just worked on getting to my goal of 6 miles. I know that by the end of this training cycle 6 miles will not seem like that much running, but right now, that is a longer run for me. I was really happy with myself for showing up and getting my run in before work on the first day of training – this is something that is sure to become a battle as the runs get longer.

Friday had the same plan as Thursday, but things did not go quite as smoothly. Six miles was on the schedule once more, and like I mentioned, at this point that is a “long” run for me. I did succeed in getting up and out on the road before work, but I just could not catch a groove. My breathing felt labored, the air felt heavy, and I was struggling to stay in a running pace – so at mile three I decided to call it. My body was tired, and I felt defeated…. Not the mindset I needed if I was going to make it though marathon training.

But something that I have learned in the last 5 years of running, is that you need to learn to listen to your body – and on this Friday morning run my body was saying stop, I am exhausted. I am not used to six miles two days in a row.

So I listened. It is rare that I start a run and do not finish it, but this was just one of those days. I would try again on Saturday and try not to mentally beat myself up too much. On Friday night we went by my aunts house, and enjoyed hanging out with my family - it is nice that things are going back to normal, but still a little bit weird! We ate pizza, and hung out by the fire, just chatting and catching up.

Saturday was a new day, and I had no plans. Which meant I could get out early and get my run done, before moving on with my day, right? Wrong. It meant that I could procrastinate my run for hours before finally getting out the door. I mean, I hung around the house doing chores in running clothes for hours before finally getting in the “run” mindset. Since I had time, I decided to do some resistance band warmups in a “strength for runners” peloton class before heading out the door, and when I finally got out the door things felt so much better than they had on Friday.

This time around I slipped into faster (for me) paces without really meaning to. Maybe coaches are onto something when they tell you to warm up and cool down. It was a little bit cooler and less humid than it had been on Friday, and by the end of the run I realized I had even managed dip into a sub-10 pace for a few miles. Post run I made sure to cool down and stretch, so that I would be as prepared as possible for my final run of the week on the following day.

Sunday morning I had picnic plans with Mike and Carson. I had intentions to run before heading to old Westbury gardens, but It just didn’t happen. But we spend a fun morning among the flowers, and found a shady spot to enjoy some bagels together and catch up. 

After a morning outside, I decided on a treadmill run for the afternoon. I felt like sitting around and watching T.V., which was honestly a big part of my treadmill decision. I had 8 miles on the schedule, and settled into an easy pace to get through my first “long” run of. It was for sure a “dedication over motivation” kind of day, but I got it done and was happy that I talked myself into getting on the treadmill – it felt like a strong finish to my first week of training!

What comes next?

So, the NYC marathon has come and gone. Now that I am over a month out from race day, I can look back on the race fondly, and am even coming around to the idea of doing it again in the future (spoiler alert: there is no doubt in my mind that I need to run it again). It was a hard race, but I feel so blessed that I was able to be a part of it, and got to run through the streets of NYC with over 50,000 other runners.

Perhaps you have noticed that I have not been posting weekly training updates since the race – Well, good news is whether you missed them or not, they will be coming back on 12/24! I have still been active despite the lack of updates, I just have not been following any sort of training schedule. My fitness over the last month has been a modge podge of running, swimming, yoga, and orange theory fitness classes. Plus, a few little races on the weekends, but always for fun with friends and family.

This time around, my goal is different. As I trained for NY, I focused on finish the race feeling a certain way – strong. Not something one can really classify with empirical data. This time around, I am focusing on shorter distances, and picking up the pace. Before we go into specifics, let me tell you about some of my race PRs:

1. 10k – 51:08

This PR came at a New York Road Runners event – The UAE Healthy Kidney 10k. I ran this race in April of 2017, with no intention of setting a new PR. It just was a very good day for running, where every mile felt strong. When I realized a PR was attainable, I pushed the pace and was rewarded for doing so. 

         2. Half Marathon (13.1 miles) – 1:58:33

My half PR was set at the 2017 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in March, which I ran with my friend Tara -We had a great time running together! But if you want to get technical my fastest half time was actually during the Long Island Marathon in May, which I ran in 1:56:59. The last time I really pushed myself to race a half was in October of 2016, at the rock ‘n’ roll Brooklyn half – so its been a while since I really raced this distance.

I haven’t really focused on shorter distances since I ran my first marathon in January of 2017, and this year really turned out to really be “The Year of the Marathon” for me, since I ran a total of three! For 2018, I hope to run at least one marathon, but plan to shift my focus to picking up the speed and race shorter races, and hope that it translates to a faster marathon time when I feel ready to commit to that distance again.

So, these weekly updates will be leading up to the Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend, where I will attempt to set a new 10k PR! I will also be running the half the day after the 10k, but want to focus on the 10k as my goal race for that weekend. The 10k will take place on February 24, 2018 and my goal is, dare I say it, to run it in

Less than 50 minutes!

This goal feels ambitious, but attainable. Knowing that it is close to my current PR, I feel that if I focus my workouts over the next two and a half months, with some longer weekend runs to make sure I’m prepared for the half as well, I will be able to improve my pace.

Another goal for 2018? Run 12 Half marathons in 12 months! But, more on that later….

So I hope that you will stop by on Sundays to read about this new plan, and follow me on Instagram to keep up with my daily training antics! Plus, with all of the races that I have coming up, I will continue to publish race recaps in the coming weeks.