A marathon is just a 10K with a 20 mile warm-up

That is what I told myself as we struggled through the first long run of our training this morning.
Good thing it wasn't hot!

Week #1 of 16....DONE!

The perfect run....

The wind at your back, the sun in front of you, and friends by your side.

Thank you dear friends....the expo...the race...a blast!! Truly the "perfect run"...missing you lots!!!

2011 ING....Here we come!

In our mind....We're Kenyan.....

In our legs.....we're three, white, running chicks...

Inspirational thoughts

I just got the March issue of Running Times* and there is a great article filled with "collected wisdom, served up in bite-sized form".  I thought I would pick out some gems and post some inspiration...

Token Days 

Something is almost always better the nothing.

There will be days when some aspect of reality intrudes 

on you have to scrap your ideal-world

training plan.  That doesn't make scrapping the 

whole affair the logical conclusion.  A 4-miler is 

much closer to a 10-miler than it is to 0 miles for the day.

Need for Speed

Always stay in touch with your basic speed.  You'll

spend a lot more time just getting back

to where you were if you ignore it for weeks 

at a time than you will tending to it once or twice

a week throughout the year.  You don't need to do hands-

on-knees sets of 200s every week to maintain your speed.  Fast, 

relaxed striders toward the end of an easy run or immediately

following one will go a long way toward preserving

your turnover and the increased range of motion

that comes only with running near

top-end speed.

Insurance Policies

Think of ancillary matters-flexibility work, core strengthening, form drills-

not in either/or terms in relation to your running, but in terms of

"yes, and..."  That is, they're not replacements for running, but

a form of insurance policy that will allow you to better

pursue and enjoy your running at whatever level you 

chose to .  Even if they don't improve your performance

-and they almost certainly will-

when done correctly they're going to make the simple act of running 

feel better, especially the older you get and the longer you

have been running.  Most of these activities are easy to 

sneak in throughout the day in little clumps of activity.

Escaping Ruts

When you feel like you're in a rut, make a deliberate effort

to shake things up.  

Head out the door without the slightest plan 

where to run.  

Run at an unusual time of day.  

Drive to run somewhere different.   

Even wearing crazy clothes can be enough to reboot your mental approach. 

Bad Weather

Look, you know you are going to run.  So don't waste time and 

mental energy staring out the window at the horrible

weather.  

Every Run Counts

There are no junk miles.  If you are not injured so badly that you are 

altering your form, or so sick that you feel much worse after

running, then it's all good.  Even if you think a run doesn't advantage your fitness,

it has other benefits-

promoting blood flow, clearing your mind, 

getting you away from the computer,

burning calories, getting you out in nature, helping you spend time with friends,

maintaining the rhythm of good training, and infinitely so on.

Regrets

It's not uncommon to go to bed thinking 

"Darn, I should have run today."

It's not common to go to bed thinking

"I shouldn't have run today."

Finding Time

We find time for the things that are important to us.

Period.

Keeping Perspective

Relax, it's just running.  Of course it can be the most

intoxicating, captivating, meaningful part of your life.

But it still is just running.  

Nobody's making you do it, and you are not going to save

the world doing it.  

So find what you enjoy about running, and then

follow your bliss.  

 *All quotes are from Running Times March 2011, Scott's Original Miscellany by Scott Douglas.

How Many Song References Can You Pick Out?

So, rolling out of bed at 7:30, wondering to myself should I stay or should I go.   i try to decide if I want to go outside or not because after all, this is New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of and there's nothing you can't do.  However, it was not my dream to go outside 'cause i couldn't do it today.  So I decide to go and stumble to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of ambition called Gatorade. I begin my 2-floor descent with my loyal husband who is the wind beneath my wings with his spandau ballet biker shorts to the treadmill and bemoan that I'm all by myself. I plug in my laptop to watch a movie while running and remember that if you step up I'll step up too. I get to the part of the movie where everyone is groovin, and I'm dancin with myself but I almost fall off the treadmill. Sister Christian, but still annoying, is craning her neck to steal my (video) sunshine.  Well, I guess I have to remember that I live in Paradise city where the grass is green and the people are ...."not" so pretty, but, it all just fine.  I guess ain't nothing wrong with that. 

My faithful husband now comes to my treadmill and says he is leaving, and I cry but he says why don't you release I'm begging you for mercy....I say ok....and I guess it's alright because he's going to bring home the bacon, fry up in the pan....and later, I'll never ever let him forget he's the man.....'cause I'm a WOMAN.

I finally come to the end of this crazy run and my hips are screaming and they don't lie.  As I walk away, I say I DID IT MY WAY!!!!!

Brain Tumors and Palm Trees

Arriving in Palm Springs to be here for my sister's brain biopsy is like arriving on another planet.  Hard to believe there is so much snow in New York and nothing but sun in Southern California...
Ted and I went for a run this morning before we travel up to L.A. for her appointment at UCLA.  As we got ready, we longed for the times when we were little....When there was no stress.  When swimming at our neighbors house was the highlight of our day...
No we run to relieve the stress....
Brain tumors and palm trees....Brain tumors and Train Bumors...

Swimming at our neighbor's pool as kids...

Running to Cope

Running outside...will I ever be able to do it again?

Forget the track, I would love to just hit the pavement!  But after the dump of snow last night, it looks like it is going to be a very long time until spring (or we see pavement again)! I have a feeling the Hangover Run will will be cancelled on Sunday...

We are NEVER getting out of the driveway!

The view from my front door

Nicko plowing the sidewalk

Find a penny, pick it up....

And your long runs won't suck....

See a penny, let it lay...
you'll be broke come race day...

The Book...and what I have done to it

A little bit about what we are doing...what plan we are following and where we got the information from...

Our Jedi Master suggested following the 3plus2 plan in Run Less Run Faster (Amazon Link) to prepare for not only the ING Marathon in November, but also our full race calendar for the months leading up to the BIG day, which include a few half-marathons.  Our first half on the plan is on Sunday, April 3rd in Central Park...The MORE (NYRR's MORE page).  Even though it feels like winter will never end, the snow will never stop falling and the pavement will never be ice free, April will be here before we know it and we are already on Week 10 of our 16 week training schedule!  So yesterday I took advantage of having a sick, crying and feverish baby on my lap all day and bookmarked my book, adding tabs to all the important pages, highlighting tons of important pages and photocopying the training schedule.  I left room for notes on my photocopy and wrote out exactly what I need to run for Key Run Workout #1, which seems to be the most complicated.  I was able to figure out exactly what I need to set my TM to get to the correct pace and have it all written out so there is less thinking to do on those days!  So I thank you, sick little one, for giving me the opportunity to take a break from my usual running around and figure this all out...

Running 1 to 9 miles- (to be sung to the tune of "working 9-5" by Dolly Parton

This morning, as I attempted to thaw out from this morning's CHILLING run, I became a songwriter:

Tumble outta bed
And stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
Yawnin' and stretchin' and try to come to life

Jump in my runnin gear
And the blood starts pumpin'
Out on the streets
The traffic starts jumpin'
With folks like us on a run from 1 to 9

Running 1 to 9
What a way to get endurance 
Barely breathin right
It's all huffin
And a puffin
You go, out your mind
And they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it

 1 to 9, for running and devotion
You would think that I
Wouldn't be going in slow motion 
Want to move ahead
But the legs won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that they are out to get me
Mmmmm...
Thank you for your inspriration and support.  Al, could not have done it this morning without you!!!!!

The schedule

Week of:

Week #Key Run Workout #1Key Run Workout #2Key Run Workout #31/10

	12	10-20 min warmup 2 x 1200 or ¾ qtr mile (2:00 min RI) 4 x 800 (2:00 min RI) 10 min cooldown	1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace, 1 mile easy	10 miles at HMP(half marathon pace) + 20 secs/mile
1/17	11	10-20 min warmup 6 x 800 (1:30 RI)	5 miles @ mid-tempo pace	12 miles at HMP + 30 secs/mile
1/24	10	10-20 min warmup 2 x (6 x 400) (1:30 RI) (2:30 RI between sets) 10 min cooldown	1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace 1 mile easy	8 miles at HMP + 20 secs/mile
1/31	9	10-20 min warmup 1 mile (400 RI) 2 miles (400 RI) 2 x 800 (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	5 miles @ mid-tempo pace	13 miles at HMP + 30 secs/mile
2/7	8	10-20 min warmup 3 x (2 x 1200) (2:00 RI) (4:00 RI between sets) 10 cooldown	6 miles @ mid-tempo pace	10 miles @ HMP + 20 secs/mile
2/14	7	10-20 min warmup 1k, 2k, 1k, 1k or (.62 mile, 1.25 mile, .62 mile, .62 mile) (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	5 miles @ mid-tempo pace	14 miles @ HMP + 30 secs/mile
2/21	6	10-20 min warmup 3 x 1600 (400 RI) 10 cooldown	6 miles easy & relaxed effort	10 miles @ HMP + 20 secs/mile
2/28	5	10-20 min warmup 10 X 400 (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	5 miles @ mid-temp pace	15 miles @ HMP + 30 sec/mile
3/7	4	10-20 min warmup 3 x 2000 or 1.25 mile (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid-tempo pace 1 mile easy	10 miles @ HMP + 20 secs
3/14	3	10-20 min warmup 2 x 3200m or 2 miles (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	5 miles @ mid-tempo pace	12 miles @ HMP + 20 secs
3/21	2	10-20 min warmup 5 x 1k or .62 miles (400 RI) 10 min cooldown	2 miles easy 3 miles @ short tempo pace 1 mile easy	8 miles @ HMP + 20 secs/miles
3/28	1	10-20 min warmup 6 x 400 (400 RI) 10 cooldown	3 miles, easy and relaxed effort	HALF MARATHON RACE DAY 13.1 miles @ Race Pace 

FIRST:  HALF MARATHON TRAINING PROGRAM

Distraction?

Is running a distraction?  Does it distract from important day-to-day activities?  Does it take time away from our families....from more important things?  Yes...but without it, we would be different people.  Without an outlet, some constructive way to release the funk, we would be different people...and not in a good way.  Running distracts us from stress and difficult family problems...issues from within our lives that would be so difficult to deal with, without a physical outlet, in addition to our spiritual release.  So I say thank you for supporting my distraction...for helping me release the funk...to get a natural high of endorphins which makes me a nicer mother, wife, sister and friend.  Thanks for supporting the distraction!  Love ya!

In the Beginning...

In the beginning there were three girls with big dreams to run the 2011 ING NYC Marathon.  Here we go!!