Cat Hill Repeats

Today: 7 miles

Week: 28 miles

Workout: Niketown - 72nd & E. Drive in Central Park - 6 x Cat Hill

C'mon Thera Flu! Work your magic!

West Side Run

Yesterday: 7 miles

Week: 21 miles

Workout: Up West Drive @ 63rd St in Central Park - 102nd Transverse & E. Drive - return

Ugh, still feeling sick.

Lower Loop

Today: 7 miles

Week: 14 miles

Workout: Warm up from YMCA to Niketown, 3xlower loop, cool down back to store.

I did the lower loops in 13:38, 13:19, and 13:16. I think the first loop was about 8:00/mile, and the next two were around 7:50/mile. I had layers of jackets and shirts on tonight, but I was still wearing shorts. The CNN thermometer in Columbus Circle said 21 degrees! I'm going to see how long I can go this winter without putting on tights.

4x4

Yesterday: 7 miles

Week: 7 miles

Workout: 1/2 mile warm up, 4-mile tempo, 4x Cat Hill, 1/2 mile cool down

The 4-mile tempo wasn't really a tempo run. I was feeling ill, so I didn't run as fast as I was supposed to be running. I also took it easy on the hills.

Today: 11+ miles

Week: 35 miles

Workout: Niketown - West Side Hwy - 145th St - return

It felt so warm compared to the past few days. 1h 24m (7:30/mile).

800 Meter Intervals

Yesterday: 5.5 miles

Week: 24 miles

Workout: Warm up from Y to Niketown. NTNY - 84th St & E. Drive. 2x800m intervals from 84th to 94th, recover back to 84th.

9:00/mile. A bit cold. I wonder if I can run with shorts through the whole winter.

Tempo Run

Wednesday: 7 miles

Week: 18.5 miles

Workout: One loop of Central Park at tempo pace. One mile cool down.

I was running tempo pace (about 6:20/mile) with two guys who were having a conversation the entire time. I kept thinking, "I hope the guys keep talking so that they don't run any faster, and I can continue to keep up."

Tuesday: 5.5 miles

Week: 11.5 miles

Workout: 3x lower loop of Central Park. Run hard from light to the next. Recover to the light.

About 9:00/mile

Today: 6 miles

Week: 6 miles

Workout: 1 loop of Central Park at conversational pace.

Joe Kleinerman 10K

Today: 7.5 miles

Week: 43 miles

Workout: 1+ mile warm up, 10K race.

Today was the last points race of the year. WSY began the morning in 3rd place in the Open B division, and I hope we remained there by the end of the race.

it was cold and windy, about 30 degrees at the start of the race. Once we got going, however, it wasn't bad. I began slowly, just can't seem to start fast in cold weather races.

Mile 1 6:35

Mile 2 6:23

Mile 3 6:15

Mile 4 6:16

Mile 5 6:19

Mile 6 6:08

Finish 39:12 (6:19/mile)

West Side Hwy

Today: 11 miles
Week: 35.5 miles
Workout: Niketown - West Side Hwy - Chambers Street & back

1h 28m (46 min to get there, 42 minutes to return).

Indian Run

Yesterday: 6.5 miles
Week: 24.5 miles
Workout: Niketown - Great Lawn - 4 loops of Indian Run 9:00/mile- 4 loops 10:00/mile - back to Niketown

Heckscher Ballfield Loops

Today: 5 miles
Week: 18 miles
Workout: 2 loops of Heckscher Ballfields as a warm up - 4 loops in a relay race - 2 loops cool down + lower loop

Relay race. Four people per team. Each person did 1 loop of Heckscher Ballfields, then handed off to a teammate. Once everyone on the team completed their loop, the first person ran again. Each person ended up doing 4 loops for a total of 16 loops per team. There were only 2 teams.

Reservoir

Today: 7 miles
Week: 13 miles
Workout: Niketown - 3 loops of reservoir - return

First loop of the reservoir was about 6:20/mile. The second loop was about the same. Ran half of the third loop hard and did the rest of it slow. Easy jog back to the 65th St. stretching area.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 6 miles
Workout: One full loop of Central Park.

It was supposed to be an easy run. But by the end of the run, we were running under 7:00/mile.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 28.5 miles
Workout: One loop of Central Park

47 minutes.

East Drive

Today: 4 miles
Week: 22.5 miles
Workout: Niketown - Central Park's East Drive - 102nd St Transverse - return

It finally feels a little like winter. I have a craving for more turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie!

Thanksgiving = Football

Standing behind the Jets' sideline before the game

Jason Taylor after the game

Sanchez warming up on exercise bike

Mark Sanchez warming up

No running for me the past couple of days. I went to the Jets-Bengals game at the Meadowlands last night. Seats on the 30-yard line! I had an early Thanksgiving meal before heading to the game. Then I had access to an all-you-can-eat lounge! I was able to watch Rex Ryan give his post game news conference. As if that wasn't enough, I also had access to an outdoor standing area just behind the Jets' sideline.

West Drive Run

Wednesday: 7 miles
Week: 18.5 miles
Workout: 63rd & West Drive in Central Park - around top of park - a little further than 102nd St. Transverse and return.

Lower Loop

Tuesday: 5 miles
Week: 11.5 miles
Workout: 3x Central Park's lower loop

Nice, steady run @8:00/mile.

Mile Repeats

Yesterday: 6.5 miles
Week: 6.5 miles
Workout: 4x1 Mile on lower loop of Central Park, clockwise from middle of 72nd Transverse to stoplight/crosswalk connecting to Columbus Circle. Recovery back to start, to complete full lower loop.

5:56, 5:45, 5:29, 5:30. My first hard workout since the marathon.

Philly

Today: 4.5 miles
Week: 34.5 miles
Workout: Running with friends in the Philadelphia Marathon

I caught the Bolt Bus to Philly yesterday, with plans on cheering for some friends who were running the marathon. I was fortunate that Allyson and her friends had space for me at their hotel. It was so conveniently located, I left the hotel a couple of minutes before 7:00 a.m. (the start of the marathon), ran a few blocks, and was able to catch the leaders passing through the first mile. I saw Allyson but didn't see anyone else. I walked over to Mile 6, and saw the leaders pass through again. And again, I saw Allyson but didn't see anyone else I knew.

From Mile 6, I took a rather long walk to Mile 15. It was probably a little over a 2-mile walk. I waited for a few minutes and Abvi saw me. Good thing too because I would have missed him. I ran with him from Mile 15 to 16. He seemed to be doing great. Good enough to have a conversation anyway.

I headed back to Mile 15 to look for others, and Paul saw me. He was running with Steven, so I hopped ran with them for a mile or so. I turned around again and headed back towards Mile 15. Alanna called me on my cellphone, and said she ran with Allyson at Mile 8. I couldn't quite hear everything Alanna was saying but thought I heard her say that Allyson was in pain and might not finish the race. I was thinking that explained why I hadn't seen her yet. But it turns out, based on her finishing time, she may have been running faster than I anticipated. She may have been right behind me when I was running with Abvi or Paul, so that when I turned to head back from Mile 16 to Mile 15, I may have missed her.

Anyway, I crossed the street and waited at Mile 24. While I waited, I cheered and clapped for the marathoners. It's nice that they all had their names on their bibs. I wonder why the NYRR doesn't do that for the NYC Marathon. I was shocked when Allyson was the first person I saw. I couldn't figure it out. How could she have passed Abvi, who was on 3:30 marathon pace? I thought she was trying to do a 3:45-3:50 marathon! (It turns out that she was in the corrals with the faster runners.) She had to stop a couple of times, but when she was running, she seemed to be keeping up a decent pace.

At Mile 25, I turned around and head back towards Mile 24. Abvi came by, and he seemed like he was still on his goal pace. So I was surprised when he had to stop and walk a little. But it was only a for a few seconds, and he took off again, at what seemed like an 8:00/mile pace. Very impressive for someone who was fighting off obviously painful hamstring cramps.

At some point after Mile 25, Abvi had to stop again, and I was worried he wouldn't make his goal time. But he took off again. I made it to what I thought was the last hill before the finish. I spotted some friends in the crowd and so did Abvi. Those supporters and nearing the finish line must have given Abvi a boost because he took off. I wasn't able to see his finish. I decided to hop out of the race while I still had a chance and try to make my way back and see if I couldn't spot Paul and Steven. I decided I didn't have enough time to run back to Mile 25. So I just found a spot about 400 meters from the finish and managed to see Steven and Paul go by.

We were able to meet up with each other at the finish area. Everybody seemed very pleased with their results. I went back to the hotel to pack. It was about 1:00 p.m. when I left the hotel. I had 5 hours to kill before I caught the bus back to NYC. Fortunately, instead of waiting for hours, I was able to catch a ride with Alanna and Stu.

It was the quite the eventful running weekend. I'm in desperate need of sleep, but it will have to wait until Thanksgiving.

Saturday: 9 miles
Week: 30 miles
Workout: Central Park @65th St. - lower loop - bridle path - 2 extended bridle path loops - 65th

Immediately after the run, I ran to Engineer's Gate to volunteer for the Knickerbocker 60K. I did that from 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. I saw quite a few runners I knew in the race. What an awesome achievement for those runners!

After my volunteering duties were over, I caught the Bolt Bus to Philly to watch the marathon the next day.

800m Repeats

Today: 8.5 miles
Week: 21 miles
Workout: Niketown - E. Drive in Central Park - 5 repeats from 84th to 94th Street - Cool down back to Niketown.

Did 4 repeats under 8:00/mile pace. Did the last repeat @6:00/mile pace. Looking forward to watching the Philly Marathon on Sunday.

Cat Hill Repeats

Yesterday: 5.5 miles
Week: 12.5 miles
Workout: Warm up from Y to base of Cat Hill. Run two sets of 4 repeats.

Today: 7 miles
Week: 7 miles
Workout: Central Park's 65th St & E. Drive - uptown on E. Drive - top of Harlem Hill - return to bottom of hill - up Harlem Hill again - turn around and head back to 65th.

I don't really have muscle soreness from the marathon. But my calves are still tight. Unusually warm night. I lucked out and finished my run before it began raining.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 14.5 miles
Workout: Niketown - E. Drive - 85th - 1 loop of bridle path extension - 1 bridle path loop - exit 85th - Niketown

Legs are still tight. I'm guessing it's going to be another week before they feel back to normal.

Today: 3 miles
Week: 8.5 miles
Workout: Central Park @65th on E. Dr. - lower loop - W. 79th - return

Knee felt great! Can't wait to get back into regular training again.

I'm inspired when I see Courtney come out to run.

http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/living-around/courtney-the-marathoner

Yesterday: 3 miles
Week: 5.5 miles
Workout: 2 lower loops of Central Park

YES! The pain in my knee seems to have disappeared!

Tuesday: 1.5 miles
Week: 2.5 miles
Workout: 1 lower loop of Central Park

Owwww! Still have the knee pain.

The Day After

Monday: 1 mile
Week: 1 mile
Workout: Ran about halfway around the lower loop of Central Park.

I went to sleep Sunday night feeling quite good. It was a different story when I woke up Monday morning. My left ankle felt as if someone had been banging on it with a hammer while I was sleeping. Both calves were very tight. I felt much better later in the afternoon.

I decided to try running a little in the evening. I felt good once I got warmed up. But all of a sudden I felt a lot of pain in my right knee. It felt like I wrenched it somehow. Uh oh.

NYC Marathon

WSY Finishers

Today: 26.2 miles
Week: 50 miles
Workout: Start in Staten Island - Brooklyn - Queens - Manhattan - Bronx - back into Manhattan - finish at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

I woke up at 3:00 a.m., ate a small breakfast, and was out the door at 4:00 a.m. The 1 train was only running to Chambers Street, so I had to hop on a shuttle bus. I missed my scheduled 5:30 Staten Island Ferry. That turned out to be a good thing. I was able to stay inside the ferry terminal for 20 minutes and remain warm. Got off the ferry and got on another bus to the start area. I met up with Denie and Alanna. We grabbed bagels. I was starving. Megan arrived. We talked a bit. Then I head to my starting village. The Green Start Village.

I got in the portable toilet line. It wasn't much of a wait. The area was crowded. I got my bag organized and went looking for my UPS baggage truck. Five minutes later, they were announcing that my corrals were opening. I got to my corral with about 10 minutes to spare, before they closed it. It was one hour before the start. Volunteers had us move forward. The corrals were closed, but I could see a crowd of late arrivals trying to push their way passed three female security volunteers. Some runners finally broke through. I felt sorry for the volunteers.

Twenty minutes before the race, I took off one of my sweatshirts and try to throw it on top of one of the buses. It didn't quite make it and landed on someone's head. Oops! Sorry! They're showing the professionals on a big video screen. Everyone cheers for Haile and Meb. I eat my first GU. The cannon goes off. We start running. It's nice to be moving. I take off my second sweatshirt and toss it.

Almost perfect weather. I was worried about staying warm during the almost 3 hours I would have to wait before the start of the race. It turned out to be fine. As always, the crowds were amazing!

I started struggling a little when I got to the Bronx. Something is up with my calf muscle. It got really tight, and I thought it was going to cramp up. I started having visions of my 2008 marathon where I did a LOT of walking. But I managed to continue running even though I had to slow down quite a bit in the last 3 miles.

Mile Splits
Mile 1 8:30 (Damn! It's windy on the Verrazano, and I hope all those guys aren't peeing against the wind.)
Mile 2 7:17 (Ahhh, that's more like it, instantly feel warmer after getting off the bridge. I take off my long sleeved shirt and toss it. I'm now only wearing my YMCA singlet and arm warmers.)
Mile 3 7:32 (These crowds are great! Eat my second GU.)
Mile 4 7:10 (OK, now DON'T let these crowds make me run faster. Stick to the planned pace of 7:20 - 7:26)
Mile 5 7:04 (DOH! That was too fast. I'll slow down in the next mile.)
Mile 6 7:02 (Arrrggggh! These crowds make it almost impossible for me to stick to my planned pace.)
Mile 7 7:10 (OK, that split was a little more reasonable. Maybe my original goal of finishing in 3:15 needs to be upgraded to 3:10. I'm feeling pretty good. No no no. Don't get carried away.)
Mile 8 7:17 (Great! Let's keep the pace right here.)
Mile 9 7:17 (Yes! 1/3 of the race finished, and still feeling good.)
Mile 10 7:10 (Try not to think about the fact that I still have 16 miles left.)
Mile 11 7:16 (High five a few kids.)
Mile 12 7:16 (Dammit! Having trouble getting my GU out of my back pocket.)
Mile 13 7:12 (Hit halfway in just under 1:37. If I can just run the second half in 1:33/1:34, I can hit my goal of 3:10)
Mile 14 7:19 (Passed a guy dressed up like one of the members of KISS. I will NOT let someone dressed up in a costume beat me!)
Mile 15 7:25 (Uh oh, the bridge looms. It looks steeper than all the other times I've practiced on it. Bring it on! I love hills.)
Mile 16 7:22 (I can hear the crowds in Manhattan, and I can't even see them yet. I'm getting goosebumps.)
Mile 17 7:15 (The Niketown cheering section! Woo hoo!!! Wouldn't have noticed them if it weren't for Lex leaning way over the barricade.)
Mile 18 7:06 (Uh oh, starting to feel some tightness in my calf.)
Mile 19 7:21 (Know Kenley will be around here, so let me try to keep up my pace.)
Mile 20 7:38 (OK. Passed Kenley. Now I can slow down. But didn't want to slow down THAT much! Hmmm...can't seem to see myself on the big screen video.
Mile 21 7:42 (Taiko drummers. Cool! Forget about 3:10 finish. Let's go back to original goal of 3:15)
Mile 22 7:35 (I think I can make it to the finish without cramping.)
Mile 23 7:38 (See some guys from Niketown, and they are VERY vocal! And I think DJ was around here too! Thank you for being there! Maybe I can manage 7:30s the rest of the way. It's only 3 more miles.)
Mile 24 8:25 (7:30s is NOT going to happen. I need to remind myself why I do this. Let's modify the goal again. 3:15 is not going to happen. Let me focus on NOT walking, and maybe I can still make 3:20 and qualify for Boston. I think I see Alex on this mile. He's cheering loudly. I can do this!)
Mile 25 8:15 (I'm in trouble. Every step is painful. Was that Bernie and Maciej??? I'm embarrassed at how slow I must look to them. But 3:20 is definitely in reach.)
Mile 26 8:28 (I try to exaggerate my arm swing to generate some speed. Observers must be thinking, "That guy is swinging his arms a lot, but he isn't getting anywhere." I think a couple of hundred runners pass me on this mile, but I'm still running! 800 yards to go. I'm going make it. 400 yards to go!)
Mile 0.2 1:57 (200 yards to go, and Taegin blows by me like I'm standing still. Now that's a marathoner! She is awesome!!! I cross the finish line, stop my watch, and feel a sense of relief.)

Unofficial finishing time: 3 hours 16 minutes 38 seconds. Qualified for Boston 2012.

I have to walk a mile just to get my bag and walk out of Central Park. I catch up to Taegin, we share marathon stories. Then I walk another mile back to the West Side Y, to meet up with friends. Along the way, many strangers congratulate me. Makes me feel good even though I didn't hit my goal of 3:15. Despite the calf problems, I feel better after this race than any other marathon I've finished. I feel good enough to go out and get something to eat. Now I'm ready for a hot bath and some sleep. Next year, I think I'll just watch the marathon.

Today: 3 miles
Week: 24 miles
Workout: NTNY - Central Park, Engineer's Gate & back

Nice little warm-up and stretch. Beautiful day. A lot of marathoners in the park.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 21 miles
Workout: Central Park 65th - 72nd Transverse - West Drive - top of Harlem Hill - return

Ugly weather. I'm glad it's raining now rather than on Sunday.

Today: 4 miles
Week: 15 miles
Workout: 63rd & W. Drive in Central Park - run up to reservoir - cut across park along bridle path to Engineer's Gate - exit bridle path - run down and around lower loop - end at finish line of NYC Marathon.

1/2 of the WSY Men's marathon team was running tonight.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 11 miles
Workout: Niketown - lower loop - west side of C. Park - 72nd Transverse - E. Drive - 102nd Transverse - turn around, retrace route.

I think the temperature at the time I began the run was about 47 degrees. It felt colder! I need to make sure I have plenty of clothes to keep me warm in Staten Island while I'm waiting for the marathon to start.

Today: 5 miles
Week: 5 miles
Workout: 5-mile loop in Central Park at conversational pace.

Running Scared with Bridge Runners

Today: 3 miles
Week: 39 miles
Workout: Ran through Chinatown and Bowery

Free face painting! What more could you ask for?

Today: 11.5 miles
Week: 36 miles
Workout: Niketown - C. Park South - Enter park @ Columbus Circle - around top of park - exit 90th St - up Fifth Ave. - around Marcus Garvey Park - turn around at 124th St & Fifth Ave - return to 90th St. - enter park - exit park at Fifth Ave & C. Park South

Hope marathon day is just like today. Cool & sunny. Felt great. Counting down the days. I ran a little extra along Fifth Ave.

Yesterday: 8 miles
Week: 24.5 miles
Workout: 65th & E. Drive in C. Park - lower loop - up W. Drive - around top of park - 102nd & E. Drive - turn around and retrace steps

Nice night for a run. Ran a comfortable pace.

400m Repeats

Wednesday: 5.5 miles
Week: 16.5 miles
Workout: Warm up from Y to 102nd St. Transverse. 6x Repeats across 102nd Transverse with 1 minute recovery

Reservoir

Today: 6.5 miles
Week: 11 miles
Workout: 65th St & E. Drive in Central Park - 85th St - 3 loops of reservoir

Nice, relaxed run. Too humid.

Tempo Run

Today: 4.5 miles
Week: 4.5 miles
Workout: Warm-up from Y - lower loop - 72nd & E. Dr. From there, run to 85th - make left and run along bottom of reservoir until on W. Drive - south through lower loop and ending at 72nd & E. Drive. Cool down back to Y.

I ran around 6:40/mile.

Inwood Hill Park

Today: 6 miles
Week: 37 miles
Workout: Run through Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park

It's amazing what a difference a day makes. I felt stiff and sluggish on yesterday's run, but today, I felt relaxed and fast. I thought about the marathon the entire run.

Last Long Run Before the Marathon

Yesterday: 17 miles
Week: 31 miles
Workout: Niketown - 1st Ave. - 125th - 5th Ave - 90th St - Enter C. Park - clockwise loop of the park - Niketown

I did a little extra running along E. Drive in the park. My legs felt tired today. I was reminded about the hill on 5th Ave. That won't be fun during the marathon. Maybe I was feeling sluggish today because I was suffering a mild case of depression from the Yankees' loss in Game 6 last night.

Friday: 6 miles
Week: 14 miles
Workout: 1 loop of Central Park @46:49

Hill Workout

Yesterday: 5 miles
Week: 8 miles
Workout: Niketown - C. Park's E. Drive - 5x Cat Hill

Felt like I hadn't run in awhile.

Game 5 ALCS

Mariano on the mound.
Yankees finally win 7-2.
Still trail series 3-2.

Game 4 ALCS

View from my seats at Yankee Stadium.
Best seats I've ever had.
Yankees lose again, 10-3

The Rangers' Benjie Molina's go-ahead home run seemed to sail right over my head and barely clear the foul pole. Nooooooooooo!

Fort Tryon Hill

I've never had field level seats at Yankee Stadium before.

Monday: 3 miles
Week: 3 miles
Workout: 1 mile warm up, 3x hill at the back of Fort Tryon Park, 2 mile cool down

This was one of the shortest runs of the year. I was in a rush to get a workout in before heading to the Yankees-Rangers ALCS Game 3. Yankees were shut out 8-0! Damn Cliff Lee!

West Side Hwy

Today: 6.5 miles
Week: 53.5 miles
Workout: YMCA - West Side Hwy - Battery Park

Met Farbod at 59th on the West Side Hwy rec path and ran the last few miles of his 20+ mile run. We were probably doing something close to 7:00/mile for the last couple of miles.

Long Run

Today: 16 miles
Week: 47 miles
Workout: Niketown - 3x Queensboro Bridge - FDR to 96th St - back to Niketown (ran a little extra along FDR)

It was WINDY on the bridge! Felt like I was running in place at times. I hope it's not like that in the marathon. I'm trying to decide how far I should run in the next week. Should I go on another 16 to 18 miler?

Lower Loop

Today: 9 miles
Week: 31 miles
Workout: 5 lower loops of Central Park @7:00/mile.

Total time for the loops was 1 hour. The times for the loops were 12:50, 12:08, 11:50, 11:54, 11:23. The pace felt faster. I guess it seemed more difficult than normal because I was cold and soaking wet for much of the run.

Yesterday: 5.5 miles
Week: 22 miles
Workout: Warm up from YMCA to West Side Hwy - Going south, run hard for 2 min, recovery jog 2 min; run hard 3 min, recovery jog for 3 min, 4 min hard, turn around and head back uptown at 4 min recovery jog, run hard 5 min, recover back to 59th, and run back to Y.

Today: 6 miles
Week: 16.5 miles
Workout: 65th on East Side of C. Park - lower loop - W. Dr. - 72nd St. Transverse - E. Dr. - 102nd St. Transverse - return the same way.

4x4

While trying to wait out the thunderstorm,
I got hit on the head by two chunks of hail, about this size.
Thanks for the picture, Alanna.

Today: 10.5 miles
Week: 10.5 miles
Workout: Lower loop of Central Park + warm up from YMCA to 72nd St Transverse & E. Drive - 4 mile loop @ tempo pace - 4 Cat Hills from the Boat House to the stop light - cool down back to Y

Didn't intend to run as fast as I did, but Farbod kind of pulled me along. Legs are still sore from the 22-miler on Saturday. Ended up doing the 4 miles in 26:43 (6:41/mi). The Cat Hill repeats were done in 1:36, 1:30, 1:26, and 1:22.

We got caught in the thunderstorm. But fortunately, we got back inside before the hail.

Long Run

Saturday: 22 miles
Week: 45.5 miles
Workout: Central Park @65th on east side - one full loop counter clockwise - exit park at 5th Ave & Central Park South - West Side Hwy - south to Staten Island Ferry - up East Side along FDR - 34th - 1st Ave - 57th - back to 34th and again to 57th.

I ran the first 11 miles around 7:30/mile, took a break of about 8-10 minutes, and did the remainder of the run around 8-8:30/mi. Total run was about 2 hours 52 minutes. I felt great for most of the run. I think I could have done the marathon today in 3:20, Boston qualifying.

Half the miles I did this week were done TODAY! I probably shouldn't be running such a big percentage of my miles on ONE day. But it's just the way it worked out this week.

Went to Game 3 of the ALDS tonight! The Yankees Win, the Yankees Win!!! Look out Tampa or Texas, here come the Yankees!

Thursday: 6 miles
Week: 23.5 miles
Workout: Central Park @65th on east side - lower loop - up W. Drive to 105th - return

Today: 6 miles
Week: 17.5 miles
Workout: Full loop of the park @8:00/mile

I'm not sure I can wait 4+ weeks for the NYC marathon!

Yesterday: 4 miles
Week: 11.5 miles
Workout: Central Park - 65th - E. Drive - 102nd - turn around - back to 65th.

Strawberry Fields

Today: 7.5 miles
Week: 7.5 miles
Workout: Central Park's lower loop - jog to Strawberry Fields hill - 12 loops at tempo pace.

Felt great today. Although, my legs were still a little tired from Saturday's half marathon. Got into a nice pace with Bruno and just felt like I was floating along. Splits for each loop: 2:45, 2:47, 2:45, 2:43, 2:41, 2:40, 2:40, 2:38, 2:37, 2:34, 2:28, 2:22. Total time: 31:45. Avg. 2:38.

Treadmill Running Sucks!

Today: 6 miles
Week: 45 miles
Workout: Running in place

I thought it might rain, and I only had the shoes on my feet. I didn't want to wear wet shoes all the way home, so I decided to hop on a treadmill for what seems like only the 5th time in my life. Let me see if I can name some of the things that annoy me about running on a treadmill.

1. I don't get anywhere. If I run, I prefer to get somewhere, even if it's only a quarter mile track, and I'm only getting back to where I started. That's still better than looking at the same wall for an hour! Even a mirror would have been better than the wall I was staring at. At least with a mirror, I could work on my form.

2. I don't know if all treadmills are like this, but the one I was on made me sound like a stampeding elephant. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! It's not like I'm light on my feet on the roads, but I don't think I sound like I'm trying to punch a hole in the road.

3. I have to concentrate too much on my pace. Usually, when I'm outdoors, I don't worry too much about how fast I'm running. I can speed up or slow down whenever I feel like it. On a treadmill, however, I feel like I might get thrown off the back of the treadmill if I slow down too much. Or, I worry about slamming my face on the control panel if stumble.

4. I don't like the sensation of getting off the treadmill and walking on solid ground. Maybe, it's just me, but I feel like the entire cardio room is flying by me, and I need to grab onto something in order to maintain my balance.

5. It seems to take a lot more effort to run a given pace on a treadmill as it does to run outside. I had the treadmill set at 8:00/mi. It felt like at least 7:30/mi.

I'm sure I could think of a few more annoyances if I had more time.

Grete's Gallop Half Marathon

Today: 14.5 miles
Week: 39 miles
Workout: 1.5 mile warm up, Grete's Gallop Half Marathon, 2+ clockwise loops of Central Park

Great day for a race. I ran my best half marathon in 2 years. 1h 24m 33s (6:27/mile). I tried to go out conservatively for the first loop and definitely had something left in the last 4 or 5 miles.

The West Side Y men's team was 12th out of 41 teams. The women's team was 21st out of 36 teams. The men's team was sitting in 5th place overall in the Open B division, and we might have moved up after today's results are included.

Open B

Mile Splits
1. 6:21
2. 6:30
3. 6:25 (rolling hills on W. Drive)
4. 6:27 (Harlem Hill)
5. 6:35
6. 6:25 (Cat Hill -- going downtown)
7. 6:31
8. 6:31
9. 6:26 (rolling hills on W. Drive)
10. 6:21 (Harlem Hill)
11. 6:36
12. 6:14 (Cat Hill -- going downtown)
13. 6:27

My next planned race is the NYC Marathon.

Today: 9.5 miles
Week: 24.5 miles
Workout: YMCA - NYRR - Niketown - 65th & E. Dr. - 1 upper loop - back to 65th

Windy! But at least it didn't rain.

Today: 5 miles
Week: 15 miles
Workout: 65th & E. Dr in Central Park, lower loop, and up West Drive - 102nd Transverse - E. Drive - 65th

Tempo

Yesterday: 10 miles
Week: 10 miles
Workout: 5 miles on bridle path with last 2 miles @ 6:40, slow recovery mile, 1 1/2 loops of reservoir @ 6:20/mi, slow recovery mile.

It started pouring at the end of my bridle path run. I didn't plan on running the reservoir at tempo pace but decided to run with Lou. I felt good, so I decided to take advantage of having someone else to run with. We ran through some puddles that were ankle deep.

5th Ave Mile

Today: 3.5 miles

Week: 43.5 miles

Workout: 1.5 mile warm up, 5th Ave Mile race, 1 mile cool down.

Couldn't have asked for a better performance, considering I ran 19+ miles yesterday. I think I went through 400m at 77 seconds and 800m at 2:36. Official result was 5:03. That means I did approximately 2:27 for the second half.

I feel like a sub-5:00 mile is possible if I could just find the time to train for it.

The professional men's and women's races were exciting.

This is what world class milers look like up close. Watch carefully, or you'll miss it!

Long Run

Today: 19.5 miles

Week: 40 miles

Workout: Niketown - 1st Ave - 34th St. - FDR pedestrian path - around lower Manhattan - West Side Hwy running path - 125th St - back to 59th St, walk back to store.

2h 52m. Nice run. A bit warm. 6 weeks until the NYC Marathon. Mile on Fifth Ave tomorrow.

Yesterday: 4 miles

Week: 20.5 miles

Workout: Niketown - Central Park, 65th St. & E. Drive - lower loop - 87th St. & W. Drive - return by the same route.

Mile Repeats

Wednesday: 6 miles

Week: 16.5 miles

Workout: 1 mile warm up, 4x1 Mile around lower loop, with about 3 minutes rest, 1 mile cool down

I didn't really run this workout the way I was supposed to. My legs were still tired from the long runs this past weekend. Plus, I've got a long run this Saturday and the Mile on Fifth Ave on Sunday.

Tuesday: 4 miles

Week: 10.5 miles

Workout: Central Park, 65th & E. Drive - lower loop - 72nd St Transverse - E. Drive - 85th St. and return.

Today: 6.5 miles

Week: 6.5 miles

Workout: West Side YMCA - up W. Drive - 102nd Transverse & E. Drive - turn around and retrace route.

Wow! My legs were sore! I hope they're OK before the weekend. I'd like to do well at the 5th Ave Mile on Sunday.

18-Mile Marathon Tune Up

200m from the finish

Nearing the end of the 2nd loop of Central Park

12 miles into the race.

Thanks for the pictures Stu!

Today: 19 miles

Week: 46.5 miles

Workout: 18-Mile Marathon Tune Up (3 loops of Central Park), 1 mile cool down

I tried to begin the race conservatively. My goal was to get through the first and second loops feeling comfortable. I guess I went through the first loop feeling OK. But on the second loop, I was already thinking about the last loop. By the time I started the last loop, I just wanted to finish the run. It's probably the reason I ran a bit faster. Seeing people I knew out on the course helped. Everyone seemed to run well. Jeanne, Megan, Alanna, and Greg A. all did well.

I love the drill sergeant guy who always seems to be walking in the opposite direction of the race and shouting encouragement. He gave me a shout out twice. He said, "Go West Side!" Also, thanks to all the RUN-NYC people who saw me and shouted encouragement. And Brian, who paced me for a few miles.

I finished in 127th place with a time of 2 hours 07 minutes 55 seconds. (7:07/mi)

Splits:

1. 7:37 (Harlem Hill)

2. 7:13

3. 6:59

4. 7:03

5. 7:09 (Cat Hill)

6. 7:01

7. 7:16 (Harlem Hill)

8. 7:10

9. 7:06

10. 7:12

11. 7:15 (Cat Hill)

12. 7:03

13. 7:07 (Harlem Hill)

14. 7:01

15. 6:54

16. 6:59 (I accidentally stopped my watch. DOH!)

17 (Cat Hill) & 18. (avg. 6:51 for 2 miles)

Extended Bridle Path

Today: 13 miles

Week: 27.5 miles

Workout: Central Park, 65th & E. Drive - up to Engineer's Gate - enter bridle path and do 4 loops of the extended bridle path, back to 65th.

Did the second loop @ 7:45/mile, the third loop @ 7:25/mile, and the last loop @ 10:00+/mile. Nice day for a long run. Hope to finish tomorrow's 18-mile Tune-Up without over extending myself. I would love to run it at 7:00/mile, but that might be overly optimistic. 7:30s is probably more realistic.

The toughest part is going to be waking up and making it to the starting line at 7:00 a.m.!

Recovery Run

Today: 3 miles

Week: 14.5 miles

Workout: Niketown - lower loop Central Park - 79th St. & back

Avoided the thunder and lightning. Central Park was empty tonight.

Bridle Path

Yesterday: 7.5 miles

Week: 11.5 miles

Workout: Niketown - up E. Dr. - enter bridle path @85th - 2 loops of bridle path - 1 loop of bridle path extension

Legs still tired from Sunday. Hip was hurting a lot when I got home today. Naturally, I've been telling everyone I think I will be running the marathon this year. I hope I didn't jinx myself.

How is it possible that I can be so tired when I've only been back at work for 4 days?!!!

Recovery Run

Today: 4 miles

Week: 4 miles

Workout: Y - West Side Hwy - 10 minutes north and return.

Long Run

Today: 21 miles

Week: 60.5 miles

Workout: West Side Y - West Side Hwy bike path - Inwood Hill Park - Y - lower loop Central Park - Great Lawn - West Drive - 72nd

I did most of the run with David K. and Farbod. Then I ran a little extra. I had only planned on doing 10 miles. I decided it was a good day to go long since I was running with others, and I won't have many opportunities to do 18 to 20 miles runs in the upcoming weeks. My total time was 2h 40m (7:37/mi). I probably should have stopped 1 or 2 miles short of the 21 miles. But now that I've got a 20+ mile under my belt, I feel better about my marathon training.

Fitness 4-Mile

Nike Katana (aka PR shoes)

Today: 4.5 miles

Week: 39.5 miles

Workout: 1/4-mile warm up, 4-mile race, 1/2-mile cool down

Great day for racing. I had my best race of the year. 23:50 (5:58/mile). It was my fastest time since I became a masters runner. My splits were 6:02, 5:53, 6:02, 5:53. I felt good throughout the race. I probably could have gone a little faster. The Men's Open B competition is getting tighter.

WSY did great. Women (Jeanne, Erika, Emma, Meggie, Karen, Margot, Stacy, and Camille) were 11th out of 32 teams. Camille placed 6th in her age division.

Men (Huw, David, David K., Denie, Farbod, Bruno, Lou, and Mike) were 13th out of 37 teams. Lou was 10th in his age division. We were 2 seconds away from 12th!

Masters Men (David K., Denie, and Mike) were 9th out of 36 teams. 9 seconds away from 8th place!

Breakfast at the Flame Restaurant after the race. Berry-stuffed french toast!!!

Fashion's NIght Out

Niketown t-shirt

Yesterday: 2 miles

Week: 35 miles

Workout: Niketown's "Bootcamp," Dynamic stretching, then run from 59th & 5th Ave. - 10 minutes up East Drive & back.

Recovery Day

Yesterday: 5 miles

Week: 33 miles

Workout: 4-mile loop in Central Park, plus an extra mile

4-mile loop @10:00+/mile.

Half Mile Repeats

Yesterday: 10 miles

Week: 28 miles

Workout: 2 mile warm up on my own, 1.5 mile warm up w/WSY, from YMCA to 84th St & E. Dr., 8 repeats from 84th to 94th. Jog recovery in between repeats.

The repeats were a little longer than a half mile. My times were in the 3:20s. I didn't want to overextend myself since I have a race on Saturday.

Bridle Path

Today: 6.5 miles

Week: 18 miles

Workout: Niketown - lower loop of Central Park - hop on Bridle Path@63rd St. - 2 loops of reservoir and back to stretching area.

After a nice summer vacation, I had to go back to work today. The alarm going off at 5:00 a.m. was a shock this morning.

Working a whole day on little sleep and then running is a LOT different than waking up around 11:00 a.m., watching TV for a couple of hours, and THEN running.

Labor Day Run

Today: 11.5 miles

Week: 11.5 miles

Workout: 6-mile loop of Central Park @7:30/mile, 5.5 miles w/WSY, warm up to reservoir, 1 loop of reservoir @ 8:00/mile, 2nd loop @6:30/mile, cool down back to Y.

I can feel autumn coming! Small turnout at the Y tonight. Dreading having to wake up early for work tomorrow. Oh well, it's been a nice summer vacation while it lasted.

Long Run

Today: 16.5 miles

Week: 47 miles

Workout: Niketown - 1st Ave. - 34th St. - along FDR Dr. to Staten Island Ferry - turn around and head back.

On the way back to Niketown, I ran a few extra miles on the Upper East Side. Most of the run was at 8:00/mile. The entire run took 2 hr 16 min. Sat in an ice bath afterwards. I need to get a 20-mile run in soon, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time to do it.

Hills

Today: 8 miles

Week: 30.5 miles

Workout: Niketown - Central Park's E. Drive to top of Harlem Hill - turn around and head back to 102nd Transverse - turn around and head back to the top of Harlem Hill and come back to 102nd again. Then run back to Niketown. Run the hills hard.

Love the hills! The heat? Not so much.

400s

Today: 6.5 miles

Week: 22.5 miles

Workout: 2.5 mile warm-up to Riverbank Track. 3x400 with 400m recovery. 2.5 mile cool down.

91 degrees. I should have run earlier in the day. 75 seconds, 75, 73. I wanted to do more, but decided not to push it.

Recovery Run

Today: 4.5 miles

Week: 16 miles

Workout: Niketown - lower loop of Central Park - 72nd St. Transverse - E. Drive - 85th St & return.

A lot of people were at Niketown today despite the heat.

Tempo Run

Today: 11.5 miles

Week: 11.5 miles

Workout: 5 miles on Central Park bridle path, YMCA to 59th St & West Side Hwy bike path, tempo run 15 minutes south, turn around and run back, cool down back to Y

Warmed up on my own on the bridle path. I ran too fast at the beginning of the tempo run, but I was trying to keep up with other people so that I wouldn't have to run by myself. However, on the way back, they dropped me with a little over a mile remaining. I slowed down coming back. It took me 15:29 to get back. I was probably doing about 6:20/mile overall, a little faster on the first half of the tempo.

Damn hip was hurting a lot afterwards.

Recovery Run

Today: 5 miles

Week: 46 miles

Workout: 5-mile loop of Central Park

The thermometer in Central Park read 90 degrees around 7:00 p.m. I don't believe it. Legs felt a little tired from yesterday's long run, but not bad.

Long Run

My view of the Brooklyn Bridge, as I waited underneath

the Manhattan Bridge.

Today: 17 miles

Week: 41 miles

Workout: Niketown - West Side Hwy - around lower Manhattan - Manhattan Bridge and return.

Beautiful day for a run. 1hr 08m (8:00/mile) to run the 8.5 miles to the Manhattan Bridge, waited 35 minutes for other runners, 1hr to get back (7:00/mile). Felt great going to the bridge since my legs were fresh, and I was with two other people. On the way back, however, I was struggling a little until I got back to 59th Street, probably because I was running by myself and a little faster. I also should have drunk more than the ONE sip of water I took the entire run.

I started getting really weak on my way to the subway. I was having trouble walking straight. HA! Between the time I finished the run and the time I got home, I drank about 44 ounces of Gatorade. I also sat in a tub of ice water for 15 minutes. Highly recommended.

I'm feeling a little better about my marathon training after today.

Running Backwards, Uphill!!!

My new LunarGlide+2

Customized with Nike ID

Today: 6 miles

Week: 24 miles

Workout: Niketown - lower loop - 9 loops of Strawberry Fields (running up the hill backwards) - back to Niketown.

I don't think I've ever done a workout where I had to run backwards, uphill. It was definitely a workout. I could feel it in my quads.

50/50 Mile

Today: 7 miles

Week: 18 miles

Workout: YMCA - north on West Side Hwy & return. Did this twice.

I officiated the WSY's inaugural "50/50 Mile." This consisted of doing 25 push-ups, running 400m, 25 sit-ups, running 400m, 25 push-ups, running 400m, 25 sit-ups, and running the last 400m.

Lou was the men's winner, and Emma was the women's winner. I completely forgot to time the race and take pictures. DOH!

New singlets for the WSY

Today: 4 miles

Week: 11 miles

Workout: Niketown - 102nd St. Transverse & return.

Nice, easy run.

Tempo Run

Today: 7 miles

Week: 7 miles

Workout: Warm up around lower loop. 5-mile tempo run from 72nd & E. Drive. Cool down around lower loop.

I planned to take it easy since I did a 10-mile on Sat. and 14-mile yesterday. But I felt good and ran 32:34 for the tempo (6:31/mile).

Long Run

Today: 14 miles

Week: 49 miles

Workout: Two 6-mile loops of Central Park, and 1+ lower loop.

1 hour 47 minutes. (7:39/mile) Running with Farbod, Lou, and Rob made it easier. It seemed like everyone in the park today was doing a long run for marathon training.

Summer Streets

Today: 10 miles

Week: 35 miles

Workout: Niketown - Park Ave. - Halfway across Brooklyn Bridge and back

Nice day for a run and great to have Park Ave. free of cars.