Hey, don't forget to train!

I got my first weekly email from NYC as we're officially in training now! Very exciting! I'm also happy to say that even though this week has been CRAZY with starting my new job, I've gotten in my 2 weekday runs. Both times I did I was so happy to be doing it -- like it was a treat! Having to schedule it in with long days and travel made me appreciate the chance I had to do my workout compared with just last week when I had all damned day to get motivated to run. What a great feeling to have! I can't say I'll always be so excited to run when I have a million things going on but at least I'm starting out on the right foot (no pun intended) and keeping focused.

Officially in training. I love the sound of that!

Balance

I started my new job this week. I am hoping this is not a typical week in my new life. I started my week by getting up at 2:30 am on Sunday to catch a 6 am flight to Chicago. I got there (exhausted) and had to sit through a slide review and a meeting. Then my flight home was delayed so I didn't get home until 12:30. So that was a nice 22-hour day. Then I had to go to Stamford on Monday morning. I gave the HR lady a heads up last week that if I was doing an in-and-out on Sunday I wasn't going to get to Stamford until 10:30 or so. I was so freaking tired but I dragged myself down to Stamford and began day 2. It's so tiring to be "on" all day and to learn everyone's names, where the bathroom is, etc. It's like I went from zero to 100 in no time at all.

The reason I'm even going into this is because my new work life CANNOT disrupt my training. I will not fail and give up on NYC, not with everyone I know to see me do it. I have wanted this for a long time and I am just going to have to find a way to make it work.

I tried to get up this morning to run, I really did. But I'm still wiped out. So as soon as I got back to the hotel I changed my clothes and found the gym. I really hate hotel workouts, I always feel out of my element, the treadmills are always different than mine, and I don't like being in such close proximity with other sweaty people (not that I smell like a dainty flower when I run). But I did it. I didn't start until well after 6 pm but I did an hour -- 5.55 miles. I felt strong and I knew about 10 minutes into it that it was going to be a really good run for me because I had wanted to do it all day and was actually following through.

My goal is to get up tomorrow and do a shorter run. I have a meeting in New Jersey on Thursday (they seriously are killing me this week) so I won't be able to run then. If I have to miss a workout this week it's going to be a strength one. I did my 100 pushups (straight-leg, man-style, baby!) after my run and that's about the most efficient and effective upper body exercise that I've found so even if I miss one this week, I shouldn't lose any strength gains.

Hopefully next week will be more normal. I'll settle into my new routine in Old Saybrook. Even if I still do my runs after work the point is that I'll be getting them in. Miles are miles, no matter what time they're logged. I have to keep remembering that.

For today, I'm happy I made the commitment to myself and got the thing done.

No more lazy Saturday mornings

Saturday is my long run day. It's the most important run of the week for endurance training. Even though "official" training hasn't started yet I've been getting in a long run every week to prepare me for what's to come. Today was a good one -- 8.14 miles. I did the Airline Trail which I like because it's a gradual uphill for the first 4 miles but that means a nice gradual downhill for the last 4. Also, trails are a little kinder on the joints than asphalt. Trails are a little slower though because you don't rebound off the dirt like you would the pavement but it's good training. My marathon goal pace is around 11 min/mile. I could really push and try to get that down to 10 but this is my first marathon. Finishing is the most important thing, my pace is secondary. My pace today was 11:24/mile which isn't bad considering it takes me at least a minute to start the GPS app on my iphone and then squeeze it into my arm cuff. Also, I took a phone call halfway through (someone please tell me how to turn off the phone while I'm running) to verbally decapitate a car salesman. LSS, my car will be on Monday even though I'll be out of town until Thursday. That blue spike on the readout isn't my speed, I think it was measuring my rage.

All and all, a solid run, car salesman and all.

I'm live!!!

Very exciting! I made my big announcement on FB today because my NSAL link is live! This is really REAL now! I have already received such wonderful support from family and friends and here it is just the first day -- almost 5 months before the race! I am so honored that people have put such faith in me with their generous donations, there is no way I will let them down. This race just stopped being about me and my goals, it's about the people who believe in me and it's about the animals that this money is going to help.

Tomorrow is my long run day in the midst of a whole bunch of insanity with a freelance job and my new job. It would be easy to lose focus with all this craziness going on but having such support behind me will help me get in the right mindset tomorrow when I go out and do my run.

I can't believe this is happening! The journey really has begun!

Hills

I dread this workout every week. It's a stupid 3.4 mile loop beginning and ending at my house but it's ALL hills. It defies logic but I think there's more uphill than downhill, at least it seems that way. It's also an uphill finish which just doesn't seem fair at the end of a run. I remember when we moved here and just walking the first mile made everything hurt. I told myself that the day I could run the whole thing without stopping I'd be a runner again. About 2 months ago I ran it for the first time and I was so proud of myself. I'd done longer runs and faster runs by that point but this one was and remains my toughest workout of the week.

Now that I have NYC in my sights, I am trying to look at this hill workout with new eyes. The NYC course isn't easy, there's all the bridge approaches and the last 6.2 miles are rolling hills through Central Park with an uphill finish. So now when I do this I keep reminding myself that the stronger and tougher I can be on the hills the more prepared I'll be for those last miles. It doesn't make the hills easier, necessarily, but it does keep me focused. I don't think I cursed once today! ;)

The more people know...

...the more I know I can do this. I saw a friend tonight who I haven't seen in awhile and, in catching up, I told her about NYC and doing it for NSAL. She said she'd make a donation once my fundraising page had been set up (which I've called twice about now). When I think about the marathon now it's in the abstract -- training hasn't officially kicked in, it's months away, I haven't started fundraising. When I think about it I picture 2 things: the start on the Verrazano and the finish and getting my medal. I don't think too much about the 26.2 miles in between because I'm pretty sure if I did I'd psyche myself right out.

But when I tell people I feel a pressure -- a good pressure -- to get this thing done. I'm so grateful that I have 3 people in my family who have done NYC because when I am struggling mentally with my training, I know I can call upon them for support. My uncle already gave me a great visual, he said when you come off the Queensborough bridge and there are thousands of people cheering you feel like it's just for you and you're the only runner out there. It will be images like that I'll hold onto when I'm pushing out some junk miles.

I'm right at that stage where it's still far enough away but the beginning of training is coming soon. I'm anxious. I want to get the show on the road. Even though these weeks of maintenance running and strengthening my base is critical to the actual training I still just want to start ticking off the weeks of my program down to the big event.

National Running Day

I didn't even know there was such a thing until I saw it on Twitter. I'm glad it ended up that I switched my Tuesday run for today and did my strength workout yesterday. Got in 5.48 miles and felt really strong throughout. I'd like this to be a continued trend!

I got a new job today! It's so weird how it all happened but I had my 2nd interview yesterday and today they made the offer. Yes! The best part is that, for the first time in my career, I will not have to get on 95! I'll have to go to Stamford occasionally but I will be based in Old Saybrook.

Of course I'm a little worried about my training. I've gotten used to the unemployed life and getting my run in when the mood struck me. I'm going to need to be a lot more disciplined about my weekdays. The good thing is that it's a 20-minute ride so I don't have to get up at a ridiculous time to get my workouts in before going into the office. There was a brief time in my life where I would get up at 4:45, run 5 miles, get ready, hop a train to Stamford, and be at my desk by 8 am. I don't know how I did that for almost a whole year. I won't have to get up that early and I was actually thinking that I could even get my run in after work while I'm in Old Saybrook. It's flat, it's scenic, and it's something different than what I've been doing the last few months. When it gets cooler I can even do it at lunch if I hate doing it before work that much. I did that for a bit when I worked in Stamford and no one complained -- I brought the necessary items to not stink for the rest of the day. ;-)

When we were doing the negotiating thing today I made sure to tell them that I need Nov 5th and 8th off. There will be a decent amount of travel with this job so if there's a meeting that weekend I wanted them to know now that I'm not available. I'm looking forward to getting back to some travel but, again, my immediate concern is my training. Trying to get my runs in on the road just about killed me before and it was at an Omni in Orlando, FL that I remember looking at my sneakers and saying, "Screw it" and it was a freefall from there with fitness and eating right. I can't let that happen again, not with NYC on the line. So discipline will be my mantra for the next 5 months.

It's a good day! A good run and a new job. Can't complain about that!