A few weeks back I began to attend a yoga class once a week. Before starting the class, I thought I was in pretty good shape. I've quickly learned that being in shape can mean different things. While I have strong legs and cardio, I have limited flexibility and upper body strength.
Yoga compliments running well. My abs, biceps, and shoulders are usually pretty sore after each of the one hour sessions. This is great because I'm actually working them! In addition balance exercises are great for ankle strengthening and working different leg muscles helps the legs to be more balanced.
Hopefully after a few more weeks I'll be a bit less sore after each session!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
"It's a pretty good book ... You should try it. It's about bunnies. They talk."
Last week I finished listening to Richard Adams's Watership Down. Watership Down was the first audiobook that I've used as running entertainment that wasn't a part of a series. I decided to read it because it was on NPR's top 100 Science Fiction, Fantasy books list.
Before listening to the story, I was skeptical. How could a bunny adventure possibly be interesting to an adult? But somehow it made it to 32nd place on the NPR list, so I decided to give it a try.
I quickly learned that Watership Down is not just a bunny adventure. It is about leadership, loyalty, and bravery in the face daunting odds. The story starts with a band of rabbits setting off in search of a new home. The lead characters (Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin, Bigwig, Dandelion, and Blackberry) are richly developed with differing personalities. I gained a new sympathy for wild animals and the dangers they face.
The rabbits also share tales of their folk hero El-ahrairah throughout the book. El-ahrairah was everything that a rabbit should be: brave, clever, and a great leader to his people. The stories, usually told by Dandelion, inspire the rabbits when the world around them seems too treacherous.
Alek started to read Watership Down after I raved about how great it was during the 6 weeks it took me to complete the 15 hour audiobook. I found the book to be a bit more suspenseful than he has, mostly because the start and stop nature of listening to an audiobook only when running causes more suspense to build up. Alek can just keep reading. I think that makes it a great book for running since the suspense only makes the story better!
Before listening to the story, I was skeptical. How could a bunny adventure possibly be interesting to an adult? But somehow it made it to 32nd place on the NPR list, so I decided to give it a try.
I quickly learned that Watership Down is not just a bunny adventure. It is about leadership, loyalty, and bravery in the face daunting odds. The story starts with a band of rabbits setting off in search of a new home. The lead characters (Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin, Bigwig, Dandelion, and Blackberry) are richly developed with differing personalities. I gained a new sympathy for wild animals and the dangers they face.
The rabbits also share tales of their folk hero El-ahrairah throughout the book. El-ahrairah was everything that a rabbit should be: brave, clever, and a great leader to his people. The stories, usually told by Dandelion, inspire the rabbits when the world around them seems too treacherous.
Alek started to read Watership Down after I raved about how great it was during the 6 weeks it took me to complete the 15 hour audiobook. I found the book to be a bit more suspenseful than he has, mostly because the start and stop nature of listening to an audiobook only when running causes more suspense to build up. Alek can just keep reading. I think that makes it a great book for running since the suspense only makes the story better!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Getting the NYRR +1
On June 2 Alek and I got our NYRR +1 volunteer activity. This along with running 9 NYRR races in 2012 will give us guaranteed entry into the 2013 NYC Marathon.
We signed up for a packet pick up shift for the NYRR Celebrate Israel run from 10:30 - 1:30. When we got to the NYRR headquarters, Alek was put on T-shirt duty downstairs while I was sent upstairs for bib duty. Packet pickup didn't officially start until 11:30 but we were ready and at our stations by 10:45. As a result the first hour passed slowly. After 11:00 people started to come in. Overall, it was a fun volunteer experience. We got to meet other runners and understand some of what it really takes to put on a race.
The NYRR staff let us go at 12:30, so Alek and I took advantage of our extra time on the Upper East Side by walking around Central Park. It was a beautiful day, with many musicians, cute dogs, and turtles by the turtle pond!
We signed up for a packet pick up shift for the NYRR Celebrate Israel run from 10:30 - 1:30. When we got to the NYRR headquarters, Alek was put on T-shirt duty downstairs while I was sent upstairs for bib duty. Packet pickup didn't officially start until 11:30 but we were ready and at our stations by 10:45. As a result the first hour passed slowly. After 11:00 people started to come in. Overall, it was a fun volunteer experience. We got to meet other runners and understand some of what it really takes to put on a race.
The NYRR staff let us go at 12:30, so Alek and I took advantage of our extra time on the Upper East Side by walking around Central Park. It was a beautiful day, with many musicians, cute dogs, and turtles by the turtle pond!
Turtle at turtle pond
Friday, June 1, 2012
Race Recap: Wall Street Run
Yesterday evening was beautiful for a 3 mile race. The Wall Street Run began at 7PM. Alek and I lined up on Greenwhich Street at 6:30 and waited while our Garmins found GPS in the skyscraper valley. The Wall Street Run has no formalized corral system so everyone self organized into what they thought their pace would be (or well, they were supposed to...).
The race actually began a bit after 7PM. It was fun to run on closed off streets downtown. Many of these streets are fairly narrow and that combined with the somewhat disorganized start area made it difficult to maintain any sort of pace. At various points on the course, pedestrians crossed somewhat dangerously between runners. I managed to run into someone (whoever you are, sorry about that)!
Alek and I ran together for the first two miles (yeah Alek! He hasn't trained much over the past few months). After that he told me to go ahead, so I darted off without him for the last mile.
This year's Wall Street Run passed over Wall Street three times but the course never actually followed Wall Street. It finished close to the river where the path narrowed enough to make a half mile sprint across the finish line impossible.
Despite the crowded course, the race was a lot of fun. It was great to run a race that didn't require us to get up in the wee hours of the morning.
I finished a few minutes ahead of Alek and waited for him at the finish line! Usually he's the one waiting for me, but not yesterday! I finished in 28:24 for a pace of 9:28, Alek was 30:32 for a pace of 10:11. Full results can be found on the NYRR results site.
Waiting for the race to start in the valley of skyscrapers.
The race actually began a bit after 7PM. It was fun to run on closed off streets downtown. Many of these streets are fairly narrow and that combined with the somewhat disorganized start area made it difficult to maintain any sort of pace. At various points on the course, pedestrians crossed somewhat dangerously between runners. I managed to run into someone (whoever you are, sorry about that)!
Alek and I ran together for the first two miles (yeah Alek! He hasn't trained much over the past few months). After that he told me to go ahead, so I darted off without him for the last mile.
This year's Wall Street Run passed over Wall Street three times but the course never actually followed Wall Street. It finished close to the river where the path narrowed enough to make a half mile sprint across the finish line impossible.
Despite the crowded course, the race was a lot of fun. It was great to run a race that didn't require us to get up in the wee hours of the morning.
I finished a few minutes ahead of Alek and waited for him at the finish line! Usually he's the one waiting for me, but not yesterday! I finished in 28:24 for a pace of 9:28, Alek was 30:32 for a pace of 10:11. Full results can be found on the NYRR results site.
We finished!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wall Street Run Playlist
Tomorrow I'll run the NYRR Wall Street Run. Its a 3 mile run, and I expect to come in under 30 minutes. My 33 minute playlist is below!
Let's Get It Started The Black Eyed Peas
Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West) Jay-Z
Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) B.o.B
Cry for You September
Party Rock Anthem LMFAO
Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) Jay-Z
S&M Rihanna
The Edge Of Glory Lady GaGa
Let's Get It Started The Black Eyed Peas
Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West) Jay-Z
Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) B.o.B
Cry for You September
Party Rock Anthem LMFAO
Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) Jay-Z
S&M Rihanna
The Edge Of Glory Lady GaGa
Friday, May 25, 2012
Half Fanatics
While running my first half marathon nearly a year ago, I noticed other runners wearing "Half Fanatics" shirts. Then again at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon last October, I saw runners in the same shirts and they even got a shout-out as they crossed the start line.
I realized that this must be a national running club. Sometime later, I looked up the requirements for joining. Even the lowest level (requiring 2 half marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 within a 90 day timeframe) seemed to be out of my reach, so I wrote it off as something I would never do.
While running the New Jersey Marathon earlier this month, I noticed many runners wearing "Marathon Maniacs" shirts. I knew from looking at the Half Fanatics site that Marathon Maniacs was a sister running club. I'd never previously looked at the requirements for Marathon Maniacs because marathons are hard. The sheer number of runners sporting Marathon Maniacs tops made me go take a look. The lowest level (requiring 2 marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 within a 90 day timeframe) is more than I can currently do.
But this did make me come back to re-check the requirements for half-fanatics. I'd realized that if I complete my goal of running 11 half marathons this year, I'd qualify for the second level of membership. I mentioned this to Alek and after he took a look at the membership criteria he pointed out that I already qualified at the lowest level!
So now, I can proudly say that I'm a Half Fanatic!
I realized that this must be a national running club. Sometime later, I looked up the requirements for joining. Even the lowest level (requiring 2 half marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 within a 90 day timeframe) seemed to be out of my reach, so I wrote it off as something I would never do.
While running the New Jersey Marathon earlier this month, I noticed many runners wearing "Marathon Maniacs" shirts. I knew from looking at the Half Fanatics site that Marathon Maniacs was a sister running club. I'd never previously looked at the requirements for Marathon Maniacs because marathons are hard. The sheer number of runners sporting Marathon Maniacs tops made me go take a look. The lowest level (requiring 2 marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 within a 90 day timeframe) is more than I can currently do.
But this did make me come back to re-check the requirements for half-fanatics. I'd realized that if I complete my goal of running 11 half marathons this year, I'd qualify for the second level of membership. I mentioned this to Alek and after he took a look at the membership criteria he pointed out that I already qualified at the lowest level!
So now, I can proudly say that I'm a Half Fanatic!
My cool new shirt!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Race-cation Planning: Destination Columbus & Indianapolis
Anyone who follows my blog will know that Alek and I have taken quite a few race-cations. So far, these have all been a result of me finding a race I wanted to run and us planning a trip around it. For our next trip we've taken a different approach.
Alek mentioned a few months ago that he'd like to go to Indianapolis for GenCon in August. He asked me if there were any half marathons nearby during the previous or following weekend. After some searching, I found the Ultrafit Columbus Half Marathon in Columbus, Ohio. This half marathon takes place the weekend before GenCon and looks to be a fairly small race. We decided to stay in Columbus from Saturday through Tuesday and then drive over to Indianapolis where we'll spend the rest of our vacation.
While looking for things to do during our 4 day stint in Columbus I found the Columbus Zoo, which even allows you to stay onsite in a yurt. We decided to stay there for our last night.
GenCon runs from Wednesday until Sunday, so we'll have some time Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to explore Indianapolis. I've been told that the Indiana State Fair is worth a visit.
Alek and I also registered for the Orc Stomp 5k Fun Run, one of the GenCon events. This run will be very small, as it is limited to 30 people. I was excited to build another run into what will be a very busy week. It is often difficult for me to get runs in when there is so much new and interesting stuff to do on vacation.
What recommendations do you have for things to do in Columbus or Indianapolis? Can you suggest running routes for non-race runs in either city?
Alek mentioned a few months ago that he'd like to go to Indianapolis for GenCon in August. He asked me if there were any half marathons nearby during the previous or following weekend. After some searching, I found the Ultrafit Columbus Half Marathon in Columbus, Ohio. This half marathon takes place the weekend before GenCon and looks to be a fairly small race. We decided to stay in Columbus from Saturday through Tuesday and then drive over to Indianapolis where we'll spend the rest of our vacation.
While looking for things to do during our 4 day stint in Columbus I found the Columbus Zoo, which even allows you to stay onsite in a yurt. We decided to stay there for our last night.
GenCon runs from Wednesday until Sunday, so we'll have some time Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to explore Indianapolis. I've been told that the Indiana State Fair is worth a visit.
Alek and I also registered for the Orc Stomp 5k Fun Run, one of the GenCon events. This run will be very small, as it is limited to 30 people. I was excited to build another run into what will be a very busy week. It is often difficult for me to get runs in when there is so much new and interesting stuff to do on vacation.
What recommendations do you have for things to do in Columbus or Indianapolis? Can you suggest running routes for non-race runs in either city?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)