I'm back!

I've got some good news and bad news. Good news first - John, Thomas and I had a FABULOUS time in Disney World! I will be sure to post some of the pictures I've taken.  I managed to run three of eight mornings. That doesn't sound like much but I did one 4.4 miler, a 5 miler, and a 2.5 miler.  It was WAY too hot to run.  I mean, I felt like I was running through a bath tub. The heat and humidity even at 6:30am was just unbearable and I decided not to do any more running than I did.  I'm pretty proud of myself for at least getting out there a few of the days!

The bad news is that I haven't run since Thursday...it's not Tuesday! I planned on getting right back on the wagon Monday morning but it's been pretty much a constant downpour since we returned late Sunday night and I just can't take Thomas out in the jogger.  I did the elliptical yesterday during his nap and will plan on doing that again today.  I really want to get out and get running again. I'm hoping these days off won't completely throw me for a loop.  This is the taking time off thing that I was afraid of.

Have to get Thomas out of this crib for the morning now....will post more about my trip later!!!

Eight is GREAT!

Go me! Go me! Go me!

Eight miles this morning! Woot! And yes, it took me 1hr 30 min to do it. Sure, it's not exactly lightening speed and it's WAY slower than the pace at which I ran my 5k but it's the farthest I've ever run and it brings me way over halfway there to the half marathon distance! I planned on doing 7 miles today but found myself not quite at 6.5 when I was close to home. So, I decided to run towards Maritime and by the time I got there I was farther than I wanted to be. I turned around and came home finishing at the TOP of the hill at the beginning of my street! Hurrah. Finished. I slammed a ginormous glass of chocolate milk when I got home and just treated to myself to a  buttered roll from the deli (and if anyone knows buttered rolls from the deli, they know that I just consumed about a pound of butter). In fact, I feel a little sick from all the butter but hey, it was worth it :)

And the best part of this day?? Disney is TOMORROW!!! Can't wait to get down there! Our flight leaves out of JFK at 7:20 so we'll need to be up VERY early tomorrow morning.  In fact, so early that I'm not looking forward to waking up Thomas! And I'm REALLY not looking forward to the flight! Ah! Hopefully he will snooze on my lap but I seriously doubt it as he hasn't fallen asleep on me in months. Meh, it's a flight to Orlando - it's sort of a must to endure a screaming baby on the flight, might as well be MY screaming baby.

I'm going to sit on my couch and watch the end of Dirty Dancing (thanks ABC Family!) while Thomas takes a little nap. Then I'm getting my hair done (highlights and cut desperately needed) and then some last minute packing. Can't wait!

Workout: 8.05 miles
Time: 1hr30min
Next up: FLIGHT TO DISNEY!!!

Um, ok I mean I will rest...TODAY :)

I'd planned on a rest day for yesterday and I didn't stick to it.  The weather was gorgeous and it was 7:30am. I still had plenty of time to run before Mommy & Me if I wanted. And I felt pretty energetic. Got ready in a flash and was out the door before I could change my mind (that's key - get out before you can come up with an excuse!). Since Thursdays are typically my rest days I just felt like I needed to do something on Wednesday. I knew I'd feel guilty if I didn't get moving. Wound up running 4 miles! The plan called for a 4 miler and this time I stuck with it. I've lately been doing an extra mile but figured there's plenty of time to literally...go the extra mile.

My decision to run yesterday was made a good one when I passed by an older guy on Maritime's campus that I see walking pretty often. Usually we just say hello and keep moving. Perhaps a, "hot out, huh?" but that's about it. Anyway, I ran past him and gave him my usual hello. I had my headphones on but heard him say something so I popped out one headphone and said, "yeah it's very windy!" He said, "No, I said whatever you're doing it's working! You're looking good and losing weight." Oh. My. God. Old guy made my day.

I stopped...just for a second. I put the break on the jogger and gave that old guy a big sweaty hug. "You just made my day."  Let me remind you I live in the Bronx. I don't live in shiny happy land where people hug others often. I'm pretty sure this guy will never say hello to me again. He definitely gave me that "you're nuts" look. But that's ok! He really made my day and reminded me that I'm not just running to say I did the half. I'm not just running to get down to Disney just one more time. I'm running because it's healthy and a healthier me means a happier me. A healthier me means my son will be proud of his mom when he's old enough to realize that his mom can keep up with him at the playground!

But today? REST. Seriously, rest. Mommy & Me in the morning, hopefully a nice nap from Thomas, and even more hopefully a nice bit of relaxation time on the couch for me. I have a bad stomach ache so I need the rest badly. Oh, and PACK FOR DISNEY!

Yesterday's Workout: 4 miles
Time: 45:10
Next up (today): REST

My body needs a break

After a great 5 miles yesterday, I was very happy to see that the running plan only had me running 2 miles today. Temps felt cool and I put Thomas in pants and a long sleeve t-shirt.  I wore shorts and a t-shirt since I sweat buckets when I take more than three steps anywhere.  With Thomas snacking away in the jogger, I started my normal run. After about three steps I wanted to stop. I ran a mile and really felt AWFUL. I wound up doing 2.37 miles and they were really the longest of my life. I felt terrible the whole time. 

I think my body needs a rest. Instead of doing 4 miles tomorrow, I'm not going to run. I'm having practically an anxiety attack over this break.  I mean, really, it's one day. But I know me and I know that sometimes a one day break means a two day break and so on. I'm trying to tell myself that I've turned over a new leaf, I'm no longer the slacker that I was before. I am a runner! And runners need to take breaks! Right? RIGHT???

I have Mommy & Me tomorrow morning and will be tutoring a friend's daughter in Math in the afternoon - hopefully that will keep me busy enough so I won't stuff my face all day.

It's days like today when I think, "How the hell am I going to run 13 miles???" I'll just have to check back in this blog to look for a day when I killed it to remind me that I can do it :)

Workout: 2.34 miles
Time: 25:50 (felt like 3 hours)
Next up: MUST REST TOMORROW

Just a quick check in

Today was our first day of Mommy & Me.  It starts at 9:30 so I needed to make sure I got out running early with Thomas so I wouldn't be late. I planned on doing 4 miles which was what the Hal Higdon program said but knocked out 5. I'm running 11.5 minute miles with the jogger which sounds slow but pushing that thing is getting hard, especially the longer I run.

One of the Mommy & Me leaders is having twins next month (she already has two other kids!) and she and the other leader Noreen asked me today if I'd be interested in helping out while Heather is out with the newborns with the plan being that once they move I'd eventually take over for her, sharing the Mommy & Me gig with Noreen. I was really happy about that and more than glad to help! It'll be fun! Plus, I'd be there anyway so might as well just help out! Plus, I'm a control freak so I'm sure I'll like being in charge of the program with Noreen!

Because Mommy & Me is three days a week, I will need to make sure to get my runs in very early on those days.  I know I won't do them if I wait until after the class!

Workout: 5 miles
Time: 57 minutes
Tomorrow: 2 miles (hoping they will be nice and easy!)

First Race, OVER!

The Komen NYC Race for the Cure was outstanding!!  There were over 25,000 runners and walkers out today and it was just amazing how well this event was put together.  All of Central Park was energized! I was actually pretty intimidated by all the runners. There were SO many people there running in teams and I was there all alone.  John and Thomas came down but I left them by the finish line after we established a meet-up place. Of course John forgot his cell phone so we needed to make sure we knew where to meet.  It's amazing how anyone managed without cell phones!

After I left John and Thomas I made my way to the west side. I had a ton of time to kill so I sat on a bench for a while to people watch. I saw some porta-potties and noticed the line was a BLOCK long! So, I decided I better get in line.

I lined up for the race and stood there and listened to some celebrities (Steve Carell, Dr. Oz, etc) and politicians get everyone pumped up for the race and the fundraising efforts.

Front of the race!

Everyone lined up behind me

 
Finally the survivors and the elite runners began and 6 minutes later I was under the start line! The first mile was spent weaving in and out of people that were slower than me. Wait, slower? you ask? Well, yeah, slower because they were walking.  Before I knew it, I saw the big sign for the 1st mile! Awesome! I felt so good and so full of energy. I was shocked considering I had been standing around for an hour and a half before!

Sometime before the 2nd mile marker my legs started to feel a little heavy but the excitement just kept me going! I kept looking for John as I got closer to the finish line but I never saw him.  Major bummer. Oh well. I saw the finished and was so pumped! I felt so great! What a great event!

And the best part? I kicked some major butt on my time! My goal was to finish in under 35 minutes. My time? 30:10! Woot! WOOT!!!!

 Finally after waiting at the designated spot for about 25 minutes I saw John. He couldn't find me in the race and didn't think I'd finish as early as I did. So we got some pictures after:

There I am in the pink shirt with my boy Thomas. Apparently he didn't take any sort of nap in all that time they were waiting for me. As soon as we got in the car he fell fast asleep.  John dropped me off at home and took Thomas to his sister's house for a bit.  We're going to meet up at Chuck E Cheese for my friend's daughter's birthday party.

I enjoyed a nice bowl of cereal and a grilled cheese sandwich and will be stuffing my face full of pizza and cake shortly.

Ah, job well done, Nance. Did the race, got the t-shirt:

Nobody around to take my picture - self portrait

Just one day and one race closer to the big one in February!!

Workout: 5k
Time: 30:10 WOOT!
Next up: Dunno, I guess around 3 or 4 tomorrow depending on timing with Mommy & Me

Hi Wind, it's me, Sad Runner

Holy geez that was the windiest run ever. Remember I complained about the wind a few posts ago? Yeah, nevermind that one. I couldn't do the loops around Maritime that I like to do so it was a back and forth run that was even more boring than running loops! And on top of that, the wind was howling off the lake and I must have looked like I was running backwards.

I used that MapMyRun app and it was pretty good. I had it alert me every 15 minutes to my time, pace, and distance which was pretty cool.  You can set it to tell you at any intervals 15 minutes seemed to be a good check-in time. After doing the same run as I did yesterday, I tried to do one more "lap" since I won't be getting in any long runs in this weekend. I fought hard through the wind and felt pretty pumped after it was done (anytime I run longer than planned I feel good).

I took a quick photo with the iPhone while fighting the wind:

Of course, in true Nancy fashion, I totally sabotaged my run by eating a huge bowl of cereal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, AND a massive amount of my son's goldfish crackers (not to mention my chocolate milk of course).  Naptime does NOT equal shovel food into my mouth time. Gah! But man, it all tasted so good!!

No, I didn't slack off yesterday...

I just didn't get a chance to get on here and report my running :) Yesterday was awfully humid and I had no desire to run at all. There was a definite scare of rain too. But, we were having some work done on the house today and I needed to be out all day - I really had no excuse NOT to run! I brought along the rain cover to our other stroller (works the same, just doesn't stay put so well) but luckily wound up not needing it. The looming rainstorm never came but it was very humid so it made running feel a bit like wading through water. There is construction going on at Maritime now so I couldn't do the the laps that I like to do.

I'm becoming a little anal with my distances now.  It used to be that I just wanted to run for a certain amount of time, but with the half marathon being a set number of miles, I'm more focused on distance rather than time. So when I saw that I couldn't do my laps (which I know the exact distance of) I was pissed! I did my best to just run back and forth around the construction and ran for 36 minutes. When I finally got home at the end of the day I immediately went to MapMyRun to see what I'd done.  Turns out I did 3.1 miles! Ha! A 5k! Maybe my brain is getting ready for the race on Sunday?  I decided to get the MapMyRun App and see how well that works - supposedly it will track my distance for me. Well, that's assuming my iPhone's GPS works properly. I plan on testing out today on my run. The weather is in the 60s with a beautiful breeze. I better get off this computer and get going. I can hear Thomas in his crib yelling for me too. So much for the nice nap I hoped he'd take so I could catch up on the blog!

We are heading to PA tomorrow to see my 87 year old grandfather who unfortunately doesn't seem to be doing all that well. We really need to get down there but since I signed up for that race on Sunday (and totally didn't put the dates together) we can only stay for one night. At least we're getting down there. Only bad thing though is that I won't be able to run on Friday (tomorrow) since we'll be leaving first thing in the morning and I won't get out on Saturday either unless I run when we get home. I'm not sure a run the evening before the race is a good idea. So, what was supposed to be a rest day (today) will have to be a run day.

Workout (yesterday's): 3.1 miles
Time: 36 minutes
Next up (today): 3ish miles?
Next up (after today) 5k race on Sunday morning!

This Jogger SUUUUCKS

I mean, look, it's great that I have this jogger and even better that I got it as a gift. But running with it is SO much harder than just running by myself. I feel like I'm going backwards when I'm trying to run with that thing. And I only have a 20 lb kid! I'm not looking forward to 1) him getting bigger and 2) winter time when he has to wear heavier clothes!

My 5k is coming up on Sunday and I'm getting a little nervous. I mean, I KNOW I can do the distance but I'm still at the point in my running career where I feel pretty tired during the first few miles. I'm hoping the excitement of being in my first race will make the time go by quickly. And, because I'm still a girl, I've already picked out what I'm going to wear. I'm planning on wearing the Land's End Compression Capris and this pink Nike running shirt that I got at the mall a few weeks ago. So I figure on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a lame lazy person and 10 being Usain Bolt, I'm like a 6 on the athletic ability spectrum - I'm 4 based on ability but an 8 based on looking good in my new running clothes so it brings me to a 6 on the total scale. 

We are planning on going to PA to visit my grandfather on Friday morning. We'll spend the night and head back on Saturday afternoon sometime. I reeeeeeeally don't want to go. He's 87 and a very kind man but it is SO boring being there. Plus, Thomas is not a fan of the fact that my grandfather keeps his thermostat set at 83 degrees. But if we don't go I will feel very guilty - so we have to go. I guess that means I won't do a long run this weekend but according to alot of the training plans, they tell you to put a race into your training schedule.

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain. No idea how or when I'll be able to get some running in. The plan says only 2 miles (only, ha) so at least it'll be a little easier...though with that darn jogger you never know.

Workout: 3.5 miles
Time: 40 minutes
Next up: 2 miles?

What a great weekend!

After Friday's 6 mile run, I was definitely sore and glad to take a nice rest day on Saturday.  There was no resting for Thomas though! The Silver Beach Labor Day Weekend was a very memorable one for John and me. Thomas swam and ran in his first races! It was pretty hilarious!  Saturday's swimming races started early but they didn't call the 1 year olds until later and it was definitely getting close to nap time. The race involved sticking Thomas in the water and John sprinting to the finish line with him. Slightly traumatic for the kid but all in good fun:

And guess what? Thomas came in first! With John and my combined athletic ability, I have a feeling this will be the only time that happens.

Yesterday was the running races and I was so excited for this. Thomas is walking around like a champ now and I just knew it'd be a cute-fest with all the one year old racing.  Well, of course it was naptime again and Thomas would have none of the racing thing.  It was very loud and I don't think he could see me at the finish so he got upset. Poor kid. He wouldn't even stand up!

That's Thomas in the middle there with John trying to get him to stand up.  The little guy in the front knew what was going on!

The races went up through all the ages and the older the kids got, the faster they were:

That's one of my cousins on the left running. I come from a LARGE family and there were tons of cousins running in those races!

At the end of the day came the awards ceremony. Thomas got a medal for his first place finish:

And they even gave him one for coming in last in the running race!:

The theme for this year's Labor Day Weekend was Outter Space, thus the aliens and spaceship at the awards area.

So now onto running....
I ran the 6 miles on Friday and took a rest day on Saturday to enjoy the day.  Sunday's festivities didn't start until 10am and I knew I needed to get out and run before they began or else there was no way I'd be doing anything after.  I decided to head out for a run and I'm so glad I did. Not so much because I did ANOTHER SIX MILES (!!!) but because I am nursing a hangover this morning and I'm SOOOO glad I don't have to run today.  I mean, the day after another long run I certainly deserve another rest day, right??

But yeah, I knocked out 6 miles again. It was in the 60s, a light breeze, and absolutely beautiful yesterday morning. I did the same route as Friday and even wound up doing it a little faster.  I ran the first 3 miles much faster than the last three since I was running out of steam. Still, it was great run and I'm glad I did it.

I'm hoping to take it a bit easy today.  I REALLY hope Thomas takes a nice nap later because I sure could use one.

Workout: (from Sunday) 6 miles
Time: 63 minutes
Next up: resting again today and doing 3 or 4 tomorrow with the jogger

Wait, am I pregnant??

Ok, no, I'm definitely NOT pregnant but I felt a little like it on my run today.  My sense of smell was on high this morning on my long run. What is UP with that? Does running make you better able to smell? Perhaps it was the heat getting to me. Or maybe I was thirsty and getting a little delirious.  Or maybe it's a sign that a hurricane's a'comin'. Who knows but I could smell every.single.thing around me today. I went by the water and the salt water in the air smelled so good. I *almost* felt like I was at the shore.  Almost.  I ran up to Pelham Bay Park and could smell the dirt and grass.  As I huffed and puffed back onto East Tremont Ave and my home stretch, I was really sucking wind. You know how NYC is known for it's awesome delis? Yeah, normally the smell of breakfast would be totally awesome but the smell of eggs wafting out of the delis as I passed by was vomit-inducing. It definitely made me try to fun faster to get off that street! Oh, and nevermind that it's garbage day for one of the neighborhoods I ran through.

Who knows what the deal with the sense of smell is but it is duly noted.  Once it gets cold I doubt the smells will be an issue.

I am totally pumped to say that I ran longer than ever today! I like these long runs because when you're done you can say you've done something you haven't done before.  I ran 6 miles.  The first two miles felt pretty good. I was along the water and feeling cool.  The next 3 miles really sucked. My legs felt SO heavy and it was getting pretty hot. Also, I felt really thirsty.  Once I got onto the main ave and knew I was getting closer to home, I felt a little better. I was going no faster than a shuffle but I was still moving! Once I got to the entrance of my neighborhood I planned to stop. There's a little hill into the neighborhood that I had planned to stop at but instead I finished at the top of it. Woot!

6 miles is alot of miles. And yet, I'm not even halfway there to the half marathon. But I'm a hell of alot farther than I was at the beginning of the summer...which was nowhere!

The big Silver Beach Labor Day Weekend party starts today and ends on Monday. Thomas will be swimming in his first race tomorrow (aka I will be holding him and walking him to the finish line) and on Sunday he'll be running in his first race! Guaranteed cuteness! Then next Sunday his mom is running in her first race (the 5k in Central Park). I love being an active mom. I must remember this feeling when it's cold out and I don't want to get out and do my training runs!

Workout: 6.06 miles
Time: 67 minutes
Next up: Not sure about tomorrow with all the activities going on. I may rest tomorrow and run on Sunday since I did a long run today.

And on Thursday, she rested...

Ah, glorious rest day.  After yesterday's brutal run, I'm very happy to take a day off from the grind today.  It's going to be another hot one today and I have to remember to drink enough water.  Yesterday I got a TERRIBLE headache in the afternoon. I think it was because I was a little dehydrated.  Not sure. It kept getting worse and started turning into a migraine.  There's this homeopathic migraine relief medicine that a small drugstore near me sells and as soon as hubby got home he got me some. I don't know if it was that or what but it helped the headache while at the same time keeping me up. all. night. GAH! So now my rest day will consist of me doing my best not to pass out from exhaustion.  I got about the same amount of sleep as I got when Thomas was a newborn - nothing.

16 days until my next Disney vacation.  Maybe I'll keep myself going today by putting together a packing list! I've also got some quotes to work on for some potential clients.  My Disney vacation planning business really coming along well and I'm LOVING helping so many people plan a magical trip!

I've been trying to figure out when and where I'm going to run while I'm in Disney. September in Disney is still pretty darn hot with highs in the 90s.  I'll have to plan to hit the pavement early.  I've found a great map online of a jogging map for the Epcot Resorts area. I will just have to fit it into our schedule. I'll hold off on the long runs for before and after vacation but get in the short runs in the morning.

Can't wait to get down to the Magic Kingdom a walk through those gates onto Main Street. This time I'll be looking at it a little differently. I'll be thinking about how in February I'll be RUNNING through those gates and down Main Street and through the Castle with a crowd of supporters. And I'll also be thinking about the fact that I'll need a good pair of sunglasses to hide the fact that I'll probably be crying the whole time!

Ode to Chocolate Milk

So you know how I hate running? Yeah, well I still do. I'm basically trying to figure out different ways to keep me motivated. Like how I've made my dining reservations already for Disney's Princess Half Marathon. Nothing like massive amounts of promise food to get me to run! Whatever works, right? Before I get to my ADRs, I'll let you know what my day-to-day training motivation is:

Yep, that's right, chocolate milk.  I've been frequenting my favorite Disney online community and found a thread totally dedicated to the race in February! Woot! And there I found a great recommendation for a "recovery drink" after your runs....chocolate milk. Something about the perfect combination of carbs and proteins or some mumbo jumbo but really I stopped reading past the part where I read "Nancy is supposed to have chocolate milk after she runs." YES! I mean, sure, I can make chocolate milk any old time but I don't. When I was a kid I wasn't allowed any sweets (horrible, right??) so being able to have a glass of chocolate milk because I "deserve" it or "should" have it is just so perfect. A little strange perhaps but perfect!

So now just about every time I finish a run and have a moment to relax, I fix myself a lovely glass of chocolate milk.  And today? I DESERVED IT! I really wanted to skip my run today since it is so incredibly hot out. But instead, I worked it into my day. I got out much earlier than I normally would. As soon as Thomas was up for the morning and fed, we hit the street. I was sweating before I even finished putting my shoes on.

I ran those 3 laps of Maritime SLOWLY.  I forgot to check my time at the end but I'm sure it took at least 45 minutes to complete. Another motivator? The cadets now walking around Maritime College. They are all dressed in their uniforms and looking so cute! Aw! They are just kids all dressed up and serious looking! That's ok, they motivate me to keep going. One of those kind young boys even saluted Thomas and I as I huffed and puffed past him.  Bless his heart.

Let's talk Disney. My next trip is in 17 days and I can't wait! All my ADRs are set and we'll be eating at some great places! But the meals I'm really looking forward to are the ones that I'll have on the Princess Half Marathon weekend! Lauren and I are arriving on Friday and our dinner will be at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Downtown Disney.  I actually haven't been there before but hubby and I will be eating there on this next trip. And, well, it's an Irish Pub - awesome!  Saturday evening we'll be at Via Napoli in Epcot, the Italian pavilion's newest restaurant. I hear alot about carb-loading so I figure Italian would be a good pre-race meal! And finally, Biergarten for a post-race celebration meal!  Look, I have no idea if I'll even want to eat anything after the race (yeah, right, that felt ridiculous even typing it) but the beer sampler alone will be totally worth it! I made a 2pm lunch reservation.

I plan on eating and drinking a little something like this:

Beer, food, end of race...I love you so.

But for now, I'll thoroughly enjoy my glass of chocolate milk post workout!

Workout: 3.5 miles
Time: ~45 minutes
Weather: SO HOT
Next up: REST day!!