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Showing posts with the label 10k

Make the hard but healthy choice

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I'm supposed to be running a 10k right now.  I should be out on Roosevelt Island with Alec and Jen, running 6.2 miles for theNew York City 10k.  I should be feeling simultaneously fatigued and energized, on the brink of glory, as I was one month ago at my first 10k.

Instead, I'm lying in bed, drinking tea, considering what type of soup I want, and coughing up a storm.


I've been sick since precisely September 24, when I first felt the itch in my throat.  Over the following weeks, my upper respiratory infection got worse, and then better, and worse again.  Even after I felt well again, my cough persisted, and I was continuously short of breath.  As a result, I did not continue training for my next 10k, and I didn't hit the gym at all.Walking wore me out, and talking exhausted me.After too long, I finally admitted that this was more than a cold and went to the doctor.  He first tried to knock it out of me with some strong meds (which worked for only the one day after tak…

Run 10 Feed 10 {Race Recap}

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Last weekend, I participated in the Run 10 Feed 10 Women's Health/FEED Foundation 10k race!  I was super excited when I first signed up in June, but was concerned by the time September unfolded in a disastrous first few weeks that left me physically exhausted and achey.  Those stressors/fears/roadblocks were described in my Race Week Post.  Thus, my expectations were low, but I was still excited to be daring to do it.


3rd Annual Women's Health Run 10 Feed 10 Race NYC, West Side Highway, 7:00 am, 80 degrees, 6.2 miles.
VICTORY PREVIEW!
Here's how it went down:
My GOAL for this first 10k, as it was for my second 5k race, was to run the entire thing without stopping.
The farthest distance I'd done this for in the past was 5 miles (once), and even 6.2--a full 10k (but I was only semi-counting that, because I was forced to stop in place at the traffic signals in Summer Streets).  So running this type of distance wasn't quite yet easy for me, but it certainly seemed within…

Race Week Check-In

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Oh boy, I'm lucky I even remembered that it's race week.  It seems so long ago that I signed up, all giddy, for the Run 10 Feed 10 10k race that is now, somehow, this Sunday!!!  It seemed, in the glory days of summer, that I had so much time to train and prepare.  And, during the summer, I did run!

What I didn't account for, was how much the first two weeks of September would destroy me. 


Back to school = Back to work! With teaching, plusmoving, plus two weekend trips in a row, plus plus plus... I've had other things on my mind, and running has not been my #1 priority this past month.  First is my health (aka: if I'm not sleeping well, I don't wake up early to run), then my job, and then everything else, including running.  A month ago, I ran 6.2 miles steadily for the first time, but I haven't seen that distance since.  I've covered anywhere from 2 to 5 miles--not 6--and even those runs haven't been so great.  It's been rough!


Getting back to wor…

Summer Streets: Run Recap

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Holy cow, guess what I did?


WOO!

This past weekend was the final Saturday of 2014's Summer Streets in New York City.  I laced up and made my way to Park Avenue, which was closed off to all car traffic, allowing only people on foot, bike, roller blade, and more.  Last year, I played the day away at the Reebok Fitness Zone rest stop, so I was excited to dedicate this year to the streets.

It was a gorgeous day, and SO many people were out for it!!!!  Way to go, NYC!



My plan was to run down to the bottom, and then find a Citi Bike and bicycle back up.  This was what I'd promised to Alec, with whom I was supposed to bike this Saturday before she found out she'd have to work.  After I confessed that I couldn't recall the last time I was on a bicycle, she dared me to do it!

So that was my intention. Run down, bike up. It started according to plan: I ran down Park Avenue among walkers, runners, cyclists, soaking in the sunshine and feeling thankful for the cooler weather that …

Slow down but don't stop

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Time for another quick running update on my journey to my first 10k race!  And this one was HUGE for me!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that...

 I recently ran my longest run to date: 5 miles!  

Here's how it happened: A couple weeks ago (late blogging sorryyyyy), I went for a run with Eric.  As a former cross-country runner, has the training training instilled in him.  My goal was really only 3 miles, but he was set on 5.  I thought we'd compromise at 4.  As you can tell from above, we didn't compromise.

From the start, he continuously reminded me to slow down.  Instead of exhausting my energy early, he kept me going at a steady pace, consistently moving but not racing.  He pushed me further, encouraged me to reach a certain landmark before turning around, and upped my goal for me.

"You can do it," he urged, even when I wanted to stop.  He knew that it was mostly mental and that I didn't need to take a break.  "You're talking, you're f…

RUN! And run further. For a good cause.

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Hey friends!

Today, June 4, is National Running Day!  Dare you to lace up and RUN in celebration!  

Why run?  Here's why and how I got started.  To answer the question this year of "Why I Run," I'll simply say that running makes me feel alive, and gives me something to work toward (hint, hint, big news below...)

Where?  Dare you to find a group run.

What else?  Dare you to pledge your miles!  You can put today's miles toward a charity at http://www.runningday.org/.

How am I celebrating?  I signed up for a race!Eeeee



Background:  after taking a fitness (and blogging...) hiatus for the spring semester (as indicated in January, I was stepping back from intense and frequent training while I added new work-related stressors to my life), I'm finally ready to dive back in!


Recently, with the weather improving, I'vedusted off my Garmin, gone out on a couple runs, and really enjoyed hitting the road again.  My friend, Jen, let me tag along as she trained for her f…