Autumn, yoga and birthdays on the brain

It's getting to be that time of year again, when the dregs of summer are wasting away and we're on the brink of the fall. It's getting darker earlier, the humidity has vanished, and saddest of all, I have to sleep in pants again.

All of this, plus the leaves gathering on the sidewalk, my birthday plans in the making and the multitude of back-to-school stories I will be writing at work is getting me thinking about running and autumn and how they will go together.

There will be new, water-repellent gear to shop for, the ability to fly down Broadway again, when the tourons leave (thanks to Mariah for that awesome term) and the big decision I am mulling over: whether to run outside straight through the end of the year or reup my membership at the YMCA for the colder months. Come to think about it, I will probably reup at the Y no matter what, just for the yoga and cardio classes, and the steam room.

The adjustment to running through the changing seasons has already begun to take hold, like this weekend, when I had to work my run around the pouring rain that went on for two days. The lack of heat and late light is also lessening my desire to run at night when I get home from work, so an alternative is going to have to be found, and soon.

Saturday I felt so physically off before leaving the house for my run that I actually considered just going to the Y and paying the one-time use fee to use the treadmill for the workout. My legs felt like bricks, my head was fuzzy and I couldn't muster any happy running energy. What the heck, body?

But I ran through Skidmore College anyway, a much wiser choice than paying for the gym or just flopping on the floor at home. The pavement on the campus is springy and smooth, there is little traffic, and the hills were a new experience for me, and something I've been wanting to work on.

Unfortunately, my left calf didn't want to work, and it didn't like the hills at all. Since then, it has been a stiff, sore pain for the last couple days.

Sunday I rested, Monday I begged a leg massage out of my companion (he threw in a gourmet, home-cooked dinner too, yum!) and today, I left work early and blissfully walked straight to yoga.

When I sat down on my mat in the studio, my first thought was "Ahh, I'm home." This thought stayed with me throughout the class. I felt like I could spend 90 minutes every day after work in the yoga studio.

My goal is to make yoga practice a more regular part of my week, in addition to running. They work so well together -- the yoga opening up the joints, strengthening the core and training the mind to stay calm and focused, all amazing techniques that lend themselves to better running. And obviously, there is the benefit of helping heal and prevent injuries by keeping the muscles limber.

It's also that time of year when half of the people I know have birthdays, including moi, so there is some celebrating to be done and some cake to be had.

Look for another post soon, maybe about cake. I love cake.

Rest Tuesdays & A Racing Gorilla

Ever since I started using a white board to schedule my workouts a few weeks ago, I've noticed that Tuesdays have had a habit of falling through the cracks.

The whiteboard. A place to record triumphs and failures.
YBB, by the way, is a DVD workout of yoga and strength training.

Most other days (except Fridays which are reserved for working two jobs back to back) I have been successfully finding ways to fit in running, and it is making me incredibly happy.

Like last night, for example, I multitasked to the extreme, dropping off a load of laundry at Cudney's and heading down South Broadway for a nice 3.48 mile loop around the east side while my car sat in the parking lot and my clothes got washed. I ran back to Cudney's, flipped the wash, headed to the grocery store while clothes dried, came back to pick em up and went home -- successfully minimizing my fuel usage and maximizing the time I had to get it all done.

It's ok, I know I'm a big dork. But it's the little things in life!

Tonight there was no such productivity, or there was in a different sense -- sleep productivity. After stuffing my face with organic vegetables and rice/bean deliciousness for dinner at Four Seasons, I waddled home to ... fall asleep with a bloated stomach for three hours, eliminating any chance for an early evening run.

So Tuesday was again a bust, but no matter. I'm looking forward to having two days off this week (!!!!), Thursday and Saturday, and will spend a couple hours combining yoga and long runs those days, in addition to a shorter run after work Wednesday night.

There are still, unfortunately, three weeks left of racing season here in Spa City, but as much as I'm looking forward to the Great Exodus, I'm already mourning the approaching end of summer. It's a good thing there are so many races happening in the area this fall. One I'm giddily excited just thinking about is this event, which I found on the Saratoga Stryders site tonight and am planning to do (the six-mile version, by the way): The Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrelly Six Mile.

Another in October is the Saratoga Bridges Great Pumpkin Challenge.

Costume ideas are welcome.

Kickin' it in Brooklyn

This weekend was about three and a half days long, and a real treat. It didn't end until today around noon.

Things did not start out well on Saturday though -- I overslept and barely made it to the race on time. It took every ounce of determination I had to actually run it, because I knew I wasn't feeling it the moment I got to the start. I eeked out the 3.1 miles in 27:22, a passable time, I guess, but not an enjoyable experience on three hours' sleep and an upset stomach. Never. Again. working until 3 a.m. the night before an 8 a.m. race.

I took a long, mid-day nap to sleep off the disappointment and my overactive nerves. Later, I consumed about a gallon of coffee between back-to-back trips to Uncommon Grounds and Saratoga Coffee Traders, where I sat around wallowing in my melancholy and doing some real -- as in, income-generating -- writing.

Things turned around on Sunday, when I hopped in the car with my companion and took a somewhat spontaneous trip to Brooklyn. On the way there, I got to sit in a lawn chair on the side of the road in Connecticut for a couple of hours, watching lots of men with muscular, shaved legs pass me by. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't ask.

In Brooklyn on Monday, my companion led us to JackRabbit, an awesome triathlon store in Park Slope. I got professionally fitted for the first time for a new pair of running shoes -- thanks to Todd the manager for all the help.

I also learned what pronation means and learned that my ankles pronate pretty severely. Hmm ... years of dancing on pointe shoes might have something to do with that. But the new shoes should help a lot.

The fun just kept on coming in the form of Mexican deliciousness, barbecue deliciousness, a drink with friends at the incredible Zombie Hut, and a long walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and exploring the city with my very expert guide. Not necessarily in that order.

151 7th Avenue (between Carroll St. and Garfield Pl.)
(718) 636-9000
Brooklyn, NY 11215

They're called "Mizuno Wave Inspire 6" and they put my battered Nike Airs to shame. 

You had a good run NAs, but your time had come.

Mizunos are ready to run!

 

Insomnia

It's t-minus four hours until the 5K. I got home from job #2 a little while ago and wasted some time wandering around the apartment, moving things here and there.

I've filled my water bottle. I've set my alarm clock. My clothes and gear are laid out, I've studied the route and I even remembered to hydrate tonight.

And I may or may not have eaten three greasy chicken wings at work.

All that is left is to ... have a panic attack. How is it that I only have one clean sock right now?

I haven't raced in a month and my ankle is still on the fence about whether it's going to be cool tomorrow and let me run at full capacity or if it's going to be a jerk and put me in pain. My stomach is starting to knot up.

The good news is that I fulfilled all my training goals this week and I really enjoyed my runs. Three workouts totaled 11.65 miles and the race will make the weekly total 14.75 miles -- a record for one week.

Tomorrow, or should I say, today, the weather is supposed to be clear and cool and the roads of the route are straight and smooth.

26 (minutes) is the magic number. Here's hopin' ... 

Night owl/early bird

Today I did something that was previously, as in six months ago previously, unthinkable: I woke up on a non-weekend day and went for a run in the daylight, before work, before doing almost anything else. In short, I started my work day with exercise, instead of ending it with exercise. 

Now, this may sound unextraordinary to many of you early risers and jump-out-of-bed-at-the-crack-of-dawn getters-done, but to me, it is truly a feat. (Or possibly just a freak occurrence, so I don't mind if you stop reading this now and go back to Facebook.)

With the exception of a short stint as a school photographer in Tacoma, Washington in 2007, when I regularly rose at 5:30 a.m. or earlier each day to drive long distances and face gaggles of elementary school children as they lined up for their fall portraits, I have always been a staunch nocturnal being.

Thank goodness for 24-hour supermarkets, laundromats and gas stations. If not for them and their late-night services, I might never have a fridge full of food, clean clothing or a tankful of gas. Now if only the liquor stores would follow suit ...


I admire you greatly, you jump-out-of-bed-at-the-crack-of-dawn people, I really do. You complete a laundry list of tasks, and may even find the time to exercise, in the hours between when the sun rises and the time(s) I hit snooze.

And sure, I'd love to join the ranks of my family, friends and colleagues who operate on what Western society considers a "normal" wake/work/sleep schedule, both because life is more convenient that way, and so you'll all stop pestering me about my damn habits.

But the unpredictable routine of a 20-something journalista and pizza delivery girl by night does NOT bode well for this long-sought-after aspiration.

For example, one day I might enjoy a luscious lie-in until 11 a.m. and be scheduled to arrive at the newspaper at 3 p.m. for a night of copy-editing, which ends at 11:30 p.m. or midnight (like tonight. As an added bonus tonight, work on the copy desk included a round trip, 60 miles, to Troy, where we produce the paper when our Saratoga computer system fails, as it has all freakin' week. Yay, Citrix.) Then, for example, I'll get home in time to sleep a few hours before getting up at 7 a.m. to report on a school event that starts at 8. Or, I'll work a 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift on a Friday at job #2, then struggle to get to the newspaper before noon for the occasional Saturday shift. Throw in eating, showering, running, blogging, freelancing, keeping up with family and an attempt to have a social life, and I might as well not sleep at all.        

When I am forced to rise early -- and when I must, I do -- my body does NOT cooperate well. My legs will take me to the place I'm supposed to be, and my eyes will be (half) open, but my brain is still sleeping. And if I haven't had time to down some coffee, forget it. For your own sake, just don't try to talk to me before 9 a.m. Sorry to say, I will not be a very pleasant or a very productive person at this hour, and many of my beloved family and friends can feel free to vouch for me on this in the comment section below. 

However, I find that running has been gradually, slightly, changing all of that.

Case in point: When I ran the Firecracker 4 race on July 4th, I was excitedly recapping the experience over dinner to my sister Maureen later that same day. Sitting in on the conversation, eating his barbecued ribs contentedly, was my most favorite early riser, an easy-going and kind-hearted person who may be less accustomed to -- although he is quickly learning about (and I hope, learning to love tolerate?) -- my sleeping habits, than my family, who have understood for years now that calling me or asking me to do anything important before 10 a.m. is pointless. 

So, I told Maureen that I had voluntarily -- in fact, eagerly -- risen at 7 a.m. on that day, a Sunday, to prepare for the 8 a.m. race.

Her mouth went agape.

Aghast, she turned to my good-looking, rib-eating companion and warned him, "You know she doesn't do that, right?"

"I know," he replied, with a smile and some degree of complacency.

But, fantastically enough, I have done that. And though I'm not about to give up night running and all of its magic (more on that in another post) I will continue to do that for races -- Saturday is the Fasig-Tipton 5K at 8 a.m., which I'm planning to participate in -- and, with any luck, for the occasional pre-work workout. Because running tired and early is better than not running at all.

Speed work

Have I ever mentioned that I have multiple jobs?

Maybe once or twice ... ?

Well, although two of them are very part-time, living this way has been putting major logistical strains on my time for blogging and working out these days, but I am doing my best to fit it all in. And hopefully the multiple-job situation will end soon.

Last night I got back on the pavement for the first time since Wednesday and it felt awesome. The long gap had a lot to do with my painful left ankle (plus work and a general lack of energy) and a desire to rest it up for good. I think five days off from running was enough.

The run was fast and powerful and sustained -- unlike any I have ever had, even in a race. Although I left the house feeling tired and heavy from a long day sitting in front of a computer, as soon as I started running I got the urge to go fast. I was so excited to be back out there and my body was being so cooperative that I couldn't resist the urge to do it, even though it meant straying from my usual mantra -- take a few minutes to warm up to a 9-minute mile pace and sustain it for as long as possible, with the goal to build stamina.

So I tossed stamina out the window and focused on speed. I sprinted down Lake Avenue, hit the valley and continued up the sloping hill. No ankle pain!

When I looped back down Caroline Street and hit 2.5 miles, I forced myself to slow down a little and not overdo it, for my ankle's sake. But when I returned to Broadway I didn't want to go home, so I sprinted back and forth a couple times in front of an elderly couple watching me curiously from their bench near City Hall.  Total = 3.7 miles, 38 minutes,  including some walking in between sprints.

Tonight was pretty good too, although I traveled less and dealt with some pain in the other ankle and calf -- although this feels like just a sore muscle that will ease up in a couple days. 

Speaking of speed, if my life was made into a movie, the year 2010 up to this point would only take up about 3 minutes of it ...  (How is it almost August, already?! I'm just getting around to changing the floor mats in my car from the winter ones to the regular ones!) ... And the 2010 part of the movie would be a montage, of course, which would have to include a shot of me zipping down Broadway at dusk on this sweet ass bike:

Popular belief and my general ignorance about cars may lead you to believe that I am not a motorized vehicle buff, but this hot orange Stella scooter just turns me on. I almost stole it off Lake Avenue this morning. It goes 65 mph. What can I say?

39 and counting

Here in Saratoga Springs, we have a little something called the race track. Today was opening day at the races, and in an attempt to cure myself of a bad case of the late-July blues I've been suffering with, I've composed a list of things this silly season indisputably means to me. 

(Cue Julie Andrews:

"When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feeeeeeeeeeel

sooooooo bad")

The List:
 
1.) It will now take about 15 minutes longer to drive anywhere in town.
2.) Everywhere you look, there's a tourist stroking/trying to take a photo with/drunkenly trying to jump up and straddle a painted fiber glass horse statue or one of the City Hall lion statues. 
3.) For the next six weeks, I will no longer be able to find a parking spot in front of my apartment.
4.) There's no point in trying to run on Broadway at any sane hour of the day or evening -- it's too crowded
5.) It's fun watching people strolling across Broadway at Lake Avenue when there's a red light but a green left-turn arrow that they don't notice. And then they wonder why they get honked at.
6.) It's raining.
7.) More people order pizza when it's raining.
8.) Trying to park in The Saratogian parking lot during non-business hours practically requires handing over your social security number and DNA to the crotchety security guard to thoroughly convince him that yes, you are an employee of the newspaper and you are entitled to park in the lot, for the whole night, without paying 10 bucks to do so, and without getting towed.
9.) The line for coffee at Uncommon Grounds is out the door.
10.) Caroline Street. Enough said.
11.) And, finally, the season means a new and chic addition to my wardrobe. And by new I mean foisted-upon-me and by chic I mean apparently designed to attract snickers from interview subjects and neighbors, and excite dogs. On second thought, maybe the dog just liked the smell of my perfume...

Just like a bridesmaid dress, you can wear it again.

Workin' for the weekend

It's Sunday, and you know what that means. Don't you?

When I work a Tuesday through Saturday shift at the paper, Sunday is my one day of rest before another working week.

Since I usually get home around 3 a.m. from job #2 Saturday night, I try to drag myself out of my delirium and out of my bed before 11 a.m. noon 2 p.m. so I can:

write my column for the newspaper
race to complete a long list of domestic tasks
squeeze in a run
and a long-distance phone call to a dear friend who's planning her wedding!
and, if I'm lucky, conclude the evening cooking dinner and relaxing.

Tonight was only slightly different from the norm, in a good way -- somehow, I managed to do all of those things in way less time than usual.

On my 3-mile run this evening, I discovered what I think is a new favorite route: Lake Avenue (starts off with a long and low uphill climb) to East Side Recreation Park, where there's a pavement track that circles a skate park and passes a baseball field. Why didn't I know that this track existed before today?

Anyway, I went around it a couple times at race speed and got in two half-miles under five minutes, with walking in between. Then I ran out of the park onto Caroline Street for a steady and easy trek back to Broadway. This part of the workout seemed effortless after the short, fast periods on the track and the uphill climb. I maintained a 7 mph pace without stopping for the entire last mile. This was made possible by the lack of humidity, fiiinally. Overall, running conditions were pretty perfect tonight -- a slight breeze, 70s and cloudy with no chance of rain.

Here's the route:
MapMyRun - LakeAve/EastSideRecTrack/Caroline in Saratoga Springs, NY 

After that, it was time to refuel with an amazing veggie burrito. I concocted so much of the inside mixture yesterday that I'm going to be eating it for a couple more days.

Borrowing a cue from my new friend and food blogger, Rebecca, here is a visual of the amazing veggie burrito:

Looking forward to checking out Phila Fusion with her tomorrow!

S.R.S. returns, with a tan

Hello again!

I forgot to mention one big item in my list in the last post, which would have explained why it's been quiet around here the last week.

I went on vacation, first to Oneonta for July 4th and then to Cape Cod for five glorious days of enjoying wonderful company, 90-degree weather, the ocean, the beach, swimming ponds, Provincetown, the beautiful scenery and much delicious food and drink.

While I was there, I fully intended to blog, but all of the above were, shall we say, slightly distracting.

I made it a point to run a couple times during the week though. The runs were short, about 2.2 miles each because of the intense heat. I carried a water bottle with me, ran as early in the day as I could, and slathered myself in sunscreen.

You can't really beat running along the shore: When your view is a harbor full of sailboats bobbing in pristine blue water, your feet are kicking up beach sand and the sweat is rolling down your face and into your eyelashes, all the stresses, worries and complications of work and day-to-day life melt away. The only thing that matters is inhaling, exhaling, and hearing the pounding of one foot and then the other on the ground. You are left with the simple thought "Life is good."

 Near my running route, with Wellfleet Harbor in the background.

Here is a picture of my route around Wellfleet Harbor, with Cape Cod Bay to the west and the National Seashore and the Atlantic to the east.
 

View Cape Cod run in a larger map

When I returned to Saratoga, I met up with my bestie Emily, who was visiting from Brooklyn, for a weekend of girls-only fun. Thanks to The Saratogian, we scored a majorly awesome surprise Saturday night: red-carpet access to the New York City Ballet gala at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where we were wined and dined, saw two breathtaking performances, and later, sipped champagne and ate chocolate eclairs several feet away from two members of ballet world royalty: City Ballet master-in-chief Peter Martins and his wife, the Balanchine-trained ballerina Darci Kistler.

I tried not to stare but was very, very unsuccessful.

I'll wrap things up with a quick update on the Firecracker 4 last Sunday:

Had a decent run, finished in 36:30, and felt better than I ever have after a race (i.e. little risk of barfing).

Still standing after conquering four miles at 8 a.m.

Could this race location be any more convenient? 

The start/finish and activities were located in the Algonquin building parking lot.

Thank you to the Caroline Street resident who provided a mist station, (i.e. sprayed the runners with a hose as we passed by) and King Brothers Dairy of Schuylerville that handed out samples of chocolate milk afterward.

It was fun to see some friends, as well as some former and current coworkers from The Saratogian both running in and covering the race.

 Let's just say the whole week, from Sunday to Sunday was, if not the Best Week Ever, the Best Week in a Long, Long, Time. Yay.

Now that the temperature has dropped from an uncomfortable 92 degrees to a nice, brisk 87, I think it's time to suit up and go for a run.

Red, white, blue and grey

Bye Bye Birdie

 

Unfortunately for her, and to my great joy,

this feathered foe was forced 

to find new digs today.

How's that for some alliteration?

I'm really looking forward to this weekend for lots of reasons.

In no particular order:

No. 1 at the moment is because I'm hoping to score some quality time on my clean, bird-free balcony, perhaps enjoying a cold beverage in the warm sun, perhaps while recovering from Sunday morning's race.

No. 2, naturally, then, is Sunday's road race, the Firecracker 4. It's an annual 4-mile race that kicks off the city's Fourth of July celebration. It starts and finishes just outside my apartment building at the City Center, goes straight up Broadway, swings around the East Side, then hangs a left for a long journey down Excelsior Avenue, ending with a short but steep hill going past the Courtyard Marriott hotel.

About 2,000 runners are expected to be in town, double the amount from last year. Hopefully there will be lots of spectators coming out to hear the musicians along the course, browse the vendors and listen to the live announcer.

Registration is still open now, and is through the morning of the race. Sign up here.

This will be the largest race I've participated in to date, which probably means I'll be finishing way back in the pack, but no big deal. This time, I'm mostly concerned about racing against myself, and enjoying the sense of community provided by the event.  

I've been training hard the last week, running an average of 3 miles every workout. Monday I ran 4.11 miles in 38 minutes, and even spent the first .75 mile walking briskly. Finishing in that time despite the walking really pumped up my confidence -- I hope to finish the race in 36 minutes. 

No. 3 is because a major project at the newspaper will finally conclude on Saturday evening as Sunday's paper goes to press. If you're interested, read about the Ben Franklin Project, here. Note the final paragraph of the post --

"The second phase of the Ben Franklin Project is for all 18 Journal Register Company daily publications to publish — both online and in print — on July 4, 2010 using only free web-based tools."

-- It's what we've all been consumed with at The Saratogian for the last six weeks or so. Let's just say it's been a month-long headache for everyone that will hopefully result in some positive changes at Journal Register Company and maybe even in industry-wide.

No. 4 is that after the race and recovery Sunday, it's off to Oneonta for the hometown Fourth of July festivities, complete with my sweetie, the Fam, a visit with my favorite out-of-town lovebirds, spiedies (you have to be from upstate New York to be fortunate enough to know what this delicacy is, or at least be dating someone from upstate New York), and fireworks, of course.

Ok, end of list.

Check back later this week for a training update, and Sunday or Monday for race results.