Because I haven't run -- at all -- since last Wednesday. Instead, I spent the weekend back in Houston, where it rains every day, turning the backyard into a hot, sticky swamp and making a field day for the mosquitoes. Only my parents' German Shepherd puppy seemed to think it was prime weather for playing, running around and generally being very muddy.
But to see my dad yell and jump about 3 feet into the air out of surprise/shock/joy -- he had no idea my sister and I were coming home for his 60th birthday -- makes it totally worthwhile.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Even when it rains
You can't help but love this city.
View from our offices, about thirty minutes ago:
View from our offices, about thirty minutes ago:
Monday, July 16, 2007
Not your typical beach weekend
So, judging by my low mileage last week, it seems I was a little quick to celebrate my graduation into 30mpw territory... but I had a good excuse, I promise! (Besides, I managed to make it out for a morning run, by myself, not once but twice. Which I think deserves accolades of its own, because we all know how much I prefer staying in bed.)
In any case, my excuse is that I got only four hours of sleep on Saturday night / Sunday morning, and those were on the beach between the hours of 4 and 8 AM. And, you might be surprised to know (I was), sleeping on the sand -- as in actually sleeping, not just nodding off while reading a book -- is actually not all that comfortable. Unless you're on your stomach, in which case you are comfortable and you also have a mouth full of sand.
Yes, I went to sleep on the beach at 4 AM. No, I wasn't camping. In fact, I and the other dozen-plus people I was with weren't technically supposed to be there after sundown at all. But who needs rules, right? ;-)
The evening was the idea of one of Ry's friends -- a guy who I imagine must have literally climbed walls as a child, and is now better known for doing things like climb New York skyscrapers and bridges, for fun, under cover of darkness. But, by the time my crew made it out to be beach to join the party, we thought we had, well, missed the party. It was 2am, a new moon, and only the stars and distant haze of city lights illuminated the pile of sleeping bags gathered at our "campsite." Two people were awake, another one or two were asleep, and where was everyone else?
Out exploring the grassy dunes behind the beach, of course.
So naturally, we set out on an hour-plus hike to find them. We had cell phone contact, which as it turns out is not quite so useful when the clearest directions you're given are "we're out past the campsite a little ways. no really, it's not far. behind the really big dune... uhhh... the one after the other big dune?"
(This picture isn't mine, btw; I don't have a digital camera. But this is what our hike would have looked like, had it been 3 in the afternoon and not 3 AM.)
We didn't find them, but it was a nice walk. The breeze was quick, the air was salty and damp, the buzzing of night bugs the only sound above the crashing of waves. By the time we made it back to the "site" the other half of the party was back too, and everyone settled into the sand to chill and chat. The breeze picked up and our eyelids began to droop, and soon we crawled under our blankets -- three of us laying like sausages on top of the one full-size sheet I'd brought along -- and went to sleep, with only the clear sky over our heads and the soft, lumpy sand under our bottoms.
I opened my eyes briefly as the sun rose, intending to take some pictures, but the sky was cloudy and gray so I gladly rolled over and went back to sleep. Finally, the rapidly climbing sun -- by now the clouds had cleared again -- woke me for good a little after 8am. I was groggy, my face felt greasy and sandy, and it was suddenly a little too warm for the pair of jean's I'd worn since night before. But to wake to the sounds, smells and sights of a wide open, solitary beach, with the water just steps from your feet... totally worth it.
We dawdled on the sand and in the shallow surf for another hour or two before driving back into Brooklyn for a delicious brunch, and then back on the train into Manhattan. By the time I got back to my apartment it was mid-afternoon and too hot to run. So I broke out the ol' rollerblades instead and took two easy loops around the middle of Central Park (with a two-hour break in between loops to hang out with a friend in Sheep's Meadow). By evening, I was pooped.
So, just because I can, I'm counting tonight's 9-miler back a day, which puts me back at 30 for last week after all :-) And now that I'm one day in debt for this week, maybe I'll be that much more motivated to make it out for another early morning run!
In any case, my excuse is that I got only four hours of sleep on Saturday night / Sunday morning, and those were on the beach between the hours of 4 and 8 AM. And, you might be surprised to know (I was), sleeping on the sand -- as in actually sleeping, not just nodding off while reading a book -- is actually not all that comfortable. Unless you're on your stomach, in which case you are comfortable and you also have a mouth full of sand.
Yes, I went to sleep on the beach at 4 AM. No, I wasn't camping. In fact, I and the other dozen-plus people I was with weren't technically supposed to be there after sundown at all. But who needs rules, right? ;-)
The evening was the idea of one of Ry's friends -- a guy who I imagine must have literally climbed walls as a child, and is now better known for doing things like climb New York skyscrapers and bridges, for fun, under cover of darkness. But, by the time my crew made it out to be beach to join the party, we thought we had, well, missed the party. It was 2am, a new moon, and only the stars and distant haze of city lights illuminated the pile of sleeping bags gathered at our "campsite." Two people were awake, another one or two were asleep, and where was everyone else?
Out exploring the grassy dunes behind the beach, of course.
So naturally, we set out on an hour-plus hike to find them. We had cell phone contact, which as it turns out is not quite so useful when the clearest directions you're given are "we're out past the campsite a little ways. no really, it's not far. behind the really big dune... uhhh... the one after the other big dune?"
(This picture isn't mine, btw; I don't have a digital camera. But this is what our hike would have looked like, had it been 3 in the afternoon and not 3 AM.)
We didn't find them, but it was a nice walk. The breeze was quick, the air was salty and damp, the buzzing of night bugs the only sound above the crashing of waves. By the time we made it back to the "site" the other half of the party was back too, and everyone settled into the sand to chill and chat. The breeze picked up and our eyelids began to droop, and soon we crawled under our blankets -- three of us laying like sausages on top of the one full-size sheet I'd brought along -- and went to sleep, with only the clear sky over our heads and the soft, lumpy sand under our bottoms.
I opened my eyes briefly as the sun rose, intending to take some pictures, but the sky was cloudy and gray so I gladly rolled over and went back to sleep. Finally, the rapidly climbing sun -- by now the clouds had cleared again -- woke me for good a little after 8am. I was groggy, my face felt greasy and sandy, and it was suddenly a little too warm for the pair of jean's I'd worn since night before. But to wake to the sounds, smells and sights of a wide open, solitary beach, with the water just steps from your feet... totally worth it.
We dawdled on the sand and in the shallow surf for another hour or two before driving back into Brooklyn for a delicious brunch, and then back on the train into Manhattan. By the time I got back to my apartment it was mid-afternoon and too hot to run. So I broke out the ol' rollerblades instead and took two easy loops around the middle of Central Park (with a two-hour break in between loops to hang out with a friend in Sheep's Meadow). By evening, I was pooped.
So, just because I can, I'm counting tonight's 9-miler back a day, which puts me back at 30 for last week after all :-) And now that I'm one day in debt for this week, maybe I'll be that much more motivated to make it out for another early morning run!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Ok, now I can tell you
The good news that I hinted at two weeks ago: I got promoted! Yaay!
I couldn't post about it sooner because the partners get the privilege of spilling the beans. As it turns out, word is spreading around my office about my blog (fortunately this is not a bad thing) so I had to keep the horn-tooting offline until today.
Incidentally, all you asymmetric lurkers, you should say hi sometime ;-)
I couldn't post about it sooner because the partners get the privilege of spilling the beans. As it turns out, word is spreading around my office about my blog (fortunately this is not a bad thing) so I had to keep the horn-tooting offline until today.
Incidentally, all you asymmetric lurkers, you should say hi sometime ;-)
Monday, July 09, 2007
Happy heat wave, everyone
A few tidbits I ran across today that somehow ran together in my mind... a bit of fresh air for this Texas girl sitting, sweltering, in her [un-airconditioned] Manhattan apartment.
(Hat tip, Distillation)
In Texas, you grow up with AC the way you grow up with religion. It sticks with you. It becomes a part of you. You believe. But I grew up on the shores of Connecticut. To me, summer has always been a time of heat, the sun baking the paint on the bottom of old wood dinghies, small waves breaking, blackberry ice cream dripping down your forearm...And this video, a little thought for a cooler future:
The earth was drunk on heat. It had been drinking it in the entire day and now it lay there in the darkness, steeped... It was one of the least productive and most memorable summers I've ever had. (Air head, Salon.com)
(Hat tip, Distillation)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
And on the running front
Some updates, in reverse order:
* * *
I had a guaranteed entry into the 2007 ING New York City Marathon, but as I've discussed previously, I've decided not to run one this year. Yesterday I submitted my cancellation so I can retake my spot in 2008. I figured I'd lose the small processing fee. But apparently, NYRR didn't feel the need to tell me until now that I'll actually lose the ENTIRE $100+ cost of registration. I even re-checked all my previous emails from them just to be sure I hadn't missed something -- nope, no warning. I have to pay the full fee all over again next year. I mean, I know it's a privilege to get a guaranteed spot in such a highly sought-after race, blah blah blah, but this is just sneaky. What gives, people?!
* * *
In other, happier, news, I am slowly inching my way up the mileage ranks. 28 miles last week, even with a short run (race) yesterday and two days of sauna-like conditions. I'm thinking I'll hover around 32 or so, which shouldn't be a problem so long as at least one of my teammates is around to drag me out of bed one or two mornings a week :-)
* * *
And yes, a race this weekend -- and finally a good one! I'd been itching for a change of racing scenery after the past couple of washouts. That, and I'm just tired of fighting my way through the mob at every single NYRR race; the monster bottleneck also known as the Corporate Challenge didn't help either.
Instead, a small crew of ResDogs (and one NY Flyer friend) piled into a ZipCar for the drive to the Massapequa Firecracker 5k Sunday afternoon. It was a picture perfect day for a summer race -- temps in the mid-70s, breezy and not humid, and a bright blue sky. The race start was a little confusing; it took the crowd of several hundred a few minutes to figure out where exactly the line was (not, apparently, right under the banner). The race organizers announced five, then one minute till the start of the race -- and then suddenly everyone started moving. I have no idea who or what gave the signal, but I was off!
The first mile went straight through a residential neighborhood, the course dotted by the occasional group of cheering families and some guy good-naturedly spraying the runners with a garden hose. I knew I was starting fast, but I really wanted to push myself this time. I hit the first mile marker at 6:31 and thought, good, but I should probably scale it back a wee bit for the middle section. We rounded a bend and over a short, gravelly parking lot, so I had to watch my footing anyway. Most of the rest of the race went over a paved bike path through the park, the trees providing some nice shade, even if they did keep most of the rest of the field out of sight.
The second mile clocked in at 6:56, which was slower than I had intended but not too bad. Unfortunately, the afternoon start meant I hadn't been able to limit my food intake like I usually do just before a race. As a result, it was around this time that my stomach decided it was going to be chatty. (This happens to me on a semi-regular basis on training runs, and it's annoying but not uncomfortable.) So while I focused on my breathing, my tummy gurgled audibly through much of the next mile, which I'm sure the guy I caught up to and paced with appreciated :-p
In any case, I checked my watch again and the aforementioned guy said, "just about two minutes left, right?" "Yep," I panted. Mile three, 6:47, and we rounded the bend out of the park and back onto the final stretch. He pulled up ahead of me and I dug in for the finish (44 sec, or a 6:40 pace). As I crossed the line, the announcer was calling out the finishers he knew by name; when I came up he did call out for TRD "from New York City," which made me happy. I checked my watch: 20:59, or 6:45mm pace. Not a record-breaker, but I was pretty pleased.
We celebrated post-race with some oranges, popsicles and popcorn before checking the race results on our way out. I don't think the chips were quite synchronized with the overhead clock, since my official time shows a full five or six seconds over both it and my watch time. In any case, I placed 4th in my division (out of 22), so I'm happy. It was a great feeling to be racing again; next on the agenda will be bringing that time back down to near-JFK levels.
Enjoy the holiday!
* * *
I had a guaranteed entry into the 2007 ING New York City Marathon, but as I've discussed previously, I've decided not to run one this year. Yesterday I submitted my cancellation so I can retake my spot in 2008. I figured I'd lose the small processing fee. But apparently, NYRR didn't feel the need to tell me until now that I'll actually lose the ENTIRE $100+ cost of registration. I even re-checked all my previous emails from them just to be sure I hadn't missed something -- nope, no warning. I have to pay the full fee all over again next year. I mean, I know it's a privilege to get a guaranteed spot in such a highly sought-after race, blah blah blah, but this is just sneaky. What gives, people?!
* * *
In other, happier, news, I am slowly inching my way up the mileage ranks. 28 miles last week, even with a short run (race) yesterday and two days of sauna-like conditions. I'm thinking I'll hover around 32 or so, which shouldn't be a problem so long as at least one of my teammates is around to drag me out of bed one or two mornings a week :-)
* * *
And yes, a race this weekend -- and finally a good one! I'd been itching for a change of racing scenery after the past couple of washouts. That, and I'm just tired of fighting my way through the mob at every single NYRR race; the monster bottleneck also known as the Corporate Challenge didn't help either.
Instead, a small crew of ResDogs (and one NY Flyer friend) piled into a ZipCar for the drive to the Massapequa Firecracker 5k Sunday afternoon. It was a picture perfect day for a summer race -- temps in the mid-70s, breezy and not humid, and a bright blue sky. The race start was a little confusing; it took the crowd of several hundred a few minutes to figure out where exactly the line was (not, apparently, right under the banner). The race organizers announced five, then one minute till the start of the race -- and then suddenly everyone started moving. I have no idea who or what gave the signal, but I was off!
The first mile went straight through a residential neighborhood, the course dotted by the occasional group of cheering families and some guy good-naturedly spraying the runners with a garden hose. I knew I was starting fast, but I really wanted to push myself this time. I hit the first mile marker at 6:31 and thought, good, but I should probably scale it back a wee bit for the middle section. We rounded a bend and over a short, gravelly parking lot, so I had to watch my footing anyway. Most of the rest of the race went over a paved bike path through the park, the trees providing some nice shade, even if they did keep most of the rest of the field out of sight.
The second mile clocked in at 6:56, which was slower than I had intended but not too bad. Unfortunately, the afternoon start meant I hadn't been able to limit my food intake like I usually do just before a race. As a result, it was around this time that my stomach decided it was going to be chatty. (This happens to me on a semi-regular basis on training runs, and it's annoying but not uncomfortable.) So while I focused on my breathing, my tummy gurgled audibly through much of the next mile, which I'm sure the guy I caught up to and paced with appreciated :-p
In any case, I checked my watch again and the aforementioned guy said, "just about two minutes left, right?" "Yep," I panted. Mile three, 6:47, and we rounded the bend out of the park and back onto the final stretch. He pulled up ahead of me and I dug in for the finish (44 sec, or a 6:40 pace). As I crossed the line, the announcer was calling out the finishers he knew by name; when I came up he did call out for TRD "from New York City," which made me happy. I checked my watch: 20:59, or 6:45mm pace. Not a record-breaker, but I was pretty pleased.
We celebrated post-race with some oranges, popsicles and popcorn before checking the race results on our way out. I don't think the chips were quite synchronized with the overhead clock, since my official time shows a full five or six seconds over both it and my watch time. In any case, I placed 4th in my division (out of 22), so I'm happy. It was a great feeling to be racing again; next on the agenda will be bringing that time back down to near-JFK levels.
Enjoy the holiday!
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