I’ve been lazy about updating the last week — but I haven’t been lazy about my running!
Since being cleared to run on Tuesday, I’ve run four out of five days (and played kickball on that fifth day).

So let’s recap:

Wednesday


Group run at The Eastside Running Company. This was the first run I’ve done there, but I can definitely see it becoming a weekly staple. The group I went out with did 5 miles at a ~8:40 min/mile pace: from the store, to Central Park, wrapping around the reservoir and back to the store. It was great to run with a big group and a good way to get myself to run after work, when I’d usually rather sit on the couch and relax.

This was the first time I used the Garmin Forerunner my dad gave me on a run… and I still have to get the hang of it. I didn’t think of turning on the watch until I was in the store, where it couldn’t receive satellite signals, and we were off and running the moment we left the store. It didn’t manage to acquire the last satellite until we were already into the park:

[RunKeeper]


Thursday


Slow paced, early morning run with Matt and a new running buddy, Anastasia. I dunno if she’ll become a regular in our group, but the more the merrier!

The Forerunner wasn’t showing our correct distance when I looked at it at the end of the run, but it imported into RunKeeper with everything correct. Like I said, still gotta get the hang of it.
[RunKeeper]


Friday


Another morning run — this one with Matt and Allison. I never thought I’d be getting up at 6am on a day I took off from work, but I guess running is the one thing that’ll get me out of bed that early! It was actually great to be up that early, because I got to enjoy a long, relaxing day.
[RunKeeper]


Saturday
KICKBALL!!!



Sunday


Finally got out for a longer run. Would’ve liked to go even farther, but I don’t want to put too much stress on my leg so soon after shin splints. Took the subway out to Central Park with Allison because the weather was so gorgeous. However, there was a catch — an AIDS walk.

There were thousands of people, someone mentioned 45,000, I believe, participating. While NYRR races will leave room for other runners/walkers/cyclists, this group was like a living wall. Needless to say, we were unable to run our intended route, needing to take a few detours and turn-arounds (including just before Harlem Hill).

On a positive note, we ended up running an extra mile than we intended, which is always a fun bonus. And really, how could you not enjoy a run in Central Park on a beautiful May day?
[RunKeeper]


Monday
Rest

Maybe I'll go for a morning run anyway

  • Allison : Matt and i are running tomorrow 630 if you wanna join
  • Me: Absolutely!
  • Allison: :). Oh thats pm is thAt ok
  • Me: Oh. I don't think I'll be back from work til about then.
  • Allison: Booo. Sorry.

2 Runs, 9.3 Miles

Yep, got out for two runs today!

First was an early afternoon 5.7 mile solo run around Astoria. My legs were still feeling it from the 5K yesterday, so I had to keep my pace a little slower than I would have preferred, but it’s probably for the better. [RunKeeper]


I got out for the second run with my friend Cory — just up to Astoria Park and back for 3.6 miles. This run we kept at a much slower pace for a few reasons, but primarily because Cory was not wearing any of his own gear. I have huge feet, so he had to borrow some I-don’t-know-how-many-year-old sneakers from my roommate Jared. Unfortunately, the sneakers still didn’t quite fit, giving Cory major pain in his left foot. We needed to slow down a few times so he could walk it off a bit.

But hey, running with a friend at a slow pace is a lot of fun, and that’s what really matters, right? [RunKeeper]

Another weekend, another race. This time it was a 5K race in Astoria Park to benefit QSAC, an organization that provides services for people with autism and their families in NYC and on Long Island. This race was much different than the last two — particularly because I got to run with Matt & Allison! (We decided we would all wear orange for the race, as you can see.) The race was clearly not a NYRR race: there were only about 25 runners from what I could tell, while the majority of the participants were walkers. While the other races had corrals based on time, everyone just lined up wherever they wanted behind the starting line — we passed the majority of the people ahead of us very quickly. The tiny field of runners certainly paid off: Matt and I placed 4th and 5th, respectively, while Allison placed 4th for the women! Matt and I ran together for most of the race at a great pace, hovering around 7 min/mile the entire time. But right at the end, only Matt had the energy to give the extra push to the end. I just couldn’t get my legs moving any faster than they already were, allowing Matt to finish seconds before me (oh well!). [RunKeeper]
Pop-upView Separately

Another weekend, another race. This time it was a 5K race in Astoria Park to benefit QSAC, an organization that provides services for people with autism and their families in NYC and on Long Island.

This race was much different than the last two — particularly because I got to run with Matt & Allison! (We decided we would all wear orange for the race, as you can see.)

The race was clearly not a NYRR race: there were only about 25 runners from what I could tell, while the majority of the participants were walkers. While the other races had corrals based on time, everyone just lined up wherever they wanted behind the starting line — we passed the majority of the people ahead of us very quickly.

The tiny field of runners certainly paid off: Matt and I placed 4th and 5th, respectively, while Allison placed 4th for the women!

Matt and I ran together for most of the race at a great pace, hovering around 7 min/mile the entire time. But right at the end, only Matt had the energy to give the extra push to the end. I just couldn’t get my legs moving any faster than they already were, allowing Matt to finish seconds before me (oh well!).

[RunKeeper]

Morning Running

Today I was finally able to drag myself out of bed to go for a run before work! I’ve tried many times before, but me and 6am don’t really get along.

This time the only thing that kept me from going right back asleep was knowing Matt and Allison would be waiting for me. It certainly helps to have friends I can run with now!

We didn’t run too far — less than 3 miles, but running any distance before work is better than none!

Now I’ll just have to figure out what to do with all the extra time I have between finishing morning runs and going to work.

[RunKeeper]