Weekly Recap: 8/13 - 8/19

I’ve realized I never posted a recap for last week. OH WELL. This week was much more interesting.

Tuesday: 4.23 miles
Woke up with a runny nose. Decided to go back to bed til it was time to get ready for work.

I was feeling better after work, so I went out for my run then. The weather was amazing. After weeks and weeks of incredibly humid weather, there was hardly any humidity at all.

I managed to finish with a 7:26 min/mile pace! That kind of pace is normal reserved only for races, but I felt so good that keeping it up wasn’t as difficult as usual.


Wednesday: 7.08 miles
After the amazing weather of Tuesday, it was raining Wednesday. Regardless, I made my way to The Running Company for their group run. A surprisingly significant number of people showed up too.

My schedule called for 7 miles, so I took the challenge and ran with the 7 mile, 7:30 min/mile group. In the rain.

We ran the Bridle Path in Central Park (a dirt running trail), puddles and all — including what was probably a 3 to 5 inch deep, 10 foot long puddle. It took two days for that pair to dry out.

Despite the rain and the soaking shoes, it was one of the most fun runs I’ve ever done. Nothing like some inclement weather to build camaraderie!


Thursday: 4.14 miles
Allison and I were joined by a new running buddy: Melis!
Otherwise, just another routine run — though my calves were feeling really tight from the previous evening’s run.


Saturday: 0.00 miles
I had a 7 mile run scheduled for Saturday, which also happened to be the birthday of one of my best friends. With plans to hit Summer Streets at 8am, I decided to get up at 5 to get my run in. However, it was pouring. Wednesday’s rain was one thing, but this was just too heavy.

After a full day with friends, the next chance I had to run was 9:30pm.

I didn’t go for the run, as I had to wake up early for something I think made up for it…


Sunday: 20.30 miles
The second (and last) official ING NYC Marathon Long Training Run. By far my longest run yet, and probably will be until the Marathon (though I do have two scheduled 20-milers ahead of me). My schedule called for 14 miles, but by that point, I was closer to the end of the lap and water station, so I figured I’d finish it up. Then by that point, the last lap was only 4 miles, so I figured, “What the heck!” and finished the whole 20 miles. It feels good!

But oh wow, my legs still ache. Ow ow ow.

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