NYC Half Pre-Post

I get so excited seeing ads for running, especially races I'm in!!!

Tomorrow I'll be "running the city" with thousands of other runners in the NYC Half Marathon! I'm SO excited to do this run. I hear from everyone who's ran it what a great course and how much fun it is. I'm not entirely familiar with the route but I know we start off in Central Park, run through Times Square, hit the West Side Highway and finish off in South Street Seaport! Most of the NYRR events are just within Central or Prospect Park - but this one shuts down streets of Manhattan and Times Square (that's always way more fun)! And I hear that as we run through Times Square, we even get to see ourselves on the jumbotron! Weeeee!

Even though I'm crazy excited, this run might be tricky for two reasons-

1) Lack of training.

I haven't trained for this run. But what I may lack in training, I'm sure to make up in enthusiasm!

The reason I'm not trained is due to my two recent little "issues" (as Melanie calls them). First there was my tendonitis. That was bothering me since January (I just didn't know what it was) and bothered me with every run I did that month. In the combined periods before and after the diagnosis, I hadn't run for about 4 weeks. When I finally felt well enough to run again, I fell. The fall itself wasn't significant, but the next day I felt pain under my right boob. I joked "it only hurts when I breathe" but it was true. And the harder I breathed, the more it hurt. It was enough to prevent me from doing pilates, lifting weights and yes, running again! After enduring it for a full week, I actually went to get xrays - I thought I had a rib fracture or something. Fortunately my ribs and lungs were ok. It turned out I had just strained the muscle when I landed. It finally stopped hurting last weekend.

Long story short, those 2 things caused me to lose out on nearly 6 weeks of cardio -- and half marathon training -- this year.

I was finally able to start running without pain this week - I ran Monday night with my new running group, North Brooklyn Runners (3.5 miles), Tuesday at lunch (3 miles), Wednesday with NBR again (1.75 miles) and Friday at lunch (3.85 miles). All of those runs & miles combined don't equal a half marathon (13.1)! And that's the MOST running I've done in a week all year! So tomorrow will be interesting when I ask my body to perform the task of running 13.1 miles. :)


Even though I couldn't train like I should have, this is where my running mantra kicks in "Run when you can. Walk if you must. But never quit!" (I used to say "never stop" but obviously I have to stop to drink water and/or go to the bathroom in distance running, so I changed it from "stop" to "quit") My plan is to do just that - I'm going to run at a comfortable pace, but walk if and when I have to. And of course I will keep going till I reach the end! I will cross that finish line -- and pose for an overpriced photo as I do so!

2) The weather

It's supposed to be unseasonably warm on Sunday - reaching up to 63. I'm most comfortable running in temps between 35 and 42. This is a full 20 degrees warmer than that. I've done it before (I think last year's Brooklyn Half was close to 70!) and I'll do it, but it's a lot more challenging for me in the higher temps. (I still do not know how Melanie ran a marathon in 90+ degree weather! I think about this every time I run when it's warm!)

Other thoughts:

Time: I don't expect to complete this event in the same time as I did the Brooklyn Half (2.5 hours) and that's ok. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it regardless of my time or pace. For one thing, this is a lottery event, I'm lucky I even got in and I'm so excited to be a part of it! I'm going to take photos, high five anyone cheering from the crowd that offers, and just have a great time, taking in the experience and the magic of living in New York City. Focusing on all of that awesomeness and capturing it digitally and in my memory is far more important than obsessing about how long it takes me to finish. I want to enjoy myself as I'm doing it AND be able to look back and remember what a great day it was.

GPS: I'm going to look into an app I can use where I can be tracked as I'm running in case any of you want to follow along! I'll tweet it/put it on facebook if I figure out a way to do that.

Volunteers/Cheering Crowds: If you're volunteering this event or plan to come out and cheer, please tell me where you're going to be so I can look for you and get photos with you! Right now I just know my friend and fellow amazing WWer, Hannah, will be at Mile 1, my friend Jill will be at the water station at Mile 9 and North Brooklyn Runners will be at 30th St and the West Side Highway, and my friend/co-worker/slow-runner/blogger, Jenn will be at the Finish Line. I'd love to see people I know, so if you're going to be out there, let me know where to look for you!

Post Half Festivities: I'm not sure how I'm celebrating after I return to Greenpoint (other than a shower) but I hope to get the blog up that same night. There will of course be tons of pictures.

Now all I have to figure out is how I'm getting there (and home), where my Dad is working (hopefully I can visit him), what I'm bringing/if I have to bring anything for baggage check in, if that tracking app exists and how to share my run, what I'm eating today and Sunday morning.

I think this is what I'm wearing. I'll post for sure tomorrow morning on tumblr/facebook/twitter when I'm dressed

Other than that, today I'm taking it pretty easy - drinking lots of water and making sure I do my leg stretches. But it is nice out so I can imagine I'm not going to be able to resist a bike ride :)

Tomorrow will be FANTASTIC and I can't wait to do it and then share it here. NYCHalf, baby! Let's do this!!!

The expo

The Marathon Diaries, Part 1

I warned you that I'd be talking about the marathon a lot in my blog this year, so get ready, it's starting! I decided to start writing some diary entries because I literally think about the marathon everyday. This way I can share what I think about as I prepare for one of the most exciting events in my life! 

It's so significant to me that I want to enjoy and remember not only that day, but everything leading up to it, which is why I want to write about it now, as I'm thinking about it. It will be interesting to compare those things with what actually happens on the day of the event. And I think it will be especially interesting to see how my thoughts evolve over time and I think it'll be even more fun to re-read them after I actually run it.

Dear Diary,

I was thinking about last year, when I had announced I was qualifying for the marathon. When people would ask about my marathon training I usually laughed, explaining that I was currently in the "thinking" phase of training. It was true. I didn't have a plan. I wasn't learning about running better. I wasn't even trying to run a lot of miles; I was merely coming to terms with the fact that I was going to run the NYC Marathon in 2012. My main focus was completing the 9 runs I needed to qualify. And I did that.

I knew this year, 2012, would be the real year for training, with long runs - longer than I've ever run before. The whole idea of actually training for a marathon terrified me at first. Running, to me, was always the ultimate athletic event. I didn't (and told myself I couldn't) run for years. Up until I was 38 years old, the few times I ever ran were so unpleasant that I didn't ever think I'd do it willingly. I never would have believed I'd even consider running 26.2 miles.

But here I am. Getting ready for the 2012 NYC Marathon.

Now that 2012 is here I think about the marathon every single day. At least one aspect of it. It varies from day to day. Sometimes I think of it in random flashes: Starting line. Trixie. 59th St Bridge. Crowds in Central Park. Melanie. Halfway point on the Pulaski. Mrs Kim (my "Chinese Mom" who is actually Korean). Water Stations. Bedford Ave. Dad. Musicians. Photographers. Maureen. Finish Line. Medal.

Sometimes I think about it more in-depth: How am I getting to Staten Island that morning, anyway? What am I going to wear? Sometimes I worry about things that are out of my control: What if it's too hot? What bib number will I get? And then I think about the day itself: What am I going to feel like, physically? How am I going to fuel for it before and during? What will the bathroom waits be like along the route? (it always comes back to the bathroom for me!)

But mostly, I think about the awesomeness - seeing people I know who came out to cheer for me, running through so many NYC neighborhoods, hearing strangers cheer and shout out my name in support, reaching every mile marker, the emotional run I will have through my beloved Greenpoint, crossing the bridges, and of course, very often, I think about the final few miles in Central Park and crossing that finish line.

Every time I think about it, I get choked up. Even now, 236 days prior to the event, while writing this. I know how emotional I am and I'm not afraid to show it. I expect to cry many times along the way. In fact, I probably shouldn't wear eyelashes that day, now that I think about it. But no matter what it takes, I'm going to do it. Even if I have to crawl over that finish line, it's going to happen. And it's going to be amazing.

on a great run last month (before my tendonitis stopped me from running for a month) and wearing a 2011 Marathon T-Shirt

Cover Girl!

If you're a Weight Watchers meeting member, I really hope you make a point to attend your meeting this week. Why? Because you might see a familiar face on the cover of your Weekly!

OMG that's me!!!

HOLY $#%@^&@!, right?!
 
That's one of the photos they took during my photoshoot with Suzi Storm last year -- the photoshoot for my Success Story.

If you want to know how this happened, well, join the club because I would love to know too! I have no idea who decided to use a photo of me at all - let alone on the cover. I've even inquired within WW but can't seem to solve the mystery. But I'm fine with just enjoying it, even if I never find out. (Mr K, was it you??)

When I learned of this incredible honor I thought maybe this week's topic would be promoting their bloggers or something along those lines. But that's not this week's topic - it's about Thinking Positive!

For as often as people tell me how "positive" I am (and I hear it often), I still marvel at it because I came from the exact opposite place. I spent the majority of my life negative and pessimistic. So to realize I changed so drastically in that regard is truly incredible to me, and a testament to the fact that it can be done.

How, you wonder? Simple -

What I came to realize is that being positive is one thing anyone can do -- because it's completely within your control! It's your choice to think positively! All the thoughts in your head are created by you. All the things you choose to think or say to yourself don't just magically pop in there - you put them in there. You tell yourself those things. So isn't it empowering to know that you have control over all of them - over everything you choose to think and choose to say to yourself? You can start thinking differently and telling yourself new, different and positive things right now! It's totally up to you!

hanging out with Meghan last night - friend & fellow Weight Watcher and Greenpointer. I gave her a sneak preview copy

Of course I had to send one to my Dad. Immediately.

I wrote that because he always jokes about me giving a speech (where/when/why? who knows!) and thanking him - saying "I owe it all to my father" - or some such silliness.

So how do you get one of these awesome weekly pamphlets, you wonder? Easy! If you're a Weight Watchers member, make sure you attend your meeting this week. And if you're not a member, why not check out a meeting and consider joining? :)

Thank you to Weight Watchers for this unbelievable honor. I'm beyond flattered and excited! It's mind boggling to think every single Weight Watchers member in America (and Canada, I think!) who attends their meeting this week is going to receive a Weekly with me on the cover! Truly mind boggling!! This is really one of the highlights of my LIFE!

And thank you to all of you who knew this secret and helped me keep it quiet. It's been really hard not to let this out for 3 weeks.

Fitness Adventures: Rockefeller Center Stair Climb 2012

Today was the Rockefeller Stair Climb event that raises money for the National MS Society. I didn't get to train for it because of my tendonitis (I hadn't stairs for a whole month leading up till today and only started doing cardio - running - this past week) When I went to the podiatrist for my follow up visit this past Friday, he didn't even want me to do this event today. But I told him I *had* to (I wanted to!) so I did it anyway.

This year my line up time was 7:30am. I woke up at 5, but after having a terrible night's sleep decided to go back to bed until 6:30. I knew that as long as I arrived by 9am, I'd be able to get in line to do the climb (future climbers and late risers, take note!)

This was one of those magical weekends where both the L Train and the 7 Train weren't running into Manhattan so I decided to brave the cold and bike there despite the very chilly temps this morning.

Ready to go! Wearing the "Top of the Rock" tank I bought after last year's climb

Biking over the Pulaski, on my way to Queens. That's a view of midtown (you can see the Empire State Building)

Biking on Jackson Ave, past 5 Points in Long Island City Queens

somewhere in Queens. And freezing.

the longest of all the bike path/NYC bridge climbs - the 59th St Bridge headed Manhattan bound. In case you are wondering, I will be running over this bridge in the NYC Marathon at approximately miles 14.5 through 16. I've ran over it a couple of times already. It's long. Trust me.

I rode to Manhattan as fast as I could - afraid I'd miss that final line up time. I made it to 49th Street between 5th & 6th Aves in an impressive 35 minutes.

I made it to Rockefeller Plaza and parked! This was the view my bike had. I'm sure she was cheering me on from the street.

Entering 30 Rock

I arrived as they were lining up the 8:45 wave, so I had a few minutes to get a few things done before lining up (baggage check, bathroom... all the essentials!). I hadn't eaten or drank anything yet (other than coffee) so I just chugged two bottles of water and made my way towards the line up.

There are so many young volunteers at this event. I loved these girls with their smiles, sashes & tiaras. Beautiful, ladies!

After lining up downstairs, we made our way from the basement plaza to the main level.

main level of 30 Rock

Many climbers had "Top Fundraiser" shirts, but this young woman was also an MS Survivor.

Very inspiring!

A very handsome Spanish guy with a professional camera aimed it at me and then showed me the shot. It was so great I asked him to get one for me with my camera (it isn't nearly as good as the one he took). He introduced himself as Officer Ramos. "Officer?," I asked. Turns out he's NYPD (he was wearing some NYPD gear but I hadn't noticed) but also a professional photographer. I hope to find his photos. I forgot where he said they would be. Maybe he will find my blog :)

This one's for you, Officer Ramos!

This is the part that makes me laugh - we are about to walk up 66 flights of stairs, yet they ride the escalator. Why? Why do people do this??

It's only 1 flight! You can do it!!!

Getting closer to the starting line...

I don't know who "Pummy" is, but he/she had a LOT of supporters!

self portrait

I leaned over the balcony to get a shot of the other climbers waiting in line -

I love how organized this event is - they release one climber at a time in 5 second intervals. This reduces crowding in the stairwell. It's a great system! I crossed the starting line, started my HRM and ran the first few flights. By the fifth flight I was walking and I was SUPER thirsty. I don't know why I was so dehydrated so fast! I was even chewing gum (something I only do on runs or stairs to prevent that dehydrated feeling) but I was dying for water.

I kept going and kept a very steady pace. I passed a few people on my way and I never once touched the railing (some people hold onto or pull themselves up by the railing). Of course there's no rule against it, but it's a personal rule of mine. I feel like it's cheating. I prefer to keep my balance, walking on the inside (shorter trip) and passing people as necessary.

Along the route, I stopped twice - at both fluid stations (floors 28 and 43?). I really was that dehydrated. I had to stop. In fact, I drank Gatorade at both (I hate Gatorade but thought it might help better than water considering how I felt). But I did it as fast as possible - both stops couldn't have cost me more than 20 seconds in my total time.

Photography is not permitted in the stairwells but my love of self portraits & documentation won out. And I snuck my camera out of my fanny pack to take one photo -

somewhere around flight 50

I just kept going and going. One foot in front of the other.

There's a few things I like about the stairwells in this particular event:

1. There's a lot of enthusiasm IN the stairwells. At nearly every landing there's at least one volunteer cheering you on, checking on climbers who pull over to catch their breath or informing you where you are and how far you have to go.
2. There's nice inspirational messages on many of the floors, and references to people who have MS, which is touching.
3. The stairs themselves vary wildly from floor to floor - sometimes they circle to the left - sometimes you walk a landing for a while, do a short flight then end up circling to the right. I like my stairs to be inconsistent like that. It breaks up the monotony and prevents it from getting boring.

And then before you know it, it's almost over...

It's so exciting when you feel that breeze and know you're at the top - The Top of the Rock! - about to emerge on the observation deck and feel the glory and collect that medal! I ran up that last flight and through that door, victory arms in the air. Woo hoo! I did it!

I stopped my heart rate monitor and glanced at my time. Last year I had done it in 15 minutes and 18 seconds. I knew this year would be longer considering I hadn't trained for it and didn't do any cardio for the last 3 out of 4 weeks. I thought my total time might be in the 16-17 minute range. But no, it was 18 minutes and 42 seconds. Ouch! That was much longer than I anticipated. I was actually surprised it was that long, I felt like I was doing a good pace. I never once stopped or paused other than those two super fast beverage breaks. But it's ok. I did it. And finishing is always my first goal. Having an impressive time is great but completion is more important to me.

I chugged another bottle of water as I looked out at Manhattan. It was a little overcast, but there she is -

looking south

While up there, I met fellow Weight Watchers, Laura and Nancy! Laura is a leader in NYC (we've been twitter followers for a while but had never met) and Nancy is one of her members. You may recognize Nancy from the swimsuit edition of WW magazine! Great job, ladies!!!

Weight Watchers represent!

Post climbing meal of champions!

I made my way back down to the lobby and knew I had to get food. I was FAMISHED. I literally hadn't eaten a single thing yet and I'd been up for 3 hours. I got a free banana & bagel from the event and bought a coffee at Starbucks.






I wandered around a little and met SO MANY people who are blog readers or who found my blog when they were researching this event. Too many to name (and I can't remember most of their names) but it's always nice to meet people like that. Everyone tends to be so nice at these types of events!

As I waited my turn to get a photo in front of the "finisher" background, one of the women who was up there just before me was one of the people who told me she found my blog. I asked her to get my shot...

showing off my medal!

...and then spoke to her more. Her name was Kerri and it turns out also has MS but fortunately was well enough to do the climb. I was so happy for her! I met so many people today with MS who did this climb, and it's really inspiring to see that. Don't ever take your health for granted!!! Kerri, I was so proud to meet you. Congrats on your accomplishment and I hope everyday is a healthy day for you!

Kerri & her husband, Dan both did the climb - happy birthday Dan!

I was glad to see this group - I passed one of them in the stairwell early on and thought "That shirt is hilarious!" I was even more excited to see a whole team of them. Check them out! hahaha!

I <3 Elevators - very clever!

Before leaving, I took a ground level shot of some ice skaters-

I'm adding this to my "date wish list"

I left, unlocked my bike and rode around the block to East 50th Street. I took another shot of the building I had just climbed as I rode east  -

At that corner is my favorite Banana Republic store in all of New York City (corner of 50th & 5th). Seriously - it's 3 floors and beautifully layed out. It's got women's & men's, a huge sale section, large petites section, tons of accessories (including shoes), the Monogram & Heritage Collection section, *and* there are public bathrooms in the basement level! (if you live in NYC you know how important it is to know where there are bathrooms!) I highly recommend this store.

I need that pink dress

I stopped at Whole Foods on the way home and took my favorite bridge back back to Brooklyn, the Williamsburg!

Darn it, I missed it by 1 letter. You have NO idea how tricky this shot is to get!

After a quick shower & change, I wanted to bike over to Brooklyn Brewery for a celebratory brew and to meet a few of the North Brooklyn Runners (that's the running group I joined earlier this week). Here's a few shots in my neighborhood on the way there -

Angel's Bakery in Greenpoint

a new-ish piece on Wythe in Williamsburg

Inside Brooklyn Brewery -

This is genius. It's like a kid's toy machine. But for beer tokens!

This is the official cat of Brooklyn Brewery. His name is Monster and not only does he have a beer named after him, but he has his own blog and a facebook page!

Hi Monster! I love you!

I met and chatted with a few of the North Brooklyn Runners but didn't photograph any of them. But while at the brewery, a young woman approached me. I thought she was one of the NBR team, but when I asked her that she told me that no, she was a blog reader from Tallahassee! She just happened to be in town visiting someone. What a great coincidence! I love it when that happens!

Hi Heidi! Nice to meet you! Purple power!

And that was enough excitement for me for one day. Also, what else is new? I was freezing. I had to get home to warm up and eat a healthy meal, upload these photos and write this blog. (I may have napped for an hour, too. Shhhh!)

Here are my heart-rate stats for the day!

Bike ride to Rockefeller Center:

• Total Time: 35 minutes, 03 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 33 minute, 50 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 95.63%
• Average Heart Rate: 140
• High Heart Rate: 155
• Total Calories Burned: 269
• Total Miles: 4.76

Stairclimb:

• Total Time: 18 minutes, 42 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 18 minutes, 33 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 99.51%
• Average Heart Rate: 168
• High Heart Rate: 184
• Total Calories Burned: 198

Bike home from Rockefeller Center (different route):

• Total Time: 63 minutes, 45 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 25 minutes, 34 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 38.11%
• Average Heart Rate: 124
• High Heart Rate: 153
• Total Calories Burned: 395
• Total Miles: 7.25

More biking around the neighborhood:

• Total Time: 23 minutes, 23 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 6 minutes, 48 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 27.89%
• Average Heart Rate: 120
• High Heart Rate: 145
• Total Calories Burned: 135
• Total Miles: 2.73

Thank you to everyone who donated to this climb and everyone who wished me well all over the interwebz. (Lourdes, please tell Elmalisa that I'm glad to hear she is remission - I climbed with her name on my dedication bib on my back. I'm just sorry I didn't get a photo of it.) And congrats to all the climbers - especially those with MS! I'm inspired by your determination and hope you all stay healthy for a good, long time.

Monthly Update: February 2012

Let's see, how would I sum up this month? Probably one word: Tendonitis. Unfortunately that kept my working out to a minimum, but I still did what I could. Here's my activity spreadsheet for the month:

To see this bigger, click on the photo to go to Flickr, then click Actions, click View all sizes, and the large version should be big enough to see the details.

Awesome stuff this month:

• Running the full Central Park loop (for the first time ever!) with Lainy
• I joined Bike New York for the Five Boro Bike Tour - but I need your help! I'm fundraising for their bike education programs. If you never donated to any of my events and can spare a donation, please donate here!
• After getting my tendonitis diagnosis, you'll all be happy to know I bought a foam roller (pink, of course) and have been using it in addition to doing my stretching exercises. (Thank you to blog readers Lucinda & Tamara who sent me pdfs with exercises & instructions!)
• I'm back to #TWIET-ing. If you don't know what that is, I invented it a while ago. It's "Tweet What I Eat Tuesday". I tweet my food items, PointsPlus values, activity and anything else health/ww related on Tuesdays. If you're not currently following me, send me a request.
  
• While biking in Queens I heard someone yell "High heel blog lady!" Naturally I knew they were calling to me and I did a u-turn to meet them. It was a young woman named Rachel who had momentarily forgotten my name, but that didn't bother me, it was very cute! She had just come from the gym. We chatted a bit and she told me I actually helped get her motivated to start running. It doesn't matter how many times I hear things like that, it will always blow my mind. I'm so proud of you, Rachel!
• I met up with an adorable blog reader - one of the funniest people I've had the pleasure of hanging out with to date. This is me and Fei in Park Slope:

Don't let her size fool you - she fought off a mugger in the NYC subway before moving here and STILL moved here! I'm so proud of her!

• Attended Melanie's "Spring Into Action" event in Manhattan. (If you want to keep up with these events, make sure you like them on Facebook)...

Melanie in action!

• ...where I met blog reader, Ethan! He's also a Brooklynite and Weight Watchers member who has lost 38 pounds to date. (Great job, Ethan! So nice meeting you!)

Ethan & Me

• I mentioned that earlier this week I met a blog reader, Kim, on the bus. She was the one that finally convinced me to join the running group, North Brooklyn Runners. I'm going to meet some of them on Sunday and go out for a run with them next week as my schedule permits.
• After not doing cardio for over 3 weeks! I had my comeback run earlier this week.
• You may remember that I got a tiny heart tattoo for Valentine's Day last year with my friend Amanda. Because of that tattoo, I had to wait an entire year before I could donate blood again! I made my appointment one year to the day - on Valentine's Day this year. I was a little worried my hemoglobin might not be high enough (I used to run into that issue on occasion) but sure enough, I had a nice robust 13.8! (12.5 is the cutoff).
  

doing my part to make someone 1 pint more awesome

I just want to take this time to ask you to consider donating blood - it's really not a big deal at all. This is what happens, first you fill out some forms, then you get a mini physical - they check your temperature, blood pressure and hemoglobin (if your hemoglobin isn't high enough, you can't donate). Then the actual donation process is only about 5 minutes. And while it's happening, you're talking and squeezing the ball, maybe watching TV. You don't even notice it. Then it's over! You get a beverage and a snack and the satisfaction of knowing you are literally saving a life. The only things I advise: 1) Make sure you drink plenty of water before & after, as it tends to dehydrate you. 2) Don't work out for at least 24 hours after you donate, but wait longer if you think you need to. Oh, and if you are worried about it hurting - it only hurts if the person doing it isn't good at finding the vein, and I think that's the exception.


Upcoming stuff for March:

• Tomorrow is the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival in Manhattan (The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011). If the weather isn't too terrible, I will be going with Amanda. It's only 5 bucks if you're interested and it's on Sunday too - info is here.
• This Sunday I'm doing the Rockefeller Center Stair Climb - thank you to all of you who contributed to the National MS Society to sponsor me! You may recall I did this event last year. My time was 15 minutes, 18 seconds. I was *really* hoping to beat last year's time but considering I had no time to train for the event (due to the tendonitis) I will be lucky if I even come anywhere close to last year's time.
• My local gym, the YMCA in Greenpoint just began offering Zumba classes! The first class was last Wednesday but I couldn't make it. I'm hoping to get there with friend & neighbor, Jaci, this month.
• March 18th, I'm running the NYC Half. I'm not as prepared for it as I'd like to be but I have two weeks to do what I can - stretching, and running and mentally psyching myself up. I don't expect to break any time records (I've only done this distance twice - in 2.5 hours each time), but I will finish it. No matter what it takes. I'm actually looking forward to it! This is the one where I entered the lottery and actually got chosen so I feel I am destined to do it. I think running through Times Square with thousands of other runners will be magical and just a *glimpse* of the excitement of the actual marathon. Of course there will be a blog covering the day's events!
• Oh and I have a super exciting announcement on March 11th that I can't reveal yet. If you know it (and some of you do - stop tweeting it and mentioning it on Facebook!) do not mention it in the comments or anywhere else. After March 11, feel free to put it all over the interwebs cause I will!

More places I'm appearing! (I apologize that some of these are long overdue)

• Does anyone have the Discovery 3D channel? Because on March 18th they are airing a documentary about Grand Central Terminal, and I'm in it. They actually interviewed me in the Terminal one morning and followed me on the train for one of my morning commutes. I don't have this channel. It might only be available in Europe. If you have it, let me know! (Here's the info)
• A blog reader in Alaska named Summer filmed a little video blog that mentions me and I thought it was so sweet! I've been meaning to share this for a while - I love it! Thank you Summer!
• Thank you, Kristin, for listing me as one of your weight loss motivations!
• And thanks to real life friend Stephanie who also listed me as an inspiration (and congrats on all your success!)
• And We Love Quilting also loves me, apparently!
• I kind of love showing up on a site called Bike Smut - they tweeted this entry to me.
• Romey says I'm "truly a magnificent woman" - why thank you!
• More very sweet things were said about me on Honorable Rebel's "Sweaty is Sexy" post (I agree, and thank you!)

That's it for February. March will be chock full of more activity and my favorite part? SPRING! OMG SPRING IS ALMOST HERE! Sunshine! Warmth! Beautiful trees and flowers! Later sunsets! Biking! I'm so excited you have no idea!

Have a great weekend - my next post will be about Sunday's events... hopefully on Sunday evening. Stay tuned!

Comeback

Since learning about my tendonitis diagnosis, I had planned to make my comeback run in Prospect Park on February 25th - ten days after my doctor visit - since I was registered for an event that day.

Thursday night:

I picked up my bib from NYRR with every intention of running on Saturday. But in the days leading up to the run, my ankle area started giving me intermittent pain again.

Saturday morning:

The morning of the run arrived and I still didn't feel 100% and was too afraid to chance it. So I did something I've only done once before - missed a run due to illness or injury. As much as I was looking forward to my "comeback run", I just didn't want to risk injuring myself further.

In fact, I didn't do any activity this weekend, other than stretching.

Monday afternoon:

I attended my weekly yoga class and noticed I was able to bend a little further than usual (maybe this stretching thing is working?!). My tendonitis wasn't bothering me. And I told myself that if I still felt ok after work, I'd go to the Total Body Conditioning class at my local gym since I hadn't been there in 3 weeks and really missed lifting weights.

Monday evening:

Without any recurring symptoms, I decided to give it a go. I figured if it started to bother me in class, I'd stop doing whatever we were doing, take a break and stretch a little. Normally that class is all weights and core work, but the instructor on Monday nights does it a little differently and it's an even mix of those elements plus cardio.

I arrived with my water bottle, mat, 3 sets of weights & jump rope (I don't mess around!) . Just seconds into the warm up I realized how happy I was to be there. I missed working out so much, especially the cardio element. I was so happy to be doing the simplest things - jogging in place and jumping jacks! I missed that feeling of movement! We lunged, did squats, jumped rope, worked our core, biceps, quads and hamstrings. It felt amazing! I was actually *sweating* and I never sweat in class! But I still knew I had to be careful and take it easy. I was very mindful of my legs and paused a few times when I needed to take a little break - not because of the tendonitis but because I hadn't worked out in 3 weeks and my body wasn't used to all that intensity anymore.

I made it through the class and left feeling fantastic! I felt a happiness I haven't felt in a long time. I had missed working out even more than I realized. And since I didn't have any tendonitis pain, I was ready to run again! I knew I'd run at work today during lunch...

Tuesday morning:
I caught a later bus than usual and while on the bus, another passenger told me she enjoys my blog. That got me excited. Then we started talking about running and marathon training, and that got me even MORE excited. Her name was Kim and she already knew a lot about me (I love that about my blog readers!) I told her how today I was going to go out for my first run since my tendonitis episode and how nervous but excited I was. She mentioned that she's a member of North Brooklyn Runners. Now, I'm very familiar with this group. I've met more NBR members than I can count. I see them all the time at running events and running in groups when I'm on my bike. Several have encouraged me to join but I found the whole idea of being part of a running group very intimidating, so I never did. But talking to her this morning convinced me that all the fear was in my head. There was no reason to not join - it was no pressure, it was social, and I could go to as few or as many of their events as I wanted.

That was it. I was sold. I was ready to join a running group!

After arriving at work, I did just that. I joined North Brooklyn Runners! I figure I'll go on some fun runs with them and maybe join them for some of the longer training runs I have to do before the marathon. I'm actually really excited about it now and kinda can't wait to get a t-shirt so I can represent! (Thanks for the info, Kim!)

Tuesday afternoon:

I got changed for my run with no idea what to expect - how I'd feel, if my tendonitis would act up, etc. I told myself I'd just take it easy and see how it went. If I had to do a shorter run or walk some of it, I was fine with that. I got dressed and took off...

I started off really well - no pain - my heart rate just got very high very quickly (after no cardio for 3 weeks my heart wasn't used to all the exertion!) so I slowed down as needed, then started up again and ran.

I was doing great, alternating running and fast walking until just before my halfway point.

I passed another jogger?! I've only seen 1 other person running in all my lunchtime runs!

Now I'm very familiar with this route, and I know there are areas I need to look out for because the sidewalk is kind of a mess in a few spots. But as I was running through one of those parts I just wasn't paying attention and I felt myself tripping. I've tripped there before, but caught myself without going down. Not this time. I went down. Hard.

My immediate thought was "F$%&*@ my camera!" - but it was still secure around my right hand and not broken.

My next thought was "&*@! my knees!"
 

Now, I fall down fairly often. Usually in flats and for no reason. And when I do, I always break the skin on my knees (I have permanent scars). Because of that, I'm all too familiar with how long it takes for that area to heal. And until it does, bending them hurts. This is problematic for, oh,  *everything* - walking, stair climbing and of course running. But somehow I managed to get the brunt of the fall on my palms and not my knees. (My left palm was especially bloody)

As I sat there for a moment I thought "Eff this, I'm going back to work". A passing car had stopped and the driver got out to offer help. As I stood up, I told him thanks but I was fine. And then I thought "Wait - Why should I give up and go back to work now? I'm fine and I'm not done! I'm not injured enough to not run, so I'm finishing!"

I picked myself up and continued my run, towards my halfway point.

My halfway point. This time with extra blood and less skin!

Then I turned around and started my run back to work.

On my way back, I passed the area where I fell and took a photo -

I tripped over here - either on that metal thing or where the ground is uneven, I'm not sure

For the record, here's another tricky area - 

It's a mess on this sidewalk!

Still running... and bleeding!

Hi, how are you?

One of my favorite sections, running on this little median between the bi-directional traffic

I'm past the 3 mile mark here

And I kept running and running, all the way to my start/finish line -

woo hoo! 3.7 miles!

From there I ran to work, cleaned out my wound, put on some bacitracin & a bandaid. And don't worry - then I stretched :)

As I told my co-workers about my experience, I thought about what happened and how it's a literal analogy for what we say all the time - it doesn't matter how many times you fall, as long as you get back up again. I mean what was I going to do - sit there forever? No, of course not! I was going to get back up and keep going!

So sure I was a little bloody and I ripped holes in my compression pants but all things considered, the injury wasn't bad at all. I was so grateful that I really didn't hurt myself badly and that I was able to finish the run. If I had been less lucky, I could have probably broken my wrist or twisted my ankle. I was also thankful my tendonitis didn't act up!

But most importantly: I was especially thankful (and so happy) that I can run again!  

I'm back, baby!