Ran from Columbus to Central Park's bridle path, lap of the bridle path and then back to my car on Columbus. Had to go quick because I was strapped for time. sub 7:00 pace did not feel hard AT ALL! wow!

3.05 miles in 21:20 (6:59 pace)

also did a mile with Scott this morning (only a mile because it started thunderstorming so we went back home, oh well. That means that

all told today I did 4 miles

Drove up to NYC to pick up Laur at work, got a late jump so I didn't have time to do as much as I would have liked but got a run in nonetheless. Here's the damage:

6 miles in 52:55 (8:49 pace)

I went from Kidville UWS to Central Park, didn't complete a full loop of the park, started around 83rd (?) and took the W90th St exit and ran the streets back to Kidville on 82nd so I'll just credit myself with 6. From Kidville to Park was 2:55.52, Park loop to Kidville- exactly 50:00.00! :)

Felt very listless at start but settled into a rhythm and didn't push too hard because I haven't run in a while.

This morning Laur and I took the subway from Brooklyn where we were cat sitting to Central Park with her Aunt Boo and ran the NYRR Healthy Kidney 10k. This race had an internationally elite field consisting of past NYC marathon winner Marislon Gomes dos Santos and some really fast dudes from Kenya (however, no one broke Dathan Ritzenhein's 2007 course record!). We were not in contention to break any records but we did have some fun along the way and moved one step closer to qualifying for NYC 2009! Here's the damage:

10k (6.2 miles) in 1:17:08 (12:26 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 10:57.19
Mile 2- 24:48.05 (13:50.86 mile- Laur was in a lot of pain in her knee here and stopped to walk/stretch for a while)
Mile 3- 37:50.75 (13:02.70 mile)
5k- 39:07.55
Mile 4- 50:47.29 (12:56.54 mile)
Mile 5- 1:03:24 (12:36.90 mile)
Mile 6- 1:14:59 (11:35.41 mile)
10k- 1:17:08 (2:08.42 two-tenths)

I wish Laur's knees would start cooperating with the rest of her, I know it frustrates her that she can't run as fast as she's definitely capable of doing because her knees get wonky- feel like they're going to give out with each step. I've been in situations where my knees have hurt, mercilessly and it SUCKS! I empathize with her, a lot. We need to get her healthy so she can reach her full potential. The race was very fun otherwise, with a lot of playful banter going on between Laur, Boo, and myself. The weather was hotter than I had anticipated and I wound up sweating it out in my long sleeve Shamrock marathon shirt (once again, it seemed as if everyone I passed yelled out "HEY SHAMROCK!" to me, funny). Overall a pretty good day in the park, even if I couldn't enjoy any of the post-race food because of my stupid dietary trial!

Tonight I drove Laur into Manhattan where she was babysitting on the Upper East Side. My plan was to hang out in the city while she babysat and use it as an opportunity to do a nice, leisurely long run, taking advantage of Central Park and surrounding areas. First I ran from the east to the west sides looking for a Citibank and a grocery store, which took me about 30 minutes and 3 miles, I figure. Then I took a little break and finally set off on my long run about 2130. I decided I would run to Central Park from my car, do a loop, head back to my car for refueling, and then run around the city a bit. That's just what I did, and to great success. I don't know EXACTLY how far I went total, but I mapped out my approximate route from memory afterwards so here's the damage:

14 miles in 2:05:30 (8:55 pace)

including:
Central Park lap: 54:24 (9:04 pace)

For the second half I ran back to the Park, clockwise around it attempting to follow the NYC marathon finish route, then over to the West Side and back to Columbus Circle. Then I headed downtown along 6th & 5th Avenues. Basically whenever I came to a red light, instead of stopping to wait I just crossed the street or ran up towards the next avenue so I could be in constant motion. I made it down to 42nd & Broadway, where I ran into a bajillion tourists and ran in the street for a bit. Then I got a call from Laur around 48th & 5th that she was done, so I booked it back to 72nd & 1st, coming in just over 2 hours for the entire run. Mid-run refueling consisted of a few handfuls of peanuts, some orange and cran-apple juices, and some milk chocolates. My legs felt good (I had both wrapped with pre-wrap) and while they were sore and tired afterwards, there are no lingering or nagging injuries or pre-injuries. They actually feel BETTER than they have been! Hope this continues for the next 5 and a half months :)

I drove into NYC today, Laur and I had tickets to see The Hush Sound, Phantom Planet, Motion City Soundtrack, and Panic! at the Disco there at 6. I was mostly excited to see her, to see The Hush Sound, and thirdly to run in Central Park. I got in early enough to go next door with her and watch her eat the most delish looking smac (mac& cheese) ever. Which is big for me to say, bc as a rule, I tend to hate mac & cheese and have only had it once in my life, a few weeks ago at her parents house. Maybe it was because I was hungry, or maybe because this was "gourmet-ish" mac& cheese. Afterwards, I got changed into running attire and headed to Central Park to do an easy outer loop of the park, very much like the first time I went there, only without being too shy to see Laur afterwards. Central Park running is always good for knocking you down a peg or two if you're getting a bit too full of yourself, because there is always people there that look like they've been at it for much longer and are much faster/talented. Instead of being discouraged by seeing this, it gives me something to aspire to now (new Mark outlook :]). The weather was bee-ee-ay-you-tiful, my only regret is not getting to share it with Laur. I got into a rhythm of heel striking the downhills as that seemed to put less stress on everything and midfoot striking everything else. I love that it's hilly, it helped change up things from the mostly flat running I've been doing, and gave me enough feeling of pushing myself, even on an easy run. Here's the damage:

6 gorgeous miles in 49:40 (8:13 pace)

and a ROCKIN' GREAT TIME with the darling girlfriend afterwards! :)

Ran the Scotland Run 10k in Central Park with Laur this morning, one race closer to the 9 we need to auto qualify for NYC 2009! If you want a detailed account of the run, check out her report.

After the run finished, we stopped for a few minutes and then pressed on to push our day's total to an even 10 miles. The run felt pretty good for me, except for some nagging knee pain in my left knee. Fortunately we weren't trying to set world records so I could afford to stop and walk some. At the end, Laur really gunned it, I've never seen her move so frakkin' fast! I actually struggled to keep up with her. It was a very beautiful sight. All told, here's the damage:

10 miles in ~2:15:00

I'm experiencing a lot of "Best Ever's" recently; coincidence? I think not! Anyway, I'm now getting to the point where I can look back and see what I was doing one year ago training for my half and compare that to where I'm at and what I'm doing now. New Year's is a time that sticks out considerably. A stark contrast between how I rang in 2007 and how I rang in 2008, running-wise and otherwise. I can still remember how it was an hour or so before people were to come over last year and I laced up my orange Shox and started running .55 mile laps around the block, so that I could see if people started arriving and would be able to cut my run short. I wound up doing something like 8+ miles a few hours before the ball dropped. Then I distinctly remember gathering in the living room, surrounded by family and lots of Scott's friends and family friends and adopted friends and the like(the one friend solely of mine having departed for NJ around 2230), then the countdown, the noise and shouting and cheering, the obligatory kissing everyone and wishing them a HAPPY NEW YEAR, the march outside with pots and pans to noisily welcome it, the obligatory disrobing of garments, then undergarments, and the chilly but enthusiastic- and slightly inebriated- dash up and down the block to signal a fresh start and keep with tradition (The PG-13 version is on Facebook somewhere). I remember all that vividly and the way one remembers something that seems simultaneously light years and minutes away.

This year was the start of a new tradition. One with decidedly more clothes, but running, unsurprisingly, is the constant. I did the NYRR Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park. Admittedly, I intitially decided to do this race because the family decided not to have another New Year's party but moreso because Lauren was doing it, and I figured it'd be a great ice breaker. Apparently, that was unneccessary, and now it just afforded us the opportunity to celebrate the start of 2008 by doing our first race, of sorts, together. This was decidedly a fun run, with no official time being recorded and as far as I know, no awards or anything. Just running 4 miles in the park at the stroke of midnight, with thousands of other revelers and an accompanying fireworks display. There was some 6 or so other members of her family who also participated, and we all lined up together at the start.

I look down at my watch at 11:59 and see the seconds tick away, then BOOM, fireoworks explode in the sky signaling the start of the year. Nothing, NOTHING beats a New Year's kiss that means it, and that was the very first thing I did in 2008. Then the same well wishing and 'Happy New Year'-ing, and a shuffle to the official start that lasts some ten minutes.

At the start, Laur and I take off in earnest. I was supposed to pace her, but I didn't do a terribly efficient or effective job of this starting out. I'll chalk it up to adrenaline, excitement, something but I definitely started too fast. We conquered cat hill fairly easily, myself learning to salute the statue some steps from the summit. After that though, the wheels came off. She started feeling some serious pains and was struggling just to keep moving. My best encouragements and enthusiasms were falling on ears that did not want to hear any of it.

If I was unsure in any way that Lauren was not the absolute perfect girlfriend for me, this race helped cement it. Not because we went particularly fast or anything. Because when I tried to encourage her and help her try to deal with the pain and the fact that we were apparently doing 10+ minute miles, she was having none of it. She was actually getting rather snippy and short with me. And about a mile into this, I realized that this was EXACTLY how I would react if the roles were reversed. We are both perfectionists who ask demand the absolute best of ourselves, especially so when it comes to running. She wasn't thinking about WHAT or WHY she was not racing up to her peak capabilities, just harping on the fact that she wasn't. I've done this, and will do this in the future too and I would expect whoever I'm dating to have that same attitude about running and racing. To be able to understand that mindset, let alone share it. Towards the end she lightened and tried to apologize, something I wanted to hear none of myself: there was nothing to apologize for. I was, and am, SO PROUD of her for finishing despite experiencing "the worst physical pain ever, EVER." I was even more impressed when we neared the final turn before the finish and we started to pick it up, and kicking it into high gear through the finish, who cares about the time, we did it! and, the best part, a post-race celebratory New Year's smooch.

The whole experience from the pre-race music, the impromptu swing and salsa and silly dancing, the fact that Ingrid, Mike, and Becca were also there cheering us, the ridic costumes some people wore, holding hands at various points along the course (which felt decidedly and somewhat surprisingly un-lame), it was all amazing. I got to do this New Year's in almost exactly the opposite of last years. Where last year, I was alone running in circles with no fanfare and considerable pain in my knee and ankle, this year I was surrounded by thousands of people in the Park, including some of the most amazing people I know personally, with fireworks so brilliant at one point I turned around and ran backwards to soak in the grand finale, strangers lining the whole course giving out high fives and "HAPPY NEW YEARS", and no pain of my own, except for a little arch soreness from the previous 15 miler. I'm sure my legs will feel it tomorrow and for a few days, but it was all worth it.

I could not possibly think of a better, more fun, more gratifying, more perfect way to celebrate the start of 2008. This marked the end of one New Year's tradition. Here's to this, everything involved in this, becoming the new tradition, for the forseeable and expansive future.

went into the city with Lauren to meet the cuz's who'd been there since before I woke up. The plan, which worked perfectly I might add, was to meet up with them sometime around the time they were buying Broadway tickets, then head to Central Park while they did the NBC Studio tour, and re-meet them to go see The Drowsy Chaperone which is very possibly the best play I've ever seen, with BOB SAGET NO LESS! As for the run, we've both had better, but you can't win 'em all. Here's the damage:

4 miles in about 40 minutes

We started ok, but Lauren's knee decided to be uncooperative early and would not relent at all, despite some walking breaks that I know frustrated her, because they would (and have in the past) driven me insane. Even this fall when I restarted running, and I was doing everything I could to be smart about it, I hated to take walking breaks even though I did when my knees felt wonkish. It feels like defeat, even though no less an authority on running as Jeff Galloway infuses his training programs with frequent run/walk intervals, as does Hal Hidgeon. So we got through it, after I was 'asked out' by the Bethesda Fountain with a few dozen runners in some running group warming up nearby. We then managed to jog some 20ish blocks to the NYRR headquarters on 89th St, including a mad-dash across one block with taxis bearing down on us. This included a block and change fireman's carry to the door, with her attempting to fight out of it. Legs felt good, park at dark is nice, hopefully next time will be less painful for all involved parties.

So today, thanks in no small part to starsinmycloset I got to run in Central Park. Jackie had a ticket for me to see Brand New at the Hammerstein on 34th this @ 7pm, so I figured that if I wasn't subbing, I should go into the city early, make a day of it, and do my scheduled 10k in Central Park. The loop that goes around the park is conveniently ~6 miles so it works out very well. I knew beforehand that between the cold and the hilly nature of the park that it would be a difficult run. I was not interested in speed today, I simply wanted to soak in my surroundings, take in the sights, and really enjoy the fact that I was doing something that I should've have done ages ago, given my proximity to NYC. I managed to snag a parking spot right on Central Park South, put in 2 hrs worth of quarters ($2.75-the only money I spent all day!), laced up and went into the Park. I did this course except I started at where it says Mile 3 on the map, had to double back a bit around Mile 5, and finished in front of Tavern on the Green. So I'm not sure if it was a true 10k, or a little more but I'm gonna go with it, regardless. The weather was chilly but ok once I warmed up, the views were beautiful, and the course was quite hilly indeed, much hillier than what I'm used to, which was welcome change of pace and a good, but not too difficult, challenge. Here's the damage:

10k (6.2 miles) in 52:00 (8:22 pace)
6 miles in 48:32 (8:05 pace)

I'm inclined to believe the final 0.2 was a bit more than 0.2, and also that I ran more total, but I can't be sure. This is a very fast 6 miles for me, considering what I've been doing, and considering the conditions. I just felt really good, really strong, my legs felt fresh after a day off yesterday. I think the long runs are helping with my aerobic capacity, although it's only been a few weeks and I'm not sure that's enough time to see significant changes, but SOMETHING is going on. The way I feel when running doesn't lie. I won't complain. This was one of the best runs overall I've had during my training, and ever really. Anyone who's near the city or ever gets the opportunity to run, even a few miles, in the park, DO IT! you won't regret it.

Lauren, you're in for a good, albeit tough, 10k Sunday!