Sweet Blog o' Mine

Listen To Your Heart

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may know that I often post Runkeeper summaries of my workouts. You may also have noticed (although probably not), that for several possible reasons, I've been running a full minute plus per mile slower than I have in previous years. At first, I was pretty pissed about it. Over time, I've embraced it. I've been running in very hot weather, which ratchets your heart rate even higher than normal, so even as I've trained more and more, the heat has been kicking my ass to the point where I allow myself a 3o second walk every 5 minutes. But only 30 seconds. This morning, as an experiment, I ran with my heart rate monitor, which I haven't really done all season. I know from past experience that approx 165 bpm is my average running speed, so every time I caught the monitor going above 170 bpm, I forced myself to slow down. The result? A slow but solid run, and I felt great afterwards.

Look, kids, I hate to break it to ya, but I'm not going to *win* the NYC Tri. My goal in past years has been 1) to complete it in one piece 2) ideally in under 3.5 hours. Not sure I'm going to squeak by #2 this year, but I'm okay with that.  I think that after the tri and during the off-season, I'm going to focus more on heart rate training and see what that does for me next year.

PS -- less than two weeks till the tri but you can still donate!!

Weekend Wrapup

Friday night we had a fundraiser for the D&P Triathlon team, then early to bed for me as I had a 6:30 a.m. (yes, you read that correctly) brick workout (approx 15 mile bike and 5 mile run). I was wiped afterwards, and lounged about for the remainder of the day until heading out for drinks at Mayahuel. I had fully intended to go there alone while waiting to meet up w/Rob, but of course ran into people -- @daisy17 & @brooklynwino. I love the days when NYC feels like a small town. After Rob showed up and we had a few drinks, we were off to Kasadela for a garlic & kimchi filled dinner.

Sunday I allowed myself to sleep in, which was blissful and much-needed. Afterwards, I headed out to meet friends at Clover Club for brunch, which is always delicious. Made a quick pit-stop at Char No. 4, then headed back to Manhattan for some errands, laundry (why do I feel like all I do is wash workout gear?), and Harry Potter (because I am a proud nerd). After the movie I had an unbearable craving for ramen -- likely because I had bought a copy of Lucky Peach earlier and was reading about ramen -- so picked up some take-out from Momofuku Noodle Bar, which served as dinner last night and will be lunch today! All in all, a lovely weekend.

Ooh -- forgot to mention: my soundtrack for the weekend was Girl Talk. Love. I may be late to the game, but I just found my new workout soundtrack.

Safety First

Too many people I know (and many I don't) have had serious bike accidents recently. You may be the best cyclist in the world, but it's never all about you -- someone can swerve in front of you on a bike or in a car; you might hit a pothole or some other debris in the road -- regardless, a helmet is a simple, inexpensive way to protect your head in the event of an accident. It could save your life.

Karma Chameleon

Ah Karma. I firmly believe that what goes around comes around, so I try to send out good karma. When I worked at a nonprofit, I had friends (one in particular) who shared wine with me and often bought me drinks, and now, when I encounter a friend who is unemployed, or perhaps just because, I'll repay the favor.

Yesterday, I ran into a public interest colleague who I hadn't seen in some time. As we were catching up, she told me that she had been diagnosed with lymphoma and had been quite sick, although she has now been in remission for six months. I told her that I am raising money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society through Team in Training for the New York City Triathlon and she was thrilled and thanked me profusely. She also talked about potentially doing the tri next year as part of a relay team so that she can do her part to help others.

Want some good karma to come your way? Donate to my efforts. And buy someone a drink.

And I Tri . . .

I've been a bit behind on my NYC Triathlon training and have been kicking it up into high gear since last week. So if I'm looking a bit ragged these days, please be kind -- it just means that I've been pushing myself on the training front.  The swimming feels great and the biking is going well, but the running -- oof. All I can do is continue to put one foot in front of the other, get sleep, eat well and do my best.

While I'm doing all that, there's something you can do, too -- DONATE! I'm once again raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, and you can donate here. Plus, I started a triathlon team at work (yes, we are badasses)!  If you want to donate to the Debevoise team, you can do that too.  You can also come cheer us on and/or celebrate with us on August 7th.

Feel Free to Call Me a Wimp, But . . .

as the weather gets colder, I'm realizing that the odds of my running that 15k I mentioned are somewhat slim.  I've been staying indoors for my runs since the temperature has been hovering in the 30's -- not sure I can hack it.  I'm trying to amp up the exercise regardless, but mostly at the gym and not in the cold.  Also, there are at least two holiday parties on my agenda the night before . . .

Has Anyone Seen My Mind?

I think I've lost it.  I've gone and signed up for a 15k (approximately 9.3 mile) race.  In DECEMBER.  I know what you're going to say: "but Laren, that shouldn't be hard for you; you do triathlons!"  Well guess what, kids, running is the hardest part of the triathlon for me, and I've never run that far in my life, plus the running in the cold thing is going to be, well, interesting to say the least.  Thankfully, a few other crazies have joined me in this challenge, so I'll have company.  I'm already about two weeks behind in my training, so no more slacking.  Let me know if you want to go for a run!

Swim, Bike, Run, Nap, Celebrate!

I'm happy to report that I successfully finished another NYC Triathlon in my goal of under 3 1/2 hours at 3:29:41!  I was thrilled (but not at all surprised) that I cut down the time on my swim -- I actually got into a really good groove -- but apparently I was futzing around during my transitions and didn't push quite hard enough on the bike!  I'm pretty pleased with the run as well, especially given the heat.  All in all, though, it was a great race.  Here are my times for comparison.

2010: Swim 20:54 T1 11:39 Bike 1:42:43 T2 6:26 Run 1:08:01

2009: Swim 24:30 T1 10:17 Bike 1:40:57 T2 4:01 Run 1:07:22

2008: Swim 24:30 T1 10:55 Bike 1:36:47 T2 4:00 Run 1:08:40

My highlights from the race:

Seeing Tiffany, with whom I crossed the finish line last year, at the swim start; noticing, for the first time, the distance markers along the way on the swim course; seeing my Mom and Stephen along the course; biking through the tollbooth and enjoying the view over the Hudson River Bridge; playing cat & mouse on the bike course with a fellow Team in Training team member, who, at age 24, was mostly trying to catch me; dancing around to "Can't Touch This," which was playing over the loudspeaker during my second transition (this might account for the long transition time); having April run with me for a portion of the run; hearing people shout out your name (or some variation of it) along the way (I highly recommend putting your name on your shirt); hearing/seeing Rachel from Bespoke Chocolates cheer me on as I was rounding one of the final curves towards the finish; and digging deep and sprinting those last few yards to the sound of a cheering crowd.

Least favorite?  Having to ride my bike home afterward with a backpack full of tri gear.

Thanks to you all, I raised over $3,800 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society!!!  It is a privilege to be a part of raising money for such a good cause, and I can't thank you enough.  I also want to thank everyone for their words of support and congratulations along the way and after the race, and it was a pleasure celebrating with so many of you last night (especially @jasonwomack & @jodiwomack from Ojai).

I also wanted to send an extra special congrats to Meg, who also trained with TNT and completed her first NYC Tri, Noelle, who did a tri out on the West Coast yesterday, and Chris B., who completed his first tri yesterday in California.  It was fun to have a little training network going on.

I hope I can count on your support for the tri again next year!

The Final Countdown

In case you're keeping track, the NYC Triathlon is less than 48 hours away!!  First, the #drop10beforetri update -- didn't quite make it to 10lbs down, but I dropped 7.8, and feel pretty good about that. Here's hoping not to undo it all in NOLA next week.  I plan to lose the rest (and undo whatever damage I do) when I return.  And now, the TRIATHLON:

1) If you find yourself available to watch the tri, I'll be on the run course around 9-10 on Sunday (give or take a bit). I'll be wearing a purple Team in Training tank, black tri shorts, a yellow number (TBD) and a Jackrabbit white visor. Good places to watch are along 72nd Street from Henry Hudson Parkway to Central Park West, Cherry Hill before we head to the finish on Dead Road in Central Park, and Dead Road in Central Park near the bandshell off the 72nd Street Transverse. Afterward, I'll be hanging out at the bandshell for a bit, so look for me there. Map and more info here.

2) Assuming you're not up that early, come join me at the 8th St. Winecellar anytime after 5pm to celebrate what I hope to be a successful completion of the tri.

3) Regardless, please consider donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in support of my race -- it's a great cause and I'm proud to be part of their Team in Training. Every bit helps. (Thanks for your support if you've already donated).

Hope to see you on Sunday and thank you all for your support along the way -- I couldn't do this without you all!

Same Time Next Week

This morning I biked up along the West Side bike path all the way up past the GWB, into Inwood and beyond.  At the same time next week, I will be done with my swim in the Hudson and riding a parallel path up the Henry Hudson Parkway.  I won't, however, have the luxury of taking the subway home, but instead will head off to Central Park for a 10k run. 

I feel ready, but nervous, which seems appropriate.  And at this time next week, I'll hopefully be celebrating my successful triathlon with friends and family!