Monday, November 14, 2011

Well Hello 1,000

Today is November 14th, 2011.  Today marks the day that I have run 1,000 miles in total in the year 2011.  2011 has been a good year to me thus far.  I have had many accomplishments that make me who I am and where I am today.

I have tried to run 1,000 miles in a year before but I have never had luck with it.  Call it a lack of dedication, lack of commitment to keeping track...whatever you want to call it.  I call 2011 the year that all of that went out the window!! We have more than a month left and I am proud to have completed a long time running goal.  For me, this is BIG and I grin from ear to ear thinking about this goal and all of the hard work, dedication, and time this took to complete.  Here's to believing in myself

Saturday, October 22, 2011

13 days later....

and I can happily say that I have a 10k PR.  Actually it's my first 10k as a married lady! (2 years tomorrow is our anniversary! WoW!) 
I ran in 47:43 which is a definite PR as my last 10K in 2008 was 51:34 Yippee!! 


I ran at the Saratoga Spa State Park in the Great Pumpkin Challenge to benefit Saratoga Bridges!! I received a great shirt and there were people dressed up! There was a 10k and 5k (Some friends ran the 5K) 


Here's how it all went down: 



 Woke up at about 7:20 got some coffee going and ate some cereal (i am in LOVE with cinnamon cheerios and chex!) and then waited for my co-worker to pick me up for the race.  She called me about 10 minutes after 8 (she was supposed to pick me up at 8) and said she was lost.  I told her to relax and she was all in a tizzy.  She ended up finding my house and we drove to the park where it was held and had to search for a LEGAL parking space.  We found one after about 10 minutes and then made our way to packet pick up and bag drop.  We found two of my other coworkers and chatted for a bit while waiting for the race to start.  We head toward the start I took my gu then did a quick warm up jog before lining up.  The race had about 2000 runners and it took me about 45 seconds to cross the mat.  The first mile or so I was going around people but i found my rhythym.  
Mile 1: 7:38 
Mile 2: 7:41 
Mile 3: 7:23 
Mile 4: ?? did not register on my cardio trainer app 
Mile 5: 7:54
Mile 6: 7:45 

Definitely positive splits but the first 10K was flat and the 2nd 10k was HILLY. There as one hill after mile 4 and then you went down the other side did a loop and then back up the hill you went down .  It was pretty crazy.  I felt really good throughout and I'm really glad that I did so well. (Considering I ran a marathon 13 days ago)! 

I am overjoyed at my feat and  I'm feeling pretty good.  It was a beautiful day to run.  Next up: Improving my 5k time.  I have been running so many longer distances that 10k and 5k have really been on the backburner.  

Time to dig in to my tortilla chips and hydrate with coffee and almond milk ( I life live on the edge...I'm aware!) 


Monday, October 10, 2011

Marathon...I get it now!

So my first marathon was back in 2007(Walt Disney World Marathon) ...Let's go over some of the things that have occurred in those 4 years and 10 months shall we:

-Graduated with my masters
-Got my first "real" job after college
-started paying my student loans off (wow I feel old...i will paying these for a while!! )
-Got engaged
-Got my second "real" job (my current job that I LOVE!)
-Got Married
-Went to Spain
-Went to Hawaii
-Ran  Many Many Half-Marathons(2 half's equal a full right?...i kid i kid!) since but no marathon...Until YESTERDAY!!

So yesterday was the day that I've been waiting for since sometime last year...

The Mohawk Hudson River Marathon


I can't remember when it somehow feels like a blur.  Let's talk about some numbers that brought me to this Marathon shall we:
7:pairs of shorts tried out until i found the magical
 Lululemon all sport shorts..they held my gu and they provided me the comfort so that I did not chafe (SCORE for you Lululemon!)
6: miles that I wish didn't exist during the marathon ( that would be mile 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) ...those were the least amount of fun!
5: Months of training that brought me to the start line.
4: Gu's on my person that were consumed during the race. I bought a box of back in July and I'm proud to say that I only have a few left thanks to marathon training.
3: the Pairs of Asics GT-2160 sneakers worn during training for the race.
2: The number of sore legs afterward
1: Happy Girl that met her goal of sub 4 hours. Official results are not yet up but I believe it was 3:56.

I was so happy to meet my goal I set for myself...However by the end of the night I was already plotting my next step....I am the first to admit that I've become so into running and love the way it makes me feel and just want to keep running.  Although I can't do that right now (remember Marathon...) Asic GT-2160's we will have a date soon...not serious but a date nonetheless!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

7 days out...OMG!

So marathon day is NEXT Sunday...whoa unbelieveable! 7 days aka in a flash!! This week flew by.  I ran in the Race for the cure yesterday in 23:35.  I am happy with my time as the first mile was bobbing and weaving through many fine folks as I was in the back of the pack...however I am so close to this marathon I didn't want to mess it up and I am happy to have been a part of helping for breast cancer :-) So many thoughts are going through my mind right now I am just having a plethora of thoughts and the inability to write it all down...so i will leave you with this 



Last Seven people I talked to on the phone:
  1. Mom
  2. Christopher
  3. Dad
  4. Credit Card Company to fix my payment :-) 
  5. sorry
  6. TEXT more...can't remember haha! 
Last seven meals I ate: 

  1. Tomato Soup with veg chic patty 
  2. Party sub with Polenta casserole...yum! 
  3. Blueberry mini bagel with dubliner cheese
  4. Blueberry Chobani with cinnamon chex
  5. Pizza
  6. Pizza
  7. Apple Fritter
Last seven places I’ve traveled:
  1. Enfield, CT 
  2. Syracuse, NY 
  3. Whitesboro, NY 
  4. Aruba 
  5. NYC aka Manhattan aka UES
  6.  Whitesbor, NY 
  7. NYC aka Manhattan aka UES 
Next seven places I will go 
  1. Stroudsburg, PA
  2. Manchester, VT
  3. New York City for nyc marathon! 
  4. Sagamore Resort Bolton Landing, NY 
  5. Whitesboro, NY 
  6. Syracuse, NY 
  7. Massachusetts 
Last five workouts:
  1. 2 mile walk after race for the Cure
  2. 5k Race for the cure + 2 mile warm up/cool down 
  3. Spinning class
  4. 8 mile run 
  5. 2 mile run 
  6. 1 mile run post body pump
  7. Body Pump 
Seven things making me happy right now:
  1. It's Sunday aka NY Times reading day aka relax day 
  2. I'm in my PJ's at 9 am still! 
  3. Coffee 
  4. Sweatpants 
  5. My new rain jacket 
  6. October is here...my anniversary is around the corner and fall running is in effect 
  7. My Marathon is in SEVEN (seis) days away! WoW!!! 
Til next time....

Sunday, September 25, 2011

12 muddy miles...

Yesterday was my last double digit run before the marathon.  I slept in, took my time, and then parked near the finish line of the course that I will be running Hudson Mohawk Marathon.  I have ran on various other parts of the course to get a feel for the course and yesterday was INTERESTING to say the least.  Let's just say our friend

Hurricane Irene and the massive amounts of rain we have received since then has left it's mark on the course.  I started out happily going along watching some young teenagers doing their thing on the Hudson 
Oh little rowers what beautiful muscles you have.

Then it happened...I was just minding my business listening to some IPOD love and I came face to face with MUD.  At first, I thought this is ok I can do this but then it just got worse and worse and when I thought it could not get worse, I ran into a massive flood after I had already decided to take the roads back to my starting point.  There was a bridge I had to go under and under said bridge was water and lots of it.  I tried to go around the water and then i just got muddy, so I just went in it and got the soggy blues.  Fortunately, I kept on going and ran on the roads for the rest of the time.  I found my way back near the finish line of the marathon and stopped just short of the finish line.  I guess I'll take that as a good sign...The next time I see the finish will be October 9th.  Boo yah!

I leave you with 12 Random thoughts that pertain to my run yesterday

1. Mud + leaves are not the style in my book and never will be.

2.Eating at
 Dinosaur Bar-B-Queafter 12 muddy miles never tasted so good.  I enjoyed (every single bite) Texas Style Creamed Corn along with Tomato Basil Soup and a Pumpkin Ale.  Don't worry I also consumed copious amounts of seltzer water (love the bubbles).

3. Reese's PB Cup Friend-z's taste amazing post run as well.

4. Turning the shower to the hottest setting while doing my thing always sets off my smoke alarm...one day I will learn my lesson.

5. Thanks to the nice man who gave me paper towels at the bathroom after my run.  Paper towels after a nice sweatfest= love.

6. Thank goodness my new sneakers are heading my way and should be at mi casa by tuesday.  The pair I got muddy were on their last legs and were losing their mojo.

7. Running on mud may be just as scary, if not scarier, than running on snow/ice.

8. I dropped a water bottle off on a stoop so that I could drink it post run and it was not there when I came back 1 hr, 45 min. later...hmmmm...

9. Thanks to said mud this run was the slowest long run of my cycle. The mud was apparently god's way of telling me to slow down. Thanks for the sign!

10.The bathroom's at Stewarts that I have used lately are so clean and nice...Thanks , your clean bathroom's helped me get through.

11. Billy Joel is a genius

12. Wow....last double digit run before this marathon...remind yourself  Amy that you need to take it easy so you can meet your goals and make it to the finish line!

My mantra from now until October 9: Take it easy now so you can MOVE it later!

The good news is that I am a few miles away from surpassing last month's mileage so I know I can do this and take it easy.  I just need to remind myself!!!

Til next time...

Saturday, September 10, 2011

20 miles....20 random thoughts

While completing 20 miles this morning there were definitely more than 20 random thoughts going through my head but let's see if i can remember at least twenty of them....

1. wearing sunglasses while going through a tunnel is not a great idea...actually its really creepy and I do not recommend it....i <3 you Maui Jim's =love but preferably on the beach!

2. Oh big hill you are my biznatch

3. why is it that when you want a bathroom there are never any but when you don't need one they are everywhere...that was my dilemma at about 15 miles in...not cute at all! thankfully i found some hidden area to take care of business...thank you mother nature

4. remember to charge ipod before long run...because if you do not your Ipod may die during an epic Shakira song...those are the breaks that i am willing to take for the name of a run

5. Falling leaves while running make 20 miles more bearable

6. Thank you smartwater for getting me through 20 miles

7. Thank you espresso love gu...you are AMAZING! ;-)

8. My stomach has never made noises like it does after 19 miles...fortunately at mile 19 i am so close i can taste the finish!!

9. I love the wind in my hair while running down hill.

10. Running under  this was extremely satisfying....

11. That was nice of a random person to pick up my unwanted tshirt i threw after less than three miles...Thank you random stranger however I prefer the less is more look while running.

12. I am full of thanks while running...Thank you mizuno for making my new shorts however I wasn't too excited to pull them down several times...those are the breaks i guess right??

13.  Only (fill in number) more minutes until I am in my shower....

14. I need to get myself in gear...I have a baby shower to get ready for ...and a cold shower/bath to get into...

15. going up is not as fun as going down.

16. I would love to live on a house on the river...this one looks nice.

17.  The woman cleaning the window in this home...is she a cleaning lady or does she live there (random!! i know!)

18.  While passing the town dump I was thankful that my house was not directly across from the dump.  Not exactly the most pleasant smell...It also reminded me of the dump at disney...aww Mickey i miss you...

19.  I wish i brought some gatorade on this journey...

20.  I am sure some creatures are eating my clif bar at this moment...I will not be eating my clif bar during this run....

There were many more these are just the ones that came to mind first....Waking up at 4:27 and then 5:43 am on a Saturday were definitely worth it.  I am glad that I got 20 miles in before the marathon...Ready to run!! Less than a month and I'm out there for the big day!! So excited and thinking about it in my head!!

til next time....

Friday, September 2, 2011

An ode to 18 miles...AKA 18 good things about 18 miles.

As I was driving home from running 18 miles (OMG!) this morning I was like there have got to be 18 good things about what i just did...so here it goes...

1. mile 1=I started this thing and i WILL finish
2. mile 9=halfway there
3. mile 18=finished
4. Espresso love GU x2...I have this thing for caffeine and thankfully Espresso love GU helps me with that while I run.
5. The little man on my phone (CardioTrainer app) that tells me my mileage and pace
6. H20
7. Working on my tan while working on my physique
8. The fact that my legs are able to let me know they are still there even after 18 miles...
9. NEW running shorts that did not chafe during the run! Love you adidas! I also love the zipper pocket in said shorts
10. being able to run on the bike trail that was not under water.  I did however see a lot of brown mud out there but none on the path
11. SUN
12. Being able to think about EVERYTHING (and I am as random as they get) for approximately 2 hours 37 minutes .
13. 18 miles is more than halfway to the finish line of the marathon (which is approxiately 5 weeks away. OMFG)
14. After 18 miles anything edible sounds good to ingest
15. Downhills..I <3 the breeze in my hair
16. The uphills which mean a downhill can not be far off!
17. I know i'm not alone as I run and I find comfort that there are other crazies like me out there
18. Spi Belt..thank you spi belt for hold my phone so that I did not.

ok so i definitely found 18 good things about 18 miles....the best thing after the 18 miles was the amazing muscle soothing bath!! Yay!!

Now time to relax a little more than dig in to some food!!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Hello Summer(ish) weather

Nothing screams hello beautiful season (aka my birthday season) like waking up at 5 am and it being light out and running outside in the afternoon and breaking a swear in just a sports bra and shorts (yes..i like being (almost) naked while running...i don't like being confined in my clothes!!

I woke up this AM for a wonderful spin class with the most amazing music.  I really enjoy the spin instructor however there is this women that i always tend to sit behind and it drives me baananas and I have to get it off my chest or I might explode (ok I won't but still).  First of all, she is way to too to be "naturally" tan as we live in CP and god knows there is not sun like FL sun yet to be that tan.  Secondly, when the instructor says to pick up the pace i swear she just spins so face i get dizzy and want to get off my bike and give her a snickers bar so she can go on with the rest of her day....she's that insane it's like unbelieveable...words can not describe.  Third of all, ok i have no third of all...maybe she is a nice lady but I just can't get past the tan and crazy spinning of the wheel.  Rant over back to nice Amy.

After spin, I quickly showered dressed and headed to work.  Worked a full day (which in my case meant some fantastic outside time with my "boys" and then feeding some fish in the pond) went to one student's house where I was able to do what I love doing and hear his use his language appropriately (HUGE!)  After the work day was over, I drove into town which was followed by me attempting to find the most perfect place to park and stake out my run.  I ran and then took a pit stop (TMI Sorry) and then ventured out in the beautiful sun to run some more then stopped in the park to do some push ups and abs and then headed back to the car to call it a day (run wise).  I ran 4 miles total and was sweating like a mess.

That my friends is a beautiful thing.  I am now off to read my current issue of New York Magazine.  I just read Newsweek and learned a ton of info on Bin Laden and the Navy Seasl (I'm apolitical...Shout out to my GMIL for the newsweek subscription)

Time to go read in the sun

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Derby Day

In my house, Derby Day (the day in which the Kentucky Derby is run) is a big deal.  My husband is a huge horse racing fan and gambler in general and derby day is always something we look forward to.  It just so happens it also falls on (next year!) or around Cinco de Mayo.  This year it is two days later but next year my friends, next year it is on Cinco De Mayo, which means big things in my world.
Derby de Mayo  means:
-friends
-margaritas
-mint julips
-partay

unfortunately, that is next year.

This year means:
-husband + me at Saratoga Casino 
-friends
-chillaxin

A little recap as to where i've been/what i've been up to:
-Work has been busy ....Spring/end of the school year at my school means these bad boys  AKA tiring but soo fun my boys love it!
-Ran at the  last weekend for my friend.  It was a ton of fun minus the getting to the race late and starting late.  However I had a great time and it was a beautiful day for the zoo!
-also ran in Rye and got the view of the  and the wonderful Long Island Sound a view that never disappoints especially when viewed with friends.
-had a great brunch at  with my bestie while reading the Sunday times and drinking some champagne...AHHHmazing!!
-Celebrated Cinco de Mayo with some of my fabulous co-workers at La Fiesta.

Running has been going well I have had the pleasure of running to the golf course in the mornings and seeing the amazing sun shine over the golf course on my runs lately.  I <3 it.  I had a hard time this week getting out of bed at 5 am.  I did manage it on Wednesday AM for Body Pump ( Do not worry I also went monday night!) I am thinking of going again tomorrow AM before my family celebration of mother's day!
I'm so excited to have my mom and dad come visit for mother's day tomorrow!!

Ok time to get this show on the road
Saratoga Casino here we come!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

April sideways rain brings.....

-Sunshine hopefully!

So while my husband was leaving for work this morning he was watching out the door and i was like what are you waiting for and he said "for the sideways rain to stop".  ook interesting!! oh another note....

So March has officially ended and now we are into April (ok and April is almost done) A little recap of the past month:

April began with me hitting up MA with my ladies and we hung out and had a sleepover we also ran and then walked up Mt. Sugarloaf and saw this amazing view
Connecticut River Byway from Mount Sugarloaf

We also stopped by a few of my favorites  and also got our nails done! :-)

Travelling also continued this month and my mom and I went to visit my best friend in Rye.  We are preparing for the Bronx Zoo Run for the Penguins and we ran to the beach and back.  My BFF is not a runner so this was so fun to be able to experience this together.  It was a lot of fun and running to the beach is my FAVORITE (ok so I have a lot of favorites!)  We also went to Greenwich (CT not village) and shopped.  That was a lot of fun.  Mom and I also stopped off at Woodbury Commons and got our shop on.  I found a very cute bra top at Lululemon.  :-) score

Last weekend was my sister in laws baby shower.  I was the game planner and I had a lot of fun with that.  I am very excited for this baby to be born so I can buy cute little baby clothes :-) yay! I also got to run along the Erie Canal while in Syracuse for the shower and it was great. It is one of my favorite peaceful places and I'm looking forward to running there again this weekend when we go for Easter.

That brings us to this week.  This week is my spring break from school. Wooohoo!! So far I have slept in (big deal i am usually up at 5 am for the gym).  I also went to Body Pump ( in love with the new Pump  77) and got my run on.  I went to the mall yesterday (haven't done that in forever) and got my rings cleaned they are so shiny and I love it.  Last night I had dinner and 16 Handles with my girls :-) We also watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past but I fell asleep...I'll try to catch up on it today! :-) Still to do:

-Go work out with my favorite trainer this afternoon
-Dinner with the husband and friends tonight
-Golf possibly tomorrow
-Wedding Tomorrow night!
-Turning Stone  Amy needs a new pair of shoes hopefully these Girls' Sperry Top-Sider® Authentic Original metallic leather boat shoes However there has been a mishap with these shoes....Fortunately for me my mom loves me a lot! unfortunately J. Crew is out of these shoes in size 8.  We used the amazing Red phone to look for a size 8 (or so we thought) and ordered them from LA.  However, when they arrived at my door yesterday, you can only imagine when I opened the box up like a kid at christmas and i found a size 7. too small too small.. Boo Hopefully something can be done as these shoes are AMAZING!!!

Ok enough rambling for now...til next time
-

Saturday, March 26, 2011

NYC half marathon love AKA 1:41:59

Almost one week ago, I ran the  for the second year in a row.  It was amazing last year and I couldn't wait to come back again this year.  Race day I was ready after training pretty hard since the Disney Half marathon in January.  Woke up around 6:30 a.m. and jogged over to the starting line.  It was pretty crazy that it wasn't even light out and there were sooo many runners at the park.  We were all here for one reason (to get to battery park...DUH!).  Michelle and i said our goodbyes once we got to the park and we headed to our corrals.  I made one last pit stop to the porta potty and then ate my espresso luv gu as I entered the corral.  As the gun went off all I could think about was how much colder it was than last year.  The gun went off after what felt like 7 million years in the corral (it was less than 15...i exaggerate).  and we were off.  I felt pretty slow starting out with so many people but then got into a groove.  The loop around the park was beautiful and all  I could think was this is hard...I can do it!! I can do it!! My music led me around the loop and then finally out onto 57th street.  The rush that I feel after leaving the park is unbelieveable.  I took 2 clif shot blocks at mile 4 and mile 6 and then again at around 8 or 9 can't remember.  All i remember was seeing the Disney Store along the route and thinking I need to go there ASAP.  Heading out onto the West Side Highway was tough and i walked through a few water/gatorade stations.  I just kept chugging along.  Once we got closer to the finish (around 11) I was like 2 more miles Woohoo!! I crossed the finish line at 1:45 on the clock (I forgot my watch at the apartment and wasn't going back).  I figured it was about 2 minutes off and was happy with that time considering how hard it felt!! I later found out that I was 3 minutes off of the clock with a net time of 1:41:59.  I was so beyond happy with my time and completely surprised considering how hard it felt...but I guess that's what it takes to run hard!! All in all I had ana amazing race and for a few days after I felt beat up but I'm on the mend and getting ready for the next race.  My friends and I are running Run for the Wild in the Bronx Zoo on April 30th.  So excited.  This week has been a recuperate week for me.

I woke up Monday Am for and made it through the day hobbling.  Tuesday I ran 2 miles at the gym after work. Wednesday I went to  in the AM again Thursday I ran 3 miles outside in the frigid cold (really weather ...get the spring memo or what?)  Friday I woke up and went to Spin at 5:30.  Pearl Jam was played and I was a happy lady.  This morning I slept in a bit and went to .  Before pump I ran a mile on the treadmill and then hopped back on after pump for 1.2 miles.  I wish it was warmer out so i can pound some mileage outside.  We shall see.  It is supposed to be almost 40 tomorrow(aka heatwave here !) so I am hoping to get out there and make friends with the fresh air!!

Tonight is dinner with friends and I am in charge of making a salad.  Off to the store...