back to wacky sleeping

My plan for flipping to a night schedule was to stay up really late on Saturday night and then sleep in as long as I could on Sunday.  Well…I went to bed around 4am and was wide awake at 1pm.  Gah.  Laying in bed for another hour yielded no results so I woke up and headed out for a run.  Since Sunday was the day after the 10k, I ran about five miles and kept it easy…I’ll admit that five miles seems like a warm up and it was over super quick.

Sunday, January 29
5.24 miles in 41:58, avg pace of 8:01

I got home and put up my blackout curtains and fake napped before heading into work.  I was definitely super tired to the point of being nauseated, but I made it to 8am and was passed out in bed by 8:30am.  That’s somewhat impressive.

Hey, look!  Black out curtains!

After waking up every two hours until I finally got up at 5pm, I went for another short but sweet run before work.  Five miles around the reservoir is always one of my favorite runs, especially if it’s on the darker side outside and you can see all the nights of midtown.  So pretty!  Too bad I don’t run with my camera…

Monday, January 30
5.17 miles in 43:17, avg pace of 8:22

nutrition talk

One of my goals for this round of night shift is to work on my nutrition.  I have a tendency to end up just eating bowls of cereal for dinner/breakfast/whatever you want to call the meal I eat when I get off from work in the morning.  This is not ideal.  Night shift also tends to make me feel very snacky all the time, perhaps mistaking the feeling of being tired for being hungry.  While I can’t guarantee that I’ll give up brownies at 2am (they’re so tempting when I go to get some coffee), overall I’m going for a little bit of a revamp.  Before heading into work this week, I’ve taken to eating a piece of toast with some smashed avocado, sliced tomato, cheese, and a bit of pepper.  It is delicious.  When you add a sliced banana on the side, it looks like a smiley face:

Smiley face?  Tomato slice eyes?  Banana smile?  Yes?  No?

So I think I found myself a new go-to pre/post-work meal.  At work, I have a full meal to eat sometime around 12-2am-ish, and I’ve been taking a yogurt and some granola to eat around 6am.  This is nice because then I come home and go right to sleep!  Otherwise when I get home I’ll probably just eat anything in sight.  That’s never a good idea.  Three nights of good nutrition down, many, many to go.

don’t you dare touch my coffee

I saw this card on etsy, and that would be one lucky man who would meet these qualifications:

Coffee with milk, please.

I had somewhat tapered down my coffee intake after being on day shift, but the caffeine intake is back through the roof.  At my most recent doctor’s appointment, the doctor asked about how much caffeine I consume, so I told her…and she looked at me like I was crazy.  I told her I work night shift, although I really wanted to be like, “What?  You were a resident once, you know how it is!”  But I kept that to myself.  Instead, I continue to drink coffee in large quantities and often at 2am.  Totally normal.

After my shift on Tuesday night, I climbed into bed with 2am and tweeted this:

Sara apparently saw my tweet and actually followed through on it…I didn’t realize what was going on and simply thought my alarm on my phone had a mind of its own since it was going off every five minutes.  Oops?  I woke up at 2pm and drank some more coffee.

You are so tasty.  Especially in a San Francisco mug.

I headed out for a run, which I like to call a “zombie run” because I’m not totally awake for those runs.  It was an unbelievable 62 degrees outside, so shorts and a tshirt was super comfortable.  This is definitely giving me a false sense of what it’s really like to train for a spring marathon!  Crazy.  However, you won’t find me complaining one bit.  Despite being mostly mentally awake, my legs didn’t feel that motivated, although my pace would appear to show otherwise.  With the 62 degrees, I couldn’t possibly complain about what I felt like.

Wednesday, February 2
8.36 miles in 1:04:26, avg pace of 7:43

That’s nice.  I like you, warm weather.

so that whole night thing

One week of nights down, fifteen to go!  It’s like marathon training…except not really.  This time around I’m hoping to try and cope with it okay…I know some people do fine on night shift, but how I adjust definitely varies from week to week.  I’m off until Monday night (hooray!), so I’ll be back to a normal schedule just in time for the weekend…which bodes well for the social aspect of life…hooray!

I’ve got big running plans for this round of night shift, especially since Boston will occur on this four month stretch!  Here’s to some good running, good nutrition, and good sleep this time around.

Now seeking:  People who want to run at 5pm or 8am.  Pace doesn’t matter, just an ability to understand that I can be a grump.  Ha.

We hopped off the subway and started walking towards the park.  Eissa was right behind us so she joined us in our smart phone led journey to find the starting line.  Soon enough we found it and dropped our stuff off…this meant the pants and sweatshirt came off, leaving me to race in shorts and a light long sleeve shirt.  (Plus headband and gloves, I’m not too crazy.)  Jocelyn, Laura, and Laura were also around, so there was plenty of company.  Betsy and I hit the port-o-potties before jogging over to the start.

on the line

I guess I missed the announcement by the race director that the timing mats weren’t working and the back ups didn’t arrive in time, so this little 10k turned into an untimed fun run.  Not going to lie…I didn’t trek all the way over for a fun run!  Oh well, it wasn’t a goal race and was more for the hot chocolate, so I’ll survive.  I don’t even know how to run a 10k.  So that’s fine.  Soon the gun went off and away we went.

Just as a side note before I give a not-so-detailed race report:  This is my third 10k in my life.  For my first, I was a freshman in college with no idea what I was doing.  For my second, it was the Mini 10k…it was hot and humid, and the night before I was out until 1am drinking beer and eating nachos.  So my PR wasn’t exactly a stellar time.  Moving on.

lap one

I’ve only run in Prospect Park once in my life, so I don’t know the ins and outs of it like I do Central Park.  This can be a good and bad thing, as sometimes it’s nice to know what lies ahead and other times it’s not so fun.  The gun went off and we started up “the hill” in Prospect Park, which isn’t so bad on fresh legs.  I saw Megan in front of me and probably spent about a mile catching up to her.  Caught up to her and we chatted along for a little bit, holding a somewhat steady 6:45-ish pace…aided by some downhills.  That’s nice.  We noted some random mile markers stuck into the ground, but meanwhile just kept running.  The first lap went by pretty quick.

lap two

Uh, hello there, hill on the second time around.  Megan slipped ahead of me and I slowed wayyyy down.  I’m mentally not all that super at running up hills (perks of being from the Prairie State…), and I have no idea how to run a 10k anyway…so the mile up the hill slowed down to a solid 7:23.  Oops?  I knew it’d be better once I got up and over the hill, as there’s a downhill on the other side.  Mentally I wasn’t into it and I guess it shows.  I definitely felt much better once the hill was behind me and just concentrated on getting to the finish line.  I could tell I was running faster and saw some people up ahead to try and catch…hi, Harrier girl!  I caught her and that was nice.  As I got closer to the finish, I couldn’t actually remember what my 10k PR was, but I figured I’d be beating it.  So that’s nice.  Sped through the finish, 10k, done!  Thank goodness.

Saturday, January 28
6.2 miles in 42:33, avg pace of 6:52
Splits:  6:47, 6:39, 7:23 (ouch), 6:40, 6:37, 1:31 (6:31 pace)

hooray PR!

That’s a PR by about a minute, so I’ll take it.  Overall it felt more like a tempo run than any sort of race.  As I said, I have no idea how to race a 10k, and I certainly didn’t taper for this at all, so I’m okay with the effort.  I certainly wasn’t running all out and never felt like I was going to die, so I think if I trained for more speed I could probably drop my time a bit.  But that’s neither here nor there, and I like running marathons.

hot chocolate and brunch for the win

I was most excited about this race because instead of another cotton tshirt to add to my collection, they gave out mugs!  If you know my coffee obsession (back to night shift tomorrow night…), then you know this is a winning combination.  I’ve also taken to drinking more hot chocolate during this (mild) winter, even better. 

Yay Brooklyn mug!

I’ll probably be drinking of out this tomorrow.  Also, behind the mug is a really old picture of my dad and me (I think I’m four-ish, but you can’t see me in the picture), and it’s one of my favorites.  Hi dad!

Post-race, Betsy, Jocelyn, Laura, Laura, and I headed to brunch at Tom’s in Brooklyn.  We only got a little lost, but it was a nice, sunny day so no complaints from me.  The wait at Tom’s was only about five minutes…not too shabby.  As solemates, Betsy and I split a broccoli and cheese omelet and banana walnut pancakes…seriously, find a friend who will split such things and keep them close always.  Best idea ever.  Also, the pancakes were delicious!  Highly recommended.

Overall, not too shabby of a start to a Saturday.

double time

In my mind, I had hopes for a few warm up and cool down miles at the 10k to up my mileage, but that didn’t happen.  Oops?  I figured I had enough time to head home, take a nap, and head back out again for a few miles.  I’ve never doubled in my life (unless you count relays), so I wasn’t sure what it would be like.  Just before napping, a box arrived from the SF Marathon, so I knew what I’d be wearing on my run!

I don’t wear hats…ever.  I think I look funny in them and they never fit my head correctly.  When I played softball, we wore visors…brilliant.  But anyway, I kind of like this hat!  Anyway, I headed to Central Park to rep the marathon and get in some easy miles.  My hair was still wet from my post-10k shower….as was my sports bra.  I need to do laundry, okay? 

Anyway, off to the park for some easy miles.  People have asked me about my other SF Marathon shift before, so it really does work to run around with it on.  Today was no different, except the person who stopped to chat about it was none other than another NYC Ambassador, Emily!  She was wearing her shirt as well, so that worked out perfectly.  We chatted for a few minutes before going on our way.  If only I had run into Mark in Brooklyn this morning!  We’ll arrange an actual meet up one of these days. 

Back home and second run for the day was done…I like it.

Saturday, January 28, ROUND TWO
6.18 miles in 49:12, avg pace of 7:58

Soooo probably not as easy as I should have taken it, but oh well.  Not too shabby for two runs today!

So anyway, let’s get on with it!

red

The Boston Marathon released the colors for the marathon for this year.  One of the things I was looking forward to the most about running Boston the first time around was buying the jacket.  I like to think I’m rarely materialistic, but I really wanted one.  It symbolized the hard work it took me to get to Boston and I always looked at people with envy when I saw them wearing them.  Anyway…I have my jacket.  I like it.  It’s a conversation starter (hi, Ben).  Also, it’s teal and hard to miss.  I didn’t think I’d want another one for running Boston this year (how many marathon jackets does one really need??), but they look a bit like this:

THEY’RE RED.  I LOVE RED.  I went to Maryland.  It may and or may not be in the name of one of my best friends.  Pretty sure I’ll be swiping my credit card at the expo for this guy…

harvard sailing team

I saw this on Jocelyn’s blog and nearly died.  I literally laughed out loud.  I would love to see them live!

Highlights:  “I shared a bagel with…the garbage.”  and “Besties with testes!!”

I’m dying, that’s way too funny.

it’s 58 in january

I went running today (shocker…).  It’s January 27th and I went running in shorts and a tshirt.  Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture??  I was sweaty when I got home.  I can’t say I’m complaining, this mild weather definitely makes training for a spring marathon much, much more enjoyable.

So does the random guy who yelled, “Hey, wanna race??” at me while I was running up Park Ave.  We can race, sir, but I’m pretty sure I’ll beat you.

Friday, January 27
8.27 miles in 1:03:42, avg pace of 7:42

I promise it didn’t feel like I was running that fast.  oops.

10Ks

Maybe if I say that I love the 10k, then it will be true.  The truth is I have no idea how I ended up registering for the Brrrrrooklyn Hot Chocolate 10k for tomorrow, but Betsy is somewhat convincing, as is hot chocolate.  (Hopefully better organized that my last hot chocolate race…)  Per McMillan, a 3:09 marathon would mean that an equivalent performance at the 10k would be run at 40:16, avg pace of 6:28.  Uhhhh not so sure that one is going to happen.

Who knows, maybe I’ll become a speed demon tomorrow.  I’ve only run in Prospect Park once in my life, so maybe it’s where SPEED takes place.  Or maybe I’ll just drink lots of hot chocolate.  This is assuming Betsy and I can figure out how to get there…MTA is confusing us at this very moment.

I’ll be sure to keep you posted, this could be a disaster.

What do you think of the red jacket?  Are you still running in shorts?

Even after high school, I still managed to do speed work on my own despite not having a coach standing around with a stop watch.  Sometimes I miss having someone near me yelling out splits, telling me to pick it up, or just standing there silent if I was hitting my pace.  I suppose there is some satisfaction in knowing that you’re the only one who is pushing you.  As much as I would like to think you all care about my mile repeat splits, the truth is that you’re not all that invested in my running.  (Okay, Lauren might be…Boston 3:10 or bust…)

I sometimes miss the team aspect that I had in high school running (since I didn’t run for my college), as it was a group effort to get through speed work.  You could push and pull each other based on who felt good or who was better at that specific workout.  I wonder if I would work harder and/or run faster if I did team workouts (hello, CPTC, I wish my schedule wasn’t so wacky…), but for now I’m on my own…which is nice when I decide to do workouts at 2pm on a Tuesday.

I decided to take a page out of Lauren’s book and headed out for some mile repeats.  A nice little warm up over to the WSH and I was off.  Per Mr. McMillan, my goal time for repeats would be 6:12-6:26.  Oof.  I was certainly thinking something more like 6:35!  Those times sound fast.  It’s totally a mental game because I know I can run fast, but seeing numbers like that kind of freak me out.

But you know what?  Three mile repeats, no problem.  Maybe I should have bumped it up to four, but it’s still somewhat early in training so I was okay starting with three. 

Splits as follows:  6:21, 6:22, 6:22

I suppose that meets the goal and is definitely consistent if nothing else.  I’d be lying if I said it felt easy, although the first two really weren’t all that taxing.  I like that I can handle it.  I like that it was only a smidgen slower than my 800 repeats last week, and this felt much better.  Recovery between the repeats was half a mile at slow pace, so that was nice.

I’m pretty happy with this workout and think it’ll be a good base for what’s to come next.  Hitting fast paces should give me more confidence for future workouts (and races, more importantly), although I’m still not all that convinced.  Why would I ever think that 6:20 pace would be tolerable?  I guess that’s why you keep repeating such things.

Ten miles…check and check.

is this over yet?

I’ve been doing really well with getting myself out the door to run after work.  Needless to say, the only thing that got me moving today was that Maryland played Duke at 9pm so I needed to be home in time for that to start.  It’s all about finding some good motivation, right?  I decided that 5.5 miles (two lower loops of the park) would be the name of the game and that I didn’t really feel like wearing tights…so shorts it was.  Maybe it was a little on the chilly side for shorts, but it kept me moving.

Quite honestly, I spent the entire run wishing it was over.  As in, I got to the end of my block and wanted it to be time to turn around.  I tried to pull the pace back to make it more enjoyable, but more or less I wasn’t going to be happy until the run was over.  I survived and made it back to my apartment with four minutes to spare prior ot the start of the Maryland-Duke game.  (We lost, I knew you were worried.)

Wednesday, January 25
5.57 miles in 45:05, avg pace of 8:06

That’s fun.  Or not.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGGIE!

Quick, you have about forty minutes left to head over to Meggie’s blog and wish her a happy birthday!  Meggie is my favorite member of the medical side of the Sweat Squad, and I’m hoping that if I mention her enough times on my blog, her crazy IT band will get its act together and let her run again.  After all, I need someone to join me on runs at 8am when I head back to night shift on Sunday!  Plus, those miles fly by with medical chatter, and I’m glad that we can relate.  Also, she leaves comments such as these:

You just keep rocking those 8:10 miles. I’m ALL FOR HIT. BQ in 2012 BEFORE I BECOME A RESIDENT OR DIE? Motto for the year? Yes? When we run, I want to wear matching outfits that are medically themed. Just saying.

Your dedication to training while working as hard as you do is so impressive and inspiring. And, yes, I can attest to the fact that holding up patient’s body parts can, indeed, be very, very tiring. It’s my lifting. No need for a gym membership.

See?  You need to hit the roads again, ASAP, Meggie.  I’ll start working on piecing together our matching medical themed running outfits…hopefully they don’t look quite like this:

…or else I’m pretty sure we could kiss that BQ goodbye.  Just saying.

Do you like to do speed work alone or in a group?  What’s your best idea for the medical theme running outfit?

Anyway, I’ve sufficiently recovered from my speed workout last week, and thanks for all your opinions on it!  The fact of the matter is that I rarely run in an anaerobic state, so I suppose I need to change that…and get used to be it being much less comfortable.  With that, I present to you my long runs and recovery runs (as any run after a twelve hour shift should be…).

running long

I guess I’ve been doing this marathon training thing long enough (five years, yikes!) that I don’t really bat an eye when I have a 16 miler planned.  It’s just a long time to be out there, but I don’t get scared, I don’t always take water, and I don’t always take fuel.  (Hm, maybe that’s a problem…)  When it’s 22 degrees outside, I can manage without water.  And somewhere in the 20’s it was.  At first I didn’t think it was cold, but eventually it got there.  A mini-loops of Central Park followed by some time on the WSH (hello, Chelsea Piers) and then back home.  I was going to make it 18 miles, but I ran out of time in order to catch a train.  16 miles, done and done, and I don’t mind the fact that it feels easy.

Friday, January 20
16.14 miles in 2:05:15, avg pace of 7:46

That’s not long run pace, I suppose…

jersey never fails to fail

As I said, I needed to catch a train to Jersey, as my TERPS played Temple in basketball on Saturday, so naturally I had to catch them since they were so close.  However, an 11am game doesn’t bode so well for getting from NYC to Philly on time.  I hopped on a train to Princeton, as James was my game buddy and he happens to live there…convenient!  Not so convenient is having your train break down before it even leaves Penn Station, and then have it break down again somewhere in NJ so that we must switch trains part way through.  That 45 minute trip took about two hours, which doesn’t surprise me, as New Jersey still hates me even years later.  Luckily, I made it to Princeton and we got some beer to remedy the situation…I spotted Elephant beer sooo obviously I had to get it.  I was sad that the bottle didn’t have an elephant label on the main part of it, but I’ll take it.  I’m easily amused.

My main squeeze and his beer.

Woke up on Saturday morning with the best intentions of getting a run in, but at 7am the roads were covered in two-ish inches of snow and the one snow plow in the state of New Jersey had yet to make it to our neck of the woods.  James was going to stay back as his Achilles has him on temporary injury reserve, and the idea of sloshing through the snow while I pretended to remember a running route didn’t seem like the best idea.  Or, drinking coffee on the couch while watching Modern Family at 8am sounded like a better idea.

Needless to say, I didn’t run.  I might be okay with that.  It’s a very, very rare day when I get a day off from both running and work (a twelve hour nursing shift is hardly a rest day)…I’ll take it.  And off to Philly we went, battling the roads (it was a bit slippery), but we made it and watched the Terps take on Temple at the Palestra. By “take on,” I mean that we ended up losing…but it was still fun!  I got to see Julianne (check out her blog about her autistic brother, it’s pretty awesome), which is always a good time.

Gatsby dressed for the occasion.

So the Terps lost, but it was worth the trip.  Rumor has it they’re playing in the new stadium in Brooklyn next year, so you better believe I’m going to drag some of you to go see them.  (They will play Kentucky, so you better all be wearing red, okay?  You have nine months to buy a red shirt or find a way to fit into mine.)

post works runs

In case you were wondering, a twelve hour nursing shift is kind of tiring.  One of these days I should wear a pedometer to actually determine how far I walk in one shift, not to mention the strength training involved in turning 300 pound patients or holding their legs up for extending periods of time as we change their dressings.  It’s a serious workout, in case you were wondering.  Plus, twelve hours is a long time to do anything, and usually the last thing I want to do when I get home is go for a run…especially when it’s cold and dark.

On Sunday, I managed to squeeze out of work a few minutes earlier (all my patients left, that was nice), so I had no excuses for not getting out for a run.  It was a little on the chillier side, but off to Central Park I went.  Some people are nervous about running in the park at night, but I’ve found that sticking to the lower loop makes me feel safe, as enough people are out that I can always see at least one other person (or horse and carriage!). 

I ran three lower loops of the park, and I’m always amazed that no matter how tired my legs feel to start, I always feel better towards the middle and definitely when I’m done.  We have some crazy patients at work (mentally as well as physically what is being done to them), and one of the nurses told me that doing something disturbing (like we might do from time to time on the burn unit…) and then going right to sleep can lead to nightmares.  So as much as I might want to crawl right into bed, it’s good to do another activity between work and sleep, such as running.  Win.

Sunday, January 22
7.23 miles in 59:01, avg pace of 8:10

I’m also going to call that seven practice miles for when I pace Meggie this year.  It’s going to happen.

When I walked out of work on Monday (closer to 8pm than on Sunday…), it was a glorious 50 degrees with some drizzle here and there.  Even though my legs didn’t feel like it (especially after climbing to the fifth floor…), I couldn’t pass up 50 degree running weather in January, so I put on shorts and a tshirt and headed out the door.  A mini downpour greeted me after about half a mile, but it was short-lived and the rest of my run was glorious.  Call me a running snob, but the other runners out in the park at 9pm on a rainy night are definitely some serious runners.  (With scheduling issues, perhaps.)  And I happen to like it.

It was a little eerie on Monday night, as the temperature was warm but it got creepily cool on the southeast corner of the lower loop.  Fog took over this area and made it a little chilly!  Crazy what a different a half mile can make!

Creepy Central Park last night, compliments of Baker.

I managed another three lower loops for another seven miles.  I’m glad I discovered my go-to post-work run just when it’s time to switch back to nights.  (Two more day shifts, back to nights on Sunday…sad face.)

Monday, January 23
7.27 miles in 58:11, avg pace of 8:00

back to the light

Now it’s sunny and 50 degrees without any rain drops falling from the sky, so I think it’s time for some speed work.  Here we go…

That being said, in the past two weeks I’ve experienced two different speed workouts that theoretically should have been hard yet attainable…on the first one, I felt like I was on top of world.  (Flashback to The Juliana Theory…anyone?)  On the second, everything felt like I couldn’t hold pace at all.  Nothing was terribly different from week to week, yet one was very uplifting and confidence building, and the next made me truly wonder if even trying for 3:10 is a silly idea.

flying

Megan had posted about a workout she did recently, and I liked the idea of it so I wanted to replicate it.  The idea was three miles at marathon pace, then going into three miles at 15-ish seconds under marathon pace.  If you’ve ever read any of my race reports, you would know that I never go out at pace…I always go out too fast.  And then I die at the end.  It’s a problem, I’m well aware.  So this time around I think it’s important to work on understanding what marathon pace feels like so my legs get used to the idea and we don’t bust out those first miles in Hopkinton at sub-7s or something equally crazy.

For a 3:10 marathon, an even paced marathon would require running 7:16 miles.  26.2 times.  Honestly, that kind of freaks me out.  However, doing some pace work helps me realize that it’s not that fast.  It’s just a matter of hanging on.  However, I will have you know that I’m bad at running tangents, so I figure learning to keep pace somewhere between 7:10-7:15 would be best.  (Maybe I’m wrong?  Someone yell at me…)

So anyway, I headed out to Central Park with a mile warm-up and then headed into some marathon pace miles.  The first three?  7:06, 7:03, 7:05.  Oops?  I need my own version of someone who run will next to me and say, “You can run 7:03 if you want, but I’ll be right back here running 7:12’s.”  a la when I paced Meggie back in the day.  These miles didn’t feel super fast, so I was happy with that fact, although I realize that three miles and 26 miles are very, very different.  But I was happy with it.

Once the first three miles were up, I immediately shifted gears and moved into some faster miles.  I wasn’t totally sure if I should aim for a 6:55 mile or truly drop 15 seconds off what I had been running, but the fourth mile came through in 6:56.  That’s nice.  Feels good.  The next two miles?  6:45.  6:34.  You know what?  It felt awesome.  Well, that last bit didn’t feel amazing, but hitting those paces weren’t a problem at all.  I’m a fan.  I finished this workout feeling confident in my ability to go for it on Marathon Monday and run 3:10.  A confidence boost is definitely awesome…

Overall pace for the tempo was 6:55.  That’s nice.

crawling

After that workout last week, I had high hopes for my speed work today.  I decided on 800’s in order to my legs moving a little bit faster…I’ve never been a speedster and getting my legs go to fast is definitely something I struggle with,  but I was ready to take it on.  Since I’m still coming back to speed work, 6 x 800 with full active recovery sounded like a good idea.

Per Mr. McMillan, my pace for the 800’s should be 2:58-3:07.  McMillan…you’re on.  But not until a two mile warm-up.  Done and done, it’s windy out here, but let’s do this…

First and second repeats weren’t too bad, clocking in at 3:00 for each one.  Felt fast, but nothing crazy.  Gotta love fresh legs.  The third 800 was a little less fabulous…3:10, but it was a lot of uphill sooo I guess that’s not so bad.  Fourth repeat?  I want to die.  I’ve been having some minor GI issues lately (I don’t want to talk about it, especially if you’re going to tell me to cut down on the coffee…I go back to night shift in a week, okay?), and my tummy was a rumbling.  Luckily I saved myself from hurling on the attractive Columbia track team that was passing by, but I did take a mini break on the side of the road to prevent myself from doing so.  Minus that break, the repeat was in 3:01.  Not sure if that really counts.

After that little adventure, I wasn’t ready for two more.  The saving grace was that the fifth one was more downhill-ish, but I survived in 3:05.  The last one clocked in at 3:09, and I will admit that I couldn’t have gone faster at all.

So?  3:00, 3:00, 3:10, 3:01, 3:05, 3:09.  That doesn’t look so bad.  At all.  But I cannot even begin to tell you how horrible they felt!  My form felt awful, as if I was trying to sprint the entire time.  An 800 should definitely not feel like sprint, and the fact that my legs had no desire to turn over any faster was a bit discouraging.

At least the cool down was nice.  Ten miles on the day, that’s fun.

what happened??

I wish I could pinpoint one workout felt so much better than the other, other than the fact that that’s just how it works.  Mentally the second one was much more challenging, which perhaps was the main problem.  I couldn’t get into a zone and distracting myself worked for about eight seconds at a time.  I know the hard runs make you stronger and that my times were still adequate, but it’s still a bit discouraging.  Hoping next week’s workout is a little bit better!

Any tips??

Apologies for the wordiness of the post, sometimes I like to be able to go back and read about how my workouts went.  Anyway…how do you get through tough workouts?  Any mental distractions you have?  Mantras that you use?  Nothing was working today…

…nurses get paid time and a half on Martin Luther King Day?

One of the perks of being paid hourly instead of having a salary is that if I work extra, I get paid extra. (And overtime kicks in after 37.5 hours, win!)  Also, hourly employees are eligible for time and a half, so when I work on a holiday, it’s more money for the same job.  As my father would say, it’s like free money!  I didn’t think the MLK Day counted as one of the holidays where we get time and a half, but one of the more senior nurses informed us around 2pm that indeed MLK Day pays extra.  Ah, definitely a perk to working the holiday, especially one that isn’t Christmas!  I’ll be excited for that paycheck to roll around…

…that I would marry Ryan Reynolds in a heartbeat?

Ryan Reynolds is definitely at the top of my list when it comes to actors (obviously for his show stopping acting abilities and not at all for his abs…).  It’s also nice that he’s run a marathon in 3:50, which isn’t too shabby, and Ryan, this is my official offer to coach/pace/be your personal running buddy forever if you’re looking for some improvement.  Just say the word.

Anyway, back on track.  I don’t remember where I first saw this video, but it has Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Hall and made me laugh.  I might be easily amused, but I figure at least my female readership would like to see it:

“I know, Ryan, I’m an actor…I make stuff up all the time.  I’m also a licensed chopper pilot.” haaaa.

…that snow runs are the best runs?

Fact:  I’ve had terrible motivation lately when it comes to heading out for a run after work.  One of the few perks about working night shift is that I can’t use “it’s cold and dark, I might die” as an excuse not to run because it’s perfectly light out at 8am.  However, at 8pm it’s quite the opposite and any motivation that I have is usually zapped by the time I reach the fourth floor of my apartment building.  (Really bad since I live on the fifth floor…)

Despite a busy end to my shift and five flights of stairs to my apartment, I managed to get out the door for a run.  (It also helped that I finished giving report by 7:35…those few minutes make a huge difference!)  It didn’t seem terribly cold out, and I had planned for 5-7 miles depending on how I felt.  Running at night is a little tricky since some people are a little scared of Central Park, but I’ve found that I’ve never felt unsafe when sticking to the lower loop.  I can usually see at least one other person, and the road is visible from most parts.

I set out and comfortably ran somewhere around 8-8:15 pace, which I’m always happy with as a post-work pace, especially since any run done after a twelve hour shift is a victory in itself.  Two loops of the lower loop would have put me at about 5.5 miles for the evening, and I kind of hate being between miles, so I decided to make it just over seven.  As I started my third loop, I noticed something falling from the sky…snow!  I love snow runs because there is something peaceful about being outside while it’s snowing, especially at night when not too many people are around.  Central Park is super pretty with the Midtown skyline behind it, and it’s just awesome.  (And definitely less cold/wet than Snowtober…)

I ran along and a huge smile crossed my face…I’ve always loved the saying, “If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.”  Because it’s true.  Since I mentioned Ryan Hall above (hello, Olympic Trials!), it only seems fair to quote Kara Goucher as well:  “That’s the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.”

Monday, January 16
7.23 miles in 58:2, avg pace of 8:05

I wrapped up my run with a smile on my face and seven miles under my belt.  Not too shabby for a Monday.

Do you like snow runs?  Am I going to have to fight you for Ryan Reynolds?

getting down to business

Since I figured that the activities taking place in AC probably wouldn’t be conducive to a long run, I turned to twitter for some motivation to wake up Friday morning and get it done.  Luckily Lindsay was planning on heading out around 7am, which is a nice balance between the “Ah, must run at 6am so I can get to work!” crowd and the “Meh, I’ll wait until 10am…or 3pm” idea.  It was a chilly, windy morning, but we met up for a few loops of the reservoir before heading our separate ways.  (I’m hoping some of her speed with rub off on me for Boston…)  I managed 18 miles for the day, which felt fine, but with the wind I just wanted it to be over.  Also happy with the fact that I wasn’t running 7:40’s since pacing is a serious problem for me.

Friday, January 13
18.34 miles in 2:28:07, avg pace of 8:05

painting atlantic city RED…or maybe pink

The theme for the weekend was “Painting Atlantic City RED before Sara is wed,” which is a play on Sara’s name.  I took a bus down on Friday afternoon (why the bus needed to stop twice for the 2.5 hour trip is beyond me…) and arrived just before everyone else so I could start some decorating.  Sara and her carpool arrived shortly thereafter, with people trickling in as soon as they could.

Nothing says  bachelorette party like tons of pink…

Kimmy is super crafty and made this awesome sign.

In pure Sara fashion, the first thing that happened when she walked in the door (after hugs all around, of course) was pulling out dresses to start the decision process for what to wear each night.  Some things never change!

Sara’s picks.

Naturally I pulled out mine as well.  The dress on the right is a classic.

Since the ladies were going to be arriving at different times throughout the evening, we ordered pizza, turned on some tunes (Lady Gaga station on Pandora, check it out!), and took our time getting ready.  Brought me back to the college days with people doing each others hair with party music in the background.

Making the bride super pretty!

Ladies enjoying some pizza.

Yeah, that’s what you think it is…

After some bachelorette games in the room, we finished getting all dressed up and headed out to the Tropicana, home to plenty of fun bars for the evening.  We left our coats at home and lived in style as we took cabs four blocks to our destination.  Rockstars?  Maybe.

Because you only get to wear bride clothing once in your life…

Roomies!

That’s one good looking bridal party…

First up was a karaoke bar, where our request got messed up and we ended up singing the Backstreet Boys’ “I want it that way.”  And that DJ told us how horrible we were…that’s what you get for making us sing a slow song…

Singing/picture taking…

After our fill, we headed to a 40’s bar which was more or less just typical bachelorette party fun, complete with dare cards and plenty of dancing.  Last stop of the night?  A random casino bar with a DJ who loved the fact that nine girls showed up for his little party.  I also met a girl who lives about five blocks from in NYC, to which Sara immediately told her, “You know, she’s really quiet when you first meet her, but once you get to know her, she’s really a lot of fun!”  Thanks for looking out for me, haha.

More bar fun!

The night concluded around 3am (early by AC standards?) as we relived our college days and inhaled pizza like we’d never see pizza again.  Which is more or less just how it should be.

painting AC RED

I have no idea what came over us, but when we woke up on Saturday morning, Kimmy headed outside for a run while the rest of us went to the gym.  (I only brought shorts and it was freezing outside.)  For the first time in three years, I ran on a treadmill…if you ever want time to come to a standstill, I highly recommend treadmill running.  I can run for hours outside, but after about two minutes on the treadmill I wanted to throw in the towel…how do people do this??  I made myself last for half an hour, so that was nice.  But seriously.

Post-gym session, we got all cleaned up and put on our cute matching shirts to take on AC in the daytime…walked down the boardwalk, checked out the water show, and stayed far away from the beach.  AC in January is not meant for swimming, that’s for sure…

Ladies on the move!

Sara and future sister in law checking out the water…

After filling our bellies with cheap Chinese food (I love you, MSG), we headed to Caesar’s to do some gambling.  If you’ve ever gambled with me, you would know that I never come out ahead, unless it’s my first time playing poker and I more than double what I put in.  (When you start with $2.00, it’s not nearly that impressive…)  Anyway, we started with the slots since I had a dream on Friday night that Jessica won $50,000 playing the quarter slot machines…sadly my dreams did not come true.  The penny slots were just plain confusing, so we headed over to the craps table.  It was fun while it lasted, but I left $40 poorer.  However, I can see how people can easily get addicted to gambling!

You aren’t allowed to take pictures in the casinos, but no one notices when you take a picture of the fact that the purse holder in the bathroom actually serves much better as a coffee holder.  Just saying:

I’m so smart.

Pretty sunset on the way back.

After heading back to the hotel and dipping our feet in the pool for awhile, we headed out to Carmine’s, a family style Italian restaurant for dinner.  Basically, it’s a carb lovers dream…I haven’t been to a restaurant in a long time that presents you with a bread basket upon sitting down at the table, and I think I need to embrace that this marathon training season.  Just saying.  We started with some salad and followed up with giant plates of pasta.  Carbs, I love you.

Oh.  So.  DELICIOUS.

Attempting a table picture, thumbs up to Jessica.

Did I mention that we had some matching shirts??  Because nothing screams “Bachelorette Party” quite like nine girls walking around in matching shirts.  (Because apparently when the same girls walk around all dressed up with a girl wearing a tiara, boa, and a sash that says “bachelorette,” people think it’s a birthday party.  Really??)

Hooray!

We headed back home and spent a longggg time repeating getting ready to head out again, but the glorious part of AC is that it’s never too late!  We played a few games, listened to more tunes, and ate tons of these cookies that Kimmy made:

hahhahah love it!

Soon enough we were all gussied up and ready to head out for AC night two…

Evidence?

Pretty.  <3

MOHs!

We headed out to “the martini bar,” where I think only one person got a martini, but we managed to stay there for the rest of the night.  The music was good and the crowd was…interesting.  Many great quotes throughout the night, which I might butcher but here we go…

• After I told someone that I’m a nurse:  “You’re only a nurse?  Girl, you gotta get on that doctorate!”  And then proceeded to tell me how being a nurse isn’t good enough.  Excellent.
• Random guy:  “What’s your sign?”
  Allison:  “What does it matter?  I don’t believe in that.”
  Random guy:  “Oh, that’s cool, I’m atheist too.”
• Anyone who found out I live in NYC:  “Oh, you live there!  I work there!”  As if that’s a novelty or something…
• Random guy wearing a tie:  “You ladies are just using me…you think I’m rich because I’m wearing a tie.”
• Random people:  “How old are you?”
  Allison (to everyone):  “I’m 45.”
  Everyone, to me:  “You’re like 18, right?”  Oh dear.

Luckily the music was pretty good, so we just danced danced danced all night long…for the record, heels are much more painful than I remember them, and I’m counting five hours of dancing in them to be excellent cross training.  My calves and toes definitely agree with that statement.  Also, apologizes to anyone who had to witness my dancing, it’s not the prettiest, but I have a good time… 

Because I love Meagan in this picture…

After realizing it was 4:30 in the morning, Allison and I decided to head back while Sara and a few other girls wanted to play more craps.  (This is just what the casino wants you to do!)  Overall I would consider that a successful night…

back to reality

We woke Sunday morning (barely?) with enough time to check out and hit the road.  I grabbed the last seat on a bus back to NYC.  Luckily the trip back was pretty quick, although I waited twenty minutes for the E train to come before I realized it wasn’t running today…luckily tons of other people were waiting too, so it wasn’t marked well at all.

Despite my toes feeling the pain of the weekend, I knew I needed to get out for a run…I bundled up since the temperature was hanging around 20 degrees and hit the park.  As usually, I warmed up within half a mile and had a great run through the park.  I’m trying to keep my pace under control on easier runs, which didn’t go as well as planned, but I had hot chocolate waiting for me sooo I might have been speeding up for that. 

Sunday, January 15
8.24 miles in 1:04:49, avg pace of 7:52

happy bachelorette, roomie!!

I like to think this weekend was a good way to show that you can have your cake and eat it to…although this weekend was far, far from the picture of health, I did get my runs in as planned without distracting from the fun of the weekend.  It helped to have others in the party who also wanted to run or head to the gym!

Congrats again roomie, and I can’t wait for the wedding and celebrations which will be here before you know it!  Also, I can’t believe we’ve known each other for eight years…time flies when you’re having fun!    (I like to end posts just as I start them…ha)

But let’s backtrack…Sara!  We were introduced to each other during our freshman year, as we joined the same sorority.  During the first social event that our sorority held, we showed up wearing the same shirt, so that set us up to be attached at the hip that night as everyone wanted pictures of us together.  That pretty much sealed the deal, and we won “attached at the hip” during our sorority formal awards.  Win!  We ended up living together for the last three years of college, so we have many, many memories together.  So for this edition of it’s friday, i’m in love, we’re going to discuss some of the obsessions we went through during those three years.

the bubble game

We were reminded of this obsession earlier this week, as I read this quote in an interview on Outdoor Bound:

"You already sound superhuman, but if you could choose a superhuman power, what would it be?

Shoot bubbles from my fingers. Or teleportation. Maybe somehow incorporate both. Let’s figure out how to make it happen."

Sophomore year, we were obsessed what we called “The Bubble Game,” but was actually Bubble Trouble.  We played it for hours.  You’ve been warned, don’t click that link unless you want to be sucked in!  (I just got side tracked…told you!)

the OC

Does anyone remember this TV show?  We watched all the seasons throughout our sophomore year, and our bedtime routine involved watching an episode (or two!) on my computer before falling asleep.  If I saw it now I would probably think it was ridiculous, but we were obsessed.  My first ever time drinking involved buying a six pack of Smirnoff Ice and playing an OC drinking game we found online after we locked ourselves in our room.  Yes, we were cool.

brushing our teeth together

As college roommates, we had a bedtime routine, which was super important when we shared a room, as that’s not conducive to one person staying up later than the other.  SO we would brush our teeth together (sometimes while dancing, I believe), watch the OC, and go to sleep.  On breaks from school when I was back in Chicago and she was in Maryland, we would get excited about the back that we could still brush our teeth together from afar.  As I said above…yes, we were cool.

just the two of us

We found out during our sophomore year that we scored a two bedroom apartment for junior and senior year, so we adopted the phrase “JUST THE TWO OF US” as our little slogan.  Then one night in a our dorm room, we made up this video to Will Smith’s song with the same name.  You can view it here, but as a warning, we can’t rap.  Okay?  hhahaha.  Also, there was another verse, but it got cut off.  Oops.

s^2 reunions

Since her name is Sara and my name is Susan, we quickly became known as s^2.  Whenever we were apart for breaks from school, we got very excited when we returned to school and would have our reunion celebration!  Always a good time, and for some reason we really liked the walk back home from the bar.  Sara even bought me chips once. 

maryland sports

This picture is obviously post-college, as I am not in marching band uniform, and instead I am tailgating with beer in my hand.  I went to every single football game and (almost) basketball game, and Sara is a diehard Maryland fan who doesn’t even own a Duke tshirt despite being in her third year of grad school there.  TERPS!

matt wertz

Matt Wertz is a singer/songwriter who wasn’t really all that well known when we were in college, but he would come into our college town and play at one of the bars every so often.  He even played in the backyard of one of the frat house’s for a charity event…just him on a slab of wood with a guitar.  It was fabulous.  We loved him.  You should too, here’s one of my favorite songs.

buffalo chicken sandwiches

I almost forgot this!!  The diner at the University of Maryland had buffalo chicken sandwiches in their lunchtime rotation, and they were one of the most popular items on the menu.  We would check the menu listings for when it would be served.  Freshman year, Sara did work/study in the psych office, and I would bring her a buffalo chicken sandwich when I would come visit since she would miss it otherwise.  That’s love.

bed chats

When we shared a room sophomore year, we could chat whenever we wanted.  When we moved into the apartment and had our own bedroom, we weren’t with each other 24/7.  I studied a lot (surprise surprise…), and I’m a neurotic studier who needs a very controlled environment, so I would have my door closed.  When it was chat time, Sara would come and lay on my bed and we would chat for hours.  (Studying interrupted, I’m okay with that.)  I miss those chats on my bed!  Fact:  We unknowingly bought the exact same blankets and sheets for our beds prior to moving in.  Match made in comforter heaven.

the futon

After deciding to live together for sophomore year, we spent the rest of freshman year raising money for “the futon fund,” as we planned to bunk our beds and have a futon for our room.  It was an ongoing joke anytime we found extra money, although I think the real money for the futon only amounted to maybe a few dollars…we broke down and just paid for the rest.  That futon served us well during those three years, and I think Sara might still have it with her…correct me if I’m wrong!  (Also, thank you to Daniel and Joe for modeling the futon for me.)

and now…

running!

Sara wasn’t so much into running while we were in college (at all…), but last year she took up running and ran her first half marathon in the fall.  Then we ran the Hot Chocolate 15K…I can’t say I ever thought Sara and I would ever be running the same race, but she loves it!  Welcome to the club. 

So there you have it…we were awesome.  Now it’s time to spend some quality time in AC and hope that nothing happens that involves the 63rd floor!  (Don’t ask if you don’t know…)  Hair is curled, heels are packed…see you on Sunday!  (And someone live tweet/text the Olympics Trials tomorrow!  Thanks!)

Did you have any inside jokes/obsessions with your college roommate or best friend?  Let me know we weren’t crazy. 

Anyway, another one of my theories has come upon me from the song Blame It on Me by Parachute.  Compliments of Pandora I was introduced to this band and I’ve been hooked ever since.  Disregard the rest of the song, but the chorus of the song goes, "You can say what you want but it’s only getting better…"  Call me an optimist (working on that one!), but I like to think that life is always getting better.  There may be some setbacks, but overall things are pretty good.  It’s like that saying…everything is okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.  So we’ll stick with that.  We’ll relate it to entropy in that things are always in motion towards more randomness, or in this case, towards something better.  (That would be my nerdiness showing through…have you ever given a maid of honor speech sprinkled with physics references?  Yes, I’m cool.)

So enough of the "life is great" babble…on with the plans!  What do both you and I have to look forward to in 2012?  Here we go…

running

3:10.

I know I said it last year, but this year it’s going to happen.  Ali has confidence in me and that’s all you need, right?  After NYC, Jason told me to get ready for 3:15 in 2012…to which I said, “3:10, go big or go home.”  So we’re going big.  Back in the fall when registration opened for Boston 2012, I wasn’t sure I wanted to register.  However, Lauren is one persuasive runner and said we’d be running side by side to reach our mutual goal of running 3:10.  While we’ve never actually ever run side by side (only leg by leg in relays…), we have very similar PRs and I think pulling our strengths together will help us achieve this.  To say I’m nervous about it would be an understatement, but with hard work, training, and Lauren (and Eissa?  And Megan?  And Dorothy?) on race day, big things could happen.

Plus, I have this awesome photo frame compliments of Ali, just waiting for my 3:10 finisher photo.  I better have some company as I cross that line…

The Sweat Squad believes.

PR in the half.  I’ve only run half marathons either on a whim or on really hot (or cold?) days.  I’ll be running the NYC Half part way through Boston training, and I think it’ll be a good indicator of my fitness for Boston.  Which better mean a huge (sub-1:33) PR.

San Francisco Marathon.  I was accepted as an Ambassador for the this marathon, and I’m so excited to have an excuse to head back to SF to visit all the lovely ladies who I ran Big Sur with and to hang out in SF.  Plus, I told Meggie I’d pace her to a BQ if she runs it.  8:12 miles are all the rage, right?  The Golden Gate will not deter us…

NYC, round two

You better believe that I’m not missing the NYC marathon this year, not after how awesome this past year was.  You can have my $266 (or something)…I’m in.

travel

PERU.  Jocelyn, who I wish I got to know sooner, is ridiculously awesome and I was beyond excited when she suggested that we head to Peru together…earlier this year I wanted to go to Machu Picchu but chickened out on going with myself.  Definitely excited to hike the Inca Trail, and I know with Jocelyn it’s going to be even more awesome.

ELEPHANTS.  Did you know I have an obsession with elephants?  No?  You must have not been around that long.    I spotted this trip to Nambia to volunteer with elephants last year, but I guess a trip to Africa requires some planning and definitely some time off from work.  However, I’m hoping to head to Africa (maybe in December, post-marathon season?) because I think it would be amazing.  Come with me!

Surf!  No matter how much I love to run, that first time getting up on a surf board is pretty magically.  I need to recreate that, it’s been too long.

Best week.  Ever.

Probably somewhere else too.  Taking suggestions.  Current ones include Iceland and Italy with Elyssa,  I promise I’m a good travel buddy!

work

CCRN.  My unit is considered a critical care unit, and you can be certified as a critical care nurse when you take a test for it.  Simply studying for the test would make me a better nurse, as I don’t deal with all sorts of critical care on a daily basis.  Plus, who doesn’t need more initials after their name?

You might be an ICU nurse if you think this is funny…

life

Skateboard!  One of these days I’m going to learn to skateboard.  Between Baker and Jocelyn, it should happen.  I think the fairly mild winter (sorry if I just jinxed us…) provides and excellent opportunity for this to take place.

Grad school?  Or something?  I went into nursing with no particular plan on staying a bedside nurse for life, although the flexibility involved with my schedule (minus the Friday and Saturday nights…) would be really hard to beat.  I have multiple ideas on what I would like to go back to school for (if at all), so maybe I should get on that.

Cook more.  I do love my favorite Thai place, and I’m sure they know me by heart, but seriously…time to get back on the wagon.  Come over, I’ll make you dinner, I think food is best when shared.

Homemade falafel, don’t mind if I do.

Take advantage of this city.  I live in the best city in the world with so much to do.  Whether wandering neighborhoods looking for a good cup of coffee or checking out a musical (which I sadly have yet to do, oops?), I plan to see more of what’s right outside my doorstep.

Stay friends with friends.  We’re all busy people, right?  But I’ve made some awesome, awesome friends this year and I would like to keep them.  Plus, I have old friends to keep around too!  Something as simple as a loop of the bridle path or a cup of froyo can really work wonders.

be happy.  It’s silly, isn’t it?  I think we sometimes get caught up in needing to update facebook/twitter/the blog with something cool that we forget what really makes us happy.  Sipping coffee while reading the paper may not be blog worthy, but it’s the little things (love that website!).  As Megan said, “I end my nights happy and wake up most days excited about what lies ahead.”  I’m all in for that, the rest is the icing on the cake.

2012…bring it.  What do you have in store?