#cyclesanity

Training is starting to feel good. Miles, workout, cross and recovery. As you all know I love that spin class. Which coach makes me work harder, no comment. The day after Cyclesanity I just worry, can I even train hard the day after. So I got to the gym, eventually, well it was saturday morning, started my run around 8:30 and had decided on 4 miles, That is what Marc had set as the plan, let's not tell him yet I am trying to work just a little harder to make of for later year.

I did my normal warm up mile, not slow 9:15, ok a little slow, and i am feeling ok. I did another mile and I am just thinking bullshi* lets just do the 5 I had planned. Treadmill reprogrammed ;-) time to have some fun, 3 miles now, not killer miles, 8 or 9 tomorrow, just lets just make sure we know why we are here. Work, simple, I have a goal, let's do some work! a little over 26 minutes later, done. 5 miles, 44:41, the last 3 miles 26:08 not a bad training pace, and I did not use everything up before tomorrow's 8 or 9 miles.

It was a bit surprising, I am not good at running past the number I said in my head, at the end another mile would have been fine. But I am going to save it all for tomorrow.

if its at all warm, (25+) I just might run outside. if not i have my indoor treadmill 9 miles planned. 5 miles full clothes and shoe change and 4 more miles. 9 very controlled miles. 

This morning about 67 minutes after I set out on my last long run before the Atlantic City Marathon, there was lots running through my head and I hadn't even started yet. they were thoughts of where this all started. September 27, 2009, That was my return to racing. a half marathon in Jersey City NJ, an inauspicious beginning. 2:11:21, a slow methodical start to a quest I had thought about long ago. Boston, not just running it but qualifying. 

This morning was not the end of a journey, I still haven't qualified but, I have done wore that ever thought I was capable of, More miles, more Personal Records, more focus, more commitment. 

Next sunday is not one of those races where, I just know I am going to crush my previous best and that will be enough, Sunday is an attempt to qualify, 3:40, holy crap, thats a scary time. It's interesting that even with missing 10-14 days of good hard training the least 6 week do to getting married ;-), I feel great about about going sub 4 hours, running maybe 3:48, 60 minutes off my previous best for the marathon, it would also only be the 3rd out of 5 marathons I would have completed. 

Missing those training days had me disappointed, but running is not my job so its balance. Balance between, home, my partner, family and work. I remember Chris (my husband) walking with me miles 19-21 in miami, fighting off the muscle spasms, lifting my spirits. Then barely a year later wanting to run with me, races and together ( I did have to learn how to do that, we are both solitary by nature and guard our alone time, so its hard for me) running is my time to relax, relieve stress and just feel a bit free. 

This morning, 8 miles after 2 days of my Cyclesanity spin class and a run before yesterday's class, I would have been satisfied with 1:12:00, yesterday, I can honestly say I was hurting a little and sore but, that was my plan. going in to today a little tired, just visualize the last 8 miles of the marathon. It's just going to hurt. 1:06:33, 8:19 pace I can only smile. All I was trying to do was get into a comfortable pace, something sustainable, my plan just do marathon pace for the 8 miles, as I took off I figured it would be an 8:40ish pace, somewhere near a 60 minute PR. 3:48. 

I stopped for something to drink in Williamsburg, 4.2 miles into my run, now lets just get home. The pace was there on the way out, I was a little surprised at how my pace had picked up after the first mile and was consistent, it was BQ pace, not bad considering the last few days of training, now after a hydration stop would it be there? It was!

In fact it was a strong last 4 miles, again they hurt just a bit as I pressed, not really knowing what my elapsed time was. By now you all know I can't do math, even simple math past mile 2. so when i saw just over 66 minutes, I was pleased, pleased at the time, the effort and that it was over.

The title to this post is "Just over 4 years ago was the beginning" and that is what this is, just the beginning. I was a bit sad as this morning's run started, for the first time I was close, close to the goal, a goal that at times has seemed so far away, almost unattainable. Now, it is within reach, whether I qualify next weekend or next May, it almost doesn't matter, I have worked my way close, closer to the goal that ever before. I remember my mentor telling me once, "be prepared, prepared for success. You will reach your goal and you must have something next, something next to work towards" That is how I felt this morning, success is close, the peak of the mountain is in front of me. "Now What?" Luckily I could even just for a little while bask in the light of success, not a BQ (yet) but shedding 40 pounds, erasing every record from my youth(s) ( I think I am on my 3rd). I can see a minimum of 2 more years of racing. Enjoying a few more years of 1,000 plus miles of running for the year. Maybe even a few more medals, being at the top of the list. I used to think of 8 miles as a long run taking at least 80 minutes, now i can see being done with 8 miles in under an hour. 

Today I also reach 900 miles for the 3rd year in a row.

My next post as a guest blogger on my running coach's , Marc Pelerin, Train with Marc blog. I can't imagine not having Marc guiding me through the last few years, the stupid mistakes, over training, over racing, no race strategy. I can only thank him for helping me to get this far.

  "The real workout starts when you want to stop"

Today I was supposed to meet my sisters and my mom for lunch, Mom suffers from Alzheimer's and I guess today was one of those challenging days, they could not get her ready to come into Brooklyn, hence the more interesting run tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a 10-ish miler, but I have to run on Long Island, not that it matters too much, I am going to run out there, here is the catch, I am taking the train to Ronkonkoma NY, one of my sisters will meet me at the station (still nothing interesting yet) then I will run from the Long Island Railroad Station to my childhood home. Depending on the route, 11-13 miles, I could see my sister's eye's rolling a bit but....

It's been a very busy week for me, got all but one of my planning training sessions in, I missed the double (cross train in the morning + run in the afternoon) but I made up for it with an extra good spin class will Jillian at her  Cyclesanity class Friday. BTY even if you pace yourself it still hurts!

next Saturday is NYRR Pride Run in Central Park, My partner Chris and I will be running it together, he has the day off. By together, I mean we are doing the same race, I am hoping he lets me start in the front, where I think I am seeded.

more on the race later

Today was the end of week 1 of "active recovery", my legs are still a little slow from the Brooklyn Half last week. I had a good workout then a spin class yesterday morning. All good reasons for taking another day off or ending the workout a little early. Everything set up, excuses and all, to just go shower  and call it a morning. I was even sitting at my locker, water bottle was there so i had to go back to get it before the spin class I signed up for this morning.

I guess that's the point, I have a few Spin instructors who I really like taking their class, it's not really a class, its training and motivation. There are some instructors who I won't say you can sleep through their class, who really can sleep through a spin class?, but you personally have  to make it challenging. Not so in Jillian's class, Cyclesanity, it intrigued me the forst time I saw it in the studio cycling class list at Equinox. An hour class, most are 45 minutes: class description:

Experience Cyclesanity a high-energy ride created and delivered by Jillian Wright with her unique ability to inspire and motivate. She brings her Cycling principles of tempo drills, intervals, threshold efforts, anaerobic attacks, time trials, sprints and hills. The end result euphoria!

Sounds like pain to me, I mean a great workout :-)

Even on Memorial Day sunday at 10AM the class was full, I remember being a Cyclesanity virgin, spend over a pool (Olympic size) of sweat, she didn't laugh, it added to her motivation. 

This morning I could not bring myself to just shower and go home, I was here, I would feel guilty the rest of the day. I figured I would pace myself through the hour, hahahaha, its kind of hard when she looks at you and asks "are you really working hard enough? you know why you are here" its only 4 hill climbs, 6, 8, 10 and 12 minutes for the climbs, of couse she left out the last 10, yes 10! sprints in the last 6 minutes, no way to fake those! Or the sprints in the middle of the climbs. 

Its the same for me on the long runs, choose a route, where there are no "escape" routes, then I get the planned miles in, usually more.

What Jillian doesnt know, until now, is that Cyclesanity is an important component in my overall race training, low impact, high intensity, I certainly have never felt I had to "enhance" one of her classes so it reaches my planned intensity level!