New York City Marathon - Week 2

No...sleep...til Brooklyn!

~Beastie Boys

Week 2 of training has me quickly realizing that training for a marathon during the summer is far different than training through the winter.  Don't misunderstand me...winter training has its own share of challenges, like icy asphalt, a polar vortex here and there, snow days, being allergic to the cold (it's a thing...I wrote about it here), and the fact that solid daylight is limited to the hours of 7am and 4pm.  But the one thing winter training holds in its back pocket is sleep.  If I'm going to run outside in the summertime, which 99% of the time I will, my butt needs to be up by 5am to do it.  For one, it gets hot quickly in Virginia Beach, and if you miss your window of quasi-pleasant temperatures, you're in for major suffering.  And two, my kids aren't in school so I have to finish my miles before Ryan leaves for work between 7 and 7:30.  Yup, FINISH double digit runs before many are even starting their day.  I'm getting somewhat accustomed to the early wake ups, but only because I'm begging my kids to go to bed by 9 so I can too.  I keep reminding myself that I just have one more month before they're in school and the temps chill a bit...feeling strong on the streets of New York will be worth the 4-something am alarms.

So now that you know you can text me at 5am and get a quick response, here's Week 2 in pictures:

MONDAY

5 miles with 20 minutes of tempo (4 x 5 min)

TUESDAY

5 easy miles with Karen 
Didn't get a pic of us together since we were both in a hurry to get to where we needed to be, but hopefully this will be a regular thing and I'll get one next time.  In the meantime, enjoy this photo from a few weeks ago when we met for another favorite pasttime...drinking beer.

WEDNESDAY

4 easy miles with 2 pick ups

The New York City Marathon course takes you over five bridges, so the sooner I get used to running over bridges, the better.  How lucky am I that I get to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic while I do it?

THURSDAY

P90X3 yoga

Didn't snag a photo of the yoga so I'll leave you with an accurate illustration about it.

+

20 minutes of swimming with a kickboard

Swimmer I am not.  No shame in my game using a kickboard, but there was a touch of moderate embarrassment when my 7 year old beat me to the wall on my last two laps.  Add "become better swimmer" to my growing list of goals for this training cycle.

FRIDAY

Long run - 13 miles with Sara and Cindy

Sara and Cindy are two bad ass mother runners who are training for the Chicago Marathon in October.  I was lucky enough that this was a cut back week for them and I got to have company for all 13 miles of my long run, on a Friday morning, no less.  We experienced a good, soaking rain followed by suffocating humidity and a grumpy McDonald's employee who wouldn't unlock the door for us to use the restroom, despite the sign on the door saying they should have been open for 40 minutes already.  I'm not mad...karma will come her way someday.

SATURDAY

4 easy miles

Some weird weather hit Virginia Beach this weekend, and I was able to start a run at almost 11am and live to tell about it.  Cooler temps, overcast skies, and a refreshing north wind made for some very pleasant recovery miles.  I also had the pleasure of running into who I can only assume is Lady Liberty's baby sister, who held her torch in the front yard of someone's Sandbridge beach house.  I gave her a quick smooch and carried on my merry way.

SUNDAY

"Rest"

 Cruised around Bay Colony for a solid hour before picking Brynn up from a sleepover.  Camryn squealed in delight going down the rolling hills.

I swam laps.  Again.  That's twice in one week!  We enjoyed another little bike ride to the rec center so Ryan could get his swim workout in, and I figured I may as well do a few laps too.  SpongeBob stood watch, ready to spring into action in case I floundered.

Week 2 is going in the win column with a total of 31.2 miles (that .2 matters...ask anyone who's ever run a marathon!).  I felt strong on the hard runs, surrounded myself with great women, stepped out of my comfort zone and into the pool, and made sure I enjoyed the view along the way.  Bring on Week 3!

New York City Marathon - Week 1

Even if it ain't all it seems, I got a pocket full of dreams
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it from New York, New York, New York!

~Alicia Keys' "New York"

I'm running the New York City Marathon in November.  You probably already know that, but I find myself having to say it again and again because I'm still not in a place where I fully believe it's actually happening.  But it IS happening, and training has begun.  Since this has already been the experience of a lifetime before even I ran the first mile of my program, I'm making it my mission to chronicle this journey from week to week.  All aboard...the pain train has left the station!

MONDAY

Outer Banks Running Company 5k in Avon, NC

TUESDAY
Explored Shelly Island off the tip of Cape Hatteras via paddleboard, foot, and handstand

Later that day...

4 easy miles w/2 pick ups along NC-12 in Rodanthe, followed by a dip in the Pamlico Sound

WEDNESDAY
Rest (which to a mother runner such as myself, means packing up camping gear, heading to our next destination, grocery shopping, unpacking food, making up beds, doing laundry, etc. I did spend some restful time in my beach chair though)

THURSDAY

6 easy miles through Duck, finishing on the boardwalk

FRIDAY
12 hot + humid + hilly miles through Duck and Southern Shores, followed by a dip in the frigid Atlantic (that's me down at the water's edge before taking the plunge...thanks for the photo, Kristy!)

SATURDAY
4 miles walking on the beach in Duck + a couple more walking into town for dinner + drinks

SUNDAY
Rest (meaning pack up, drive home, unpack, do laundry)

Last night in Duck

So there you have it, Week 1 in photos.  It was an epic start to an epic experience, and while I'm sure the excitement of it all will wane as we get into the grind that is marathon training, one of my goals is to make the miles meaningful.  Run with new people.  Explore new places.  Change it up, make it fun, keep as much of the Week 1 excitement going for as long as I can.  I am so thankful to be on this journey - to run a marathon in the greatest city on earth for something much bigger than myself - and I vow to make each moment count.