Race #1 of 9 for the guaranteed entry to the 2013 NYC ING Marathon, complete!

I did ok! Ran the 10K in 1:05:01

Just missed being under 1:05, argh!

Honestly, I wanted to do a little better, but I think a few things worked against me. First, I chickened out in the brisk morning and wore my sub-40F clothing to a nearly 50F race. Let’s say I was busy taking off clothing during the short race. Second, I chickened out on drinking water too close to the race. I feared having to stop in the middle of the race. I also was concerned that getting water during the race would cost me more than running towards dehydration. Due to these two shoulda-coulda-woulda-s racing through my head there were definitely times I psyched myself out and said to myself, “We don’t need to go fast. There is more training to do. Don’t risk injury on an insignificant race.”

Maybe next time I won’t psych myself out.

When I first starting running a couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a membership at a gym with an indoor track. The indoor track is a little less monotonous than a treadmill. Especially, with occasional passing by of Jeff Goldblum walking the opposite direction with a basketball.

This served me well for working my way up a mile each week on the long runs. I just had to do an extra four laps each Saturday. I got up to going around the track enough times for 10 miles just before my first half marathon.

Then I switched jobs a few months later. My fiance was soon to be back from a 6 month stint in DC. He was filling a contract position at NOAA while looking for an actual contract worker. It seemed more prudent to switch to a gym that cost half as much so that he could also partake in a gym experience once again. This meant no more indoor track.

I actually trained for my two half marathons this past year mostly on the treadmill. I did hill workouts with only the uphill, fartleks, and intervals all on the treadmill. I even did the grueling 2 hours straight on the treadmill to get in the 10 mile long run. Sounds boring, but I was terrified of running outside.

I live in New York City. I can easily find a subway, or bus, to take me home if I get too tired, sore, or what not, but the fear of not making it home haunted me. I would also make up other excuses, like that I did not have the correct attire to run outside. The thought of running outside was just to rugged and scary.

I did all the long runs on the treadmill for the half marathon last March, but for the September half marathon, my husband put us on a diet. (This diet has worked wonders for him. From Memorial Day until now he has lost over 55 pounds.) The diet emphasized not exercising until you had adjusted to the diet so that you don’t send your body into starvation mode by not eating enough to keep up with the exercise, so I took a break.

By July I was getting restless, and need to do some long runs before the September half-marathon. (I’m not crazy like my husband who will run a half-marathon with no training.) I didn’t want to waste time going down to the gym to do the long run, and it was summer, so why shouldn’t I just run outside.

This summer in NYC was HOT. I was through my water bottle in no time, and I could not manage to get a run in that was longer than 7 miles. This left me terrified of what would happen at the half marathon in September.

The September half marathon came. It was what I first thought of as a freezing 40F morning. I was well chilled in my capris and short sleeve shirt that wore during my summer runs. I added only gloves and a ear warming head band. The race started and I was going faster than I thought I would. I reached half way and was having a blast. I got to the end and took 8 minutes off my time from 6 months prior, and I thought, “Why don’t I just wake up every morning and go for a long run?”

I went back to the treadmill for awhile, but I could not attain the speed that I had outdoors. Why? Because it is too damned hot indoors.

The past couple of weeks, the temperatures have been in the 30s and 40s, and while I hesitate to go out for the run, I always enjoy it. I’ve been enjoying the hills, the parks, exploring the neighborhood, and the faster running times.

The moral of my story, in short, outside is so much better when it is cooler out than the inside of a gym.

A few years ago when I was more than 40 pounds heavier, and sadly that wasn’t even my heaviest, I got back to the gym. This time I was going to finally learn how to run.

I had swum competitively from age 7 through college and plus a little more. I recalled the many dry land exercises that I would complain about and the runs I would refuse to do because “I’m a swimmer, I don’t do things on land and out of the pool.”

Despite my lack of inclination to run, I started the C25K program. I freely admit that it took me longer than the 12 weeks, but thankfully I nearly finished in time for the NYC Swim Star and Stripes Aquathlon of 2009. The aquathlon provided me an excuse to run a race without the typical crowd of just a 5K race.

I then moved on to reading Galloway’s Book on Running which impressed upon me the notion that running does not need to be fast. I swallowed my pride and slowed my jogging pace down to thirteen minute miles, and began to do “long runs” every Saturday where I increased my running distance a mile a week. The slow paced helped immensely despite the extra time it meant on the indoor track. By April 2010, I ran my first half marathon race in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

This past year, 2011, I competed in two more half marathons, both in my home city of Rochester, NY. The first in May, the Flower City Challenge, I dropped my pace from that meager thirteen minutes per mile to 11:27. In September, I did the half marathon to the Rochester Marathon, and despite less training, the cool 40 degree morning led to a time with a 10:52 pace.

This coming year, 2012, I am excited to go further, but with goals that will lead to an amazing year long celebration of turning 30 in 2013.

In 2013, I hope to compete in the NYC Half Marathon, NYC Triathlon, NYC Marathon, Musselman Half Ironman, and a Tough Mudder.

To gain guaranteed entry into the NYC Half Marathon in 2013, I will have to complete 4 of the 5 NYC borough half marathons. I am currently registered for the Manhattan Half Marathon in January. Last year the temperature for this event was 18 degrees fahrenheit.

To gain entry in the NYC Triathlon in 2013, I will have to volunteer for the 2012 NYC Triathlon. I am currently registered to hold wave signs starting at 4:00 AM on Sunday July 8th.

To gain guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon in 2013, I will have to complete nine qualifying NYRR races and volunteer for one NYRR race. I am registered for four events in the first quarter of the year: Joe Kleinerman 10K, Manhattan Half Marathon, Gridiron Challenge 4M, and the Coogan’s 5K. At least three of the remaining five races will have to be the borough half marathons.

The Musselman Half Ironman will mostly require me to become better on the bike. Swimming 1.2 miles, no problem. Half marathons, although not super fast, feel like second nature. Biking is a little terrifying. I am currently working up my leg strength and confidence with spin class over the frigid winter months.

Tough Mudder, should hopefully just be play time in the mud after all of the above.

Through 2012, I will blog my progress for gaining entry to these events in 2013, and in 2013 I will continue to blog about the preparations which should mainly be training extravaganzas and race results!