Are you a cheater....?

I am. 

This is what googling "cheater"will get you. Pretty
awesome picture. But, no... I'm not this kind of cheater. 

I just realized it recently. Or rather, I just came to terms with it.

But no, I'm not a home-wrecking, other woman, relationship cheater. I promise. I have very strong views about such things. Not good, not nice. Don't do it, please.

But I am a cheater of another sort. A Garmin cheater. A speed, timing, pace cheater. A cheater to myself.

You see, I have been pretty happy with my long run times lately - as reflected by my beloved Garmin (the Forerunner 610) which I got from my parents for Christmas this year. Some sub 8 minute miles. Overall average pace - 8:15 ish.

Then, I started doing the math.

Well, if I can run 10 miles at an 8:15 pace on an average Long Run Saturday -- couldn't my race pace be, like an 8 minute mile? And hence couldn't I maybe run a 1:45 half marathon?? Why not?? Especially if I picked up my miles a little. "Trained" a little - whatever exactly that would mean. Plus add a little boost to my pace to account for race day adrenaline.

I've even been known to say out loud to another person --"yeah, my 10 mile pace is about 8 mins /mile. I didn't even think I was exaggerating, I really believed it. When really, my average pace for 10 miles has never been below 8:10.

I have to say -- and, not that this is an excuse, but -- I have very little experience with longer distance runs. I have only ever raced short distances - as a "sprinter" in high school (I say "sprinter" in quotes because while I wasn't bad, I also wasn't that good  and sprinter sounds - well official and fast and elite - which I certainly was not) and at the 5K turkey trot in November, where I remembered that race day adrenaline definitely can give you a boost in a short race (but not sure if that holds so true for longer distances...?)

Anyway - yeah... then this past 10 mile Long Run Saturday - I had to stop briefly to pee at mile 3 (not unusual for me) and had to stop a few times for water (albeit quick stops - but still can't exactly maneuver a water fountain while still running, and am I the only one who ALWAYS gets a runny nose while on a run and using a water fountain, even if it isn't cold.. What is up with that?)

These stops were no brainers because they are not atypical for me and they are very quick -- I use the least amount of time possible to pee, hydrate  ... I don't even think of the fact that I've technically stopped briefly to take care of pee and hydrate business.

But when I was done this Saturday, I thought there was something wrong with my Garmin. Huhh? How is my overall time a couple minutes higher than it should be..?

And then I realized.............  I have been stopping my Garmin when I take quick stops on previous runs.

I forgot to this time, hence the longer time. The REAL time. The non-cheating time.

AND.... that means I have been cheating on my overall time. 1:22 for 10 miles. Yeah... not exactly. Because I stopped my Garmin when I had to pee or needed water. So add a couple minutes to that overall time. All of a sudden my assumption that I can run a half in 1:45 is shot. 

Oh well. I will say there have actually been a couple 10 milers were I didn't have to pee and was hydrated enough that I didn't even stop for water. But that is not the norm. I usually have to pee and I usually get water fountain water at least 2 times on a 10 mile run.

Anyway - probably the funniest part about the way my mind works is that not only was I increasing my pace - but I just assumed that my time for a half would be adding up the average moving mile pace of my (false) 10 mile pace for 3 more miles. When in fact, not only have I been a Garmin cheater, but I've never even run more than 10 miles! Ha! Not to mention at the end of 10, I'm shot. I currently could not run another 3 at my average moving pace, much less another ONE.

So yeah, I guess I got a little big for my britches here with my cheating and assuming I can keep faster pace at distances I've never even run!!

All the more reason to make some new goals however: (a) No more Garmin cheating for me, no siree. And...... (b) try to increase mileage above 10 while keeping my "average moving pace" where it is - let's say 8:15 for now (which I promise is true - albeit a currently challenging pace for me to average for 10 miles). And maybe ONE DAY, I'll actually run a half and can make 1:45 my ultimate goal.

Okay, okay, that is a little ambitious, but it's a goal after all, I'll have to work up to it.....

ANYWAY, in non-running news.....

 I've taken some pretty awesomely funky yoga classes lately. Lots of unusual chanting. I couldn't help trying not to crack up in one such class, it all just got so loopy and yogi crunchified. I love that stuff sometimes, but sometimes you gotta laugh. Tonight during chanting (some really unusual stuff -- and I've been doing yoga for years!) I wanted to open my eyes to see if this instructor was trying to play a joke on us. For real??

Surely it would be easier to take chanting more
seriously and get a little spiritual w/ scenery like this.
I will try to imagine myself like this in my next NYSC
class if I can ignore the spin music long enough.

I mean, it's a New York Sports Club yoga class complete with the spin class techno music booming through the wall from the class next door and the walls occasionally shaking as the subway goes by! Easy with the crazy chanting and mantras (that really make no sense, after all, let's be honest) and let's all laugh at ourselves a little.

I do feel quite stretched out and zen though - plus got a bit of a laugh out of it all (I managed to contain my laughter until after class thankfully!) bonus!

It's been nice doing a little more yoga again - I'm thinking of picking up more yoga in my schedule instead of total body conditioning for a while.

Anyone know of any good yoga classes in the Union Square area (or - even better at NYSC)?? I prefer Vinyasa but also open to Ashtanga.


And I also prefer a class with less chanting and more poses that make me use my muscles rather than just stretch them.. 

Then again, maybe I should be looking for a yoga class with more meditation so I can try to come to terms with how easily I became a cheater without even realizing it..........

Central Park running & gluttony

Once again another hiatus, it's been a very busy month. I actually wrote this post weeks ago but have had some problems copying / pasting my Garmin splits - so finally just going to send and hopefully update later!

Anyway, I've been meaning to write about this... Central Park running on my mind today.

Ok - YES, Central Park is amazing. That such beautiful natural space exists right in the middle of crazy, hectic, overcrowded living-on-top-of-each-other Manhattan is truly probably the best example of foresight, smart city planning - or whatever. It's also a Manhattanite runner's dream. We don't have many options for running non-stop without dodging pedestrians, stopping at traffic lights etc. Plus, the trees and grass make you at least feel like you're inhaling fresh air, which is always nice when you are doing something that makes you conscious of your breathing - like, for me, gasping for air while on a run.

I get it. Many runners love Central Park. It's great.

However.... I am one runner who doesn't particularly  love running in Central Park. And wondering if some of you regular Central Park runners can tune me into some tips on where to go in the Park or maybe something else I'm missing..

First - it's not geographically convenient for me (I live downtown) - so getting to it requires either Subway or running up to it - which, fine - I can run the Westside highway to 55th Street - but then cutting over is a mix of dodging pedestrians and stopping at traffic lights. I prefer my 'long runs' to be as non-stop as possible. The dodging and traffic light stopping gets me in a bad mood.

Nonetheless, having gotten very used to My Loop, I decided to try out a new trail about a month ago and ran up and into Central Park. I was excited, expecting that I was going to love it as much as runners who regularly run there do. And I didn't.

This was the Saturday of gorgeous nearly 80 degree weather about a month ago. At like 11:30 AM. So, yeah, I was not the only one with the idea to 'go on a run in Central Park'. I think anyone who owned a pair of running shoes was out there that day. And others - families, kids, skate boarders, horse carriage riders were also out in full force.

This is what it felt like on my Central Park run - traffic jam!

So first, I entered the park with an excited smile to a blasting stench of horse shit and nearly stepped in a HUGE pile of it, while trying to dodge a horse carriage, a skate boarder and small child at the same time. I got a little less excited about Central Park just then. It was not relaxing, it was not nice smelling, it was super crowded.

Once on the CP loop, at least the horse shit and wild children were no longer an issue - but skate boarders, roller skaters, bikes and sooooo many runners were. It felt claustrophobic.

And the hills. I know that should be a good thing as hills = good practice and good training. Yeah, fine. The hills were  hard and made me kind of grumpy.

And worst of all, I was banking on the fact that the water fountains were supposed to be turned on - first I BARELY could find a freaking fountain and when I finally did it was not on?! I was dying.

The whole thing just wasn't great. I ran up to the reservoir, which I think I'd like to run around because I DO like running near water,  but I didn't bother running around it because it looked PACKED. Is it claustrophobic up there??

HOWEVER.... I will say I subsequently did another Jack Rabbit free group run and we ran up there at night, on a cool night, and it was pretty awesome. More or less empty.  I wouldn't feel comfortable running at night there alone though - so the group run was key. I did enjoy the park on that run though. Maybe I just picked a bad day the Saturday a month ago - too crowded, hot and I wasn't well hydrated etc.

Since then I have had two successful 10 milers on my Loop. The first was 2 weeks ago. Here are my splits.

[Hmmm... I have tried and tried to copy and paste them in here, with no success!! how do people do that? Will try to update shortly but the overall time was 1:22:something for the 10 miles]


My stomach did protest a tiny bit afterwards but nothing like when I learned my lesson. However the last mile was HARD. I had to really push myself. I could not have done another mile. How do people increase mileage by a few miles a week when marathon training?? I've done 10 miles now 4 times - the first was disastrous to my stomach the other three were fine - but I couldn't go any further. I guess I need to slow my pace or stick to 10 for a while and eventually will get used to it.

The other one was this past Saturday. I was going to only do 9 miles (for some reason the 10th mile seems to put me over the edge and I usually get really tired in the afternoon, and as I had a big day / night ahead of me this Sat I thought it wise to stick to just 9) but I felt good at the end of 9 miles so I jogged one more mile home. I was shocked to see my splits on this run, I felt like I was going fast in mile 5-6 and slow at mile 8-9. Hmph.

[Will try to post these splits too! But essentially same overall time as above although I jogged the last mile]

Anyway - I guess for now I'll stick to my Loop - at some point I'll try the Park again, but maybe need to look into doing a different trail once I'm in there.

Any thoughts from the Central Park runner experts??

This is a picture I stole from the internet about
how to pour Txakoli - you are supposed to
pour it way up high with a special nozzle to
increase the fizziness. Isn't it a pretty pink??

At any rate, I'm glad I got a 10 miler in this weekend as I spent the rest of the weekend in pure glottony. It was fabulous but naughty. Fried chicken and waffles washed down by a few bourbon drinks at a Derby pary Saturday. Delicious tapas, sangria and wine at Boqueria Saturday night, followed by more beverages afterwards until 3 AM.

Then, the icing on the cake of the weekend - Txikifest - http://www.timeout.com/newyork/food-drink/txikifest-txikito-may-6-2012 - on Sunday. Six  hrs of eating delicious morsels and drinking lots of sparkly crisp Txakoli in the sun. I highly recommend checking out this fest next year if you like to eat (and drink). It was really good and I had a blast with my friends. As my friend explained to me, Txakoli is 'shitty sparkling wine' produced in the Basque region. But we love it. The rose is a beautiful pale pink color - which I'm partial to in a rose. No dark magenta hues for me, thank you. Plus it's low alcohol content (great for day drinking in the sun) and cheap!

And the FOOD at this festival - deviled eggs with a fried oyster on top, chorizo corn dog in amazing mustard sauce. Tacos with homemade orange hot sauce. Co. pizza. I had a dream about Co. pizza last night.

So yeah - I'm glad I got in a good run and will need to have a couple more to burn off the damage and detox myself some after this weekend! But it was worth it.

More to come soon, I promise...