TNT BK Nashville Training Run: 14 miles, January 31, 2009

Today, I ran the farthest I've ever run: 14 miles.

It felt awesome.

Minor detour: After I started running last summer, my dad told me I'd inspired him to start being active -- one of the best compliments ever. He started walking outside, building up to three, four, five miles. Then winter (or what people in Tennessee call winter, which I can say authoritatively after four years in Vermont and 10 in New York, is not winter) arrived.

And Dad went mall walking. Every weekend he goes out and does up to three or four miles of laps around the Gap and Dillard's and Hot Topic and Cinnabon (an exercise regime killer if ever there were one). And I'm really proud of him.

When I got an email from my TNT BK coaches saying we were going to be doing our long run this weekend in Prospect Park, I thought immediately of mall walking. Doing circles around Prospect Park and its 3.35-mile loop is an awful lot like circling the mall. Or like Chevy Chase driving his kids on the roundabout past Parliament and Big Ben in "National Lampoon's European Vacation." Take your pick.

The point is, it's repetitive. I ran with a few friends and we talked about a lot of nothing to pass the time. We did two five-mile loops of the park, followed by a three-mile loop. When we passed our coaches at the 13-mile mark, they did the wave. Did I mention it was 21 degrees outside? And the coaches weren't running, they were standing around in the cold to offer us encouragement as we ran by? Brrr. And thanks, guys.

Post-wave, I faced down the 14th mile. And I did it! I ran farther than I ever thought possible. (Are my PE teachers from elementary and high school reading this? I hope so.) And I'm still moving.

I think my new shoes helped. Aren't they nice?

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8, baby. These got me through the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco last year. I love them. And I'm digging the yellow -- a major improvement over the pink on my last pair.

After a long, beautiful stretching session, my friend and 14-mile run buddy Amy thoughtfully provided all of us TNT BK'ers with coffee and bagels at her apartment, which made for a lovely coda for my morning of accomplishment. I'm looking forward to the miles beyond.

NYC 2010 Qualifying Race #1: The Fred Lebow Classic, January 10, 2009

On January 10, I completed the first of nine qualifying races (and one stint as a volunteer) to qualify for the New York City Marathon in 2010. I've always dreamed about running NYC, even before I knew I could actually run. I watch the marathon every year, cheering for friends and family and occasional really hot Italian men who respond well to my cries of "Forza!"

The race was the five-mile Fred Lebow Classic, named for the man who founded the NYC Marathon. A good way to kick off the process.

Team in Training Brooklyn ran this marathon qualifier as part of our training, so I met my group in Central Park around 7:30 for the 8 a.m. race. Riding the subway to Manhattan on race mornings is always fun. I'm always the only runner for several stops on the Q train through Brooklyn. When I get to downtown Brooklyn I start seeing people with numbers filter on to the train, and we exchange knowing looks at each other's running tights. By the time we hit the transfer point for the uptown 4/5/6 trains, the platform is full of runners, and more and more pack on as the train gets closer to Central Park.

This race started on 99th Street and the East Drive in Central Park. Bagwatch was on the road leading up from 102nd Street, so I checked my stuff. For the first time I realized that NYRR's bagwatch system is according to the LAST number on your bib, not the first. Oops.

I met my teammates and we took a few photos and commiserated about the cold -- at the start line they said it was 24F out. Brrr. Then we headed to the start. I had a pink bib, putting me in the starting corral for the 9-10-minute/milers, reflecting my 9:22/mile pace -- a personal best for myself that I set in a NYRR race in December.

The gun went off and we were off! Thanks to judicious layering I wasn't as cold in this race as I was in December, and I felt good. The first mile was packed with people and I was frustrated because I couldn't get a good rhythm established. Once the pack cleared out, I was on my way and feeling good. According to my watch, I was hitting nine-minute miles (at least until I hit the wrong button on my watch and lost my time at mile 3).

I yelled at a woman in a giant fur coat walking three tiny hairless dogs and a husband who crossed the street in front of me by the reservoir. Hello, there are signs all over the park announcing a road race. Don't mess up my pace!

By this time I was broiling hot and had unzipped my jacket and stripped off both pairs of gloves as I headed for the end. I crossed the finish line feeling great -- I did the math and figured that I had come in under 45 minutes, setting another personal record. I had figured I would run a 47-minute race.

Here's a photo of me crossing the finish line. I had my number on the back of my jacket so they didn't get identifiable shots of me running, but I'm glad to have this one. And yes Mom, I put my gloves back on right after that.

Here are my official results. Check out that 8:52/mile pace! This weekend for qualifying race #2, I'll get a different color bib and a new starting corral for my efforts.

Happy New Year!

2008 was the year I started running.

2009 will be the year I become a runner.

I celebrated the New Year by running a 5K race with my friend Jess at midnight in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, sponsored by Slope Sports. It was freezing cold, but nothing a few extra layers and some peppermint schnapps to spike the complimentary hot chocolate couldn’t help. (Oh yeah, and there was champagne, too.)

I loved how laid-back this race was. Some guy looking for the fireworks came and ran alongside us as we were heading toward the finish line, and had no idea that we were running a real race even though we had numbers on our jackets. The starting “gun” was a guy who shrugged and yelled at us to start running. Bagcheck was a roped-off area under a tree. But compared to how overwrought this holiday normally is, running 3.1 miles and finishing with fireworks while drinking champagne out of a water bottle suited me just fine.

Now I want to use this space to document my year in running. I’m going to run my first marathon this year, knock on wood, and I wanted a place to record my training -- to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, good runs, bad runs, long runs, short runs. On April 25, I'll be heading to Nashville to run the Country Music Marathon with Team in Training Brooklyn. Tennessee or bust!

I’m also going to run nine races with New York Road Runners (and volunteer for one) to qualify for the 2010 New York City Marathon. Talking about all my qualifying races will help me remember what it takes to reach a goal like that.

I’ve been a writer for a long time, but I also haven’t written substantively for a long time and it’s time to get back to it. And writing about running will keep me from boring the non-runners in my life while letting my fellow runners in on a little more of my life.