Over Golden Gate

At the suggestion of 13akbal, I headed out for my first run in San Francisco along Market Street, to the Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a great run through San Francisco, along the Embarcadaro, the Piers, Fisherman's Wharf and to the Golden Gate Bridge approach. 8 miles out was a little more than I had anticipated and there was no way I was doing a 16 mile out-and-back. But I couldn't stop.

Something compelled me over that bridge... At one point I actually said aloud to myself:

"Oh to hell with it. You'll figure out how to get back to the hotel. Just go for it."

The views were amazing. I'm very glad I kept going.

Here's my route. I ran over the bridge and back but then took a taxi back to the hotel.

These photos don't do it justice but...

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire."
-Aristotle

San Francisco Treat

Rudyard Kipling once said that the only drawback to San Francisco is that "Tis hard to leave."

I shall soon have the opportunity to see for myself. And I am rather looking forward to it.

I'll be in 49er country on business for the better part of next week. While there I am hoping to take in a few of the sites, a few good meals and explore the city by running through it.

Any suggestions on running routes and tasty restaurants?

"Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Bible, Daniel 12:4

A Run through New York City in Photos

Inspired by Phil, I decided to document a run in photos. The course takes me from Midtown Manhattan, across 34th Street, up 1st Avenue, Over the 59th Street Bridge and finally ending at the Triborough Bridge.

It was more of an exercise in exercise than an exercise in creativity so please forgive the poor composition and quality of the photos - they were taken with my Blackberry.

I enjoyed doing this... Hope you do as well!

The Empire State Building as seen from 34th Street.

A taxi goes by...

Looking up Park Avenue at the Met Life Building.

$5.00 to go to Queens... A great deal at any price!

The United Nations Building.

Looking up 1st Avenue from the 59th Street Bridge.

Queens in all it's glorious splendor!

View of Midtown Manhattan from under the 59th Street Bridge.

Looking back on Manhattan from across the East River in Astoria.

A tired Josh under the Triborough Bridge.

"To the complaint, 'There are no people in these photographs,' I respond, 'There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer."
Ansel Adams

None of That Mattered

I had a blog post half written about how hard my 22 miler was last Sunday. About how I fatigued physically and mentally 19 miles into it. About how frustrating it was getting caught behind slower, more casual runners for those last few miles.

I had a blog post half written about how difficult it is to strike a sustainable balance between family, work and training (not to mention blogging). About how little sleep you get with a 6-month old baby in the house...

And then I went out for a 8.5 mile tempo run and none of that mattered.

It was an awesome run - right at sunset, as the tide was rushing in along the East River, the city lights were coming on and the air was cool and fresh.

Amazing what an endorphin high can do for your state of mind.

"Happiness depends upon ourselves"
-Aristotle

Pure rapture

On Sunday night I had the supreme, life altering joy of consuming Marc's vegetarian lasagna. Pure rapture.

The deaf hear! The mute speak! The blind see!

So it was for me as I gluttonously masticated on mound after glorious mound of his messy, hot, cheesy, saucy brilliance.

I stand in awe of your culinary greatness.

Thanks for cooking.

“It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.”
-Julia Child

Slacking (sort of)

I openly admit to slacking off on my blogging. My thanks to the handful of you that continue to visit despite my lack of new posts.

I've found myself with some time this morning and will attempt to get myself caught up on my favorite blogs. I may even muster up a post of more than 5 sentences.

My running is going well and I'll be doing a 22 miler tomorrow (thus the "sort of") inclusive of the NYRR Scotland Run.

"If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write."
-Epictetus

Chronology of a Missed Workout

8:00pm - Decide to go to gym in morning for stretching, core work and a few easy miles on treadmill.

10:00pm - Pack gym bag and set out workout clothes. All is set for a no brainer, grab n' go morning.

12:00am - baby wakes up and starts to cry.

3:30am - Baby wakes up and starts to cry. Again.

6:00am - Alarm goes off. Hit snooze.

6:09am - Alarm goes off again. Hit snooze.

6:18am - Alarm goes off again. Hit snooze.

6:27am - Alarm goes off again. Punch snooze. Alarm experiences short flight across room.

6:45am - At elevator, running behind. Feeling guilty for not walking dog. Realize I only have an hour to get to gym, exercise and get home in time to go to work.

6:46am - Elevator arrives as I turn and walk back to apartment. I'll just run near the house.

6:50am - Back at elevator with happy dog.

6:52am - Outside picking up dog poop. It's really cold out.

7:07am - Fumble around in the dark for cold-weather gear.

7:10am - Give up and go back to bed.

8:06am - Wake up (again) and still manage to be late to work.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again. Then give up. There's no use being a damned fool about it."
-W.C. Fields

Going Long

I have to admit that I've occasionally complained about the two block walk to the mailbox nearest my house. Ironic considering I was actually excited about doing a 20 mile training run this past Sunday.

Ahhh, the mind of the long distance runner.

Sunday was also the NYRR's Colon Cancer Challenge - a 15k road race in Central Park. So, I plotted a course of about 10.5 miles to the start and then raced the 15k (9.3 miles).

I figured that I'd be inspired to pick up the pace for the second half of this workout by the race environment.

However, I was a bit pressed for time when I left the house (read: groggy and lethargic) so I had to nudge up the tempo to ensure I'd get to the start on time.

I arrived at the starting queue just as the final race instructions were being announced. I arrived timely but pooped. The race itself was pretty rote for me. I did find a little extra umph as a result of the competitive nature of races and I ran well. A big shout out to NYFlyGirl and the Ladies of Hellgate for whoopin' it up on the course.

The good news came later and was two-fold:

First, when I woke up on Monday I wasn't destroyed physically by delayed onset soreness - a sure sign of heightened fitness.

Second was my pace.... When I combined the times of the pre-race run with the race itself my pace was on target to deliver an 8 minute PR for the marathon.

Now I just have to keep up my training and not to obsess with peaking too soon.

"Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt."
-José Ortega y Gasset

Honors

I think back on my Half Ironman experience from time to time and am completely stunned that I was able to accomplish something of that magnitude. It really must have been a fools blend of ignorance and divine intervention.

Granted, I put in a lot of long hours training but those hours were forgotten almost as soon as I crossed the finish starting line.

This is why I was so honored that the Hellgate Road Runners chose me as the recipient of the Special Athletic Achievement Award for 2007. To me, this award isn't about crossing the finish line. It's about doing the work necessary to get to the starting line.

I'd also like to congratulate the other award winners on a fantastic year of running. Kudos!

"Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat."
-Ann Landers

Awards Night

Each year the Hellgate Road Runners hosts an awards banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of the club and acknowledge a few select individuals for their achievements. We eat, drink, celebrate, dance and take pleasure in seeing each other in something other then sweaty technical gear.

I am once again editing a video montage of photos taken over the past year. It’s a fun project but time consuming and a bit stressful. Taking more than a 1,200 photos and whittling them down to 50 or 60 so they fit into a three minute song - while mindful to use only the best and most flattering pictures but also to include at least one shot of each person. I’m also trying to sequence them logically, politically and with the ebb, flow and crescendo of the music.

Did I mention I have a fulltime job? Am in the middle of training for a marathon? Have a wife and a 4 month old baby at home?

Yeah all true. But, it’s a great party and people seem to enjoy the photos. The big mystery is what song will I use this year…

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
-Bob Marley

Pools and Polls

Today I hit the Pool and then the Polls.

I encourage you to do the same.

"The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear."
John F. Kennedy

Super 16

One year ago the Bears and the Colts faced off in Miami. Peyton* Manning became MVP and we found out we were pregnant. Truly a Super Sunday!

It has been an amazing year. I'll have plenty of time to reminisce today on my 16 mile training run.

*We seriously considered naming our child Peyton.



*********UPDATE*********
16 mile training run a success. I am now sore in places I've forgotten could become sore.

“I don't know any other way to lead but by example.”
-Don Shula

13.1 - Update

Well I did it... I joined 5,000 runners in Central Park knocked off a Half Marathon for my first race of the year.

As planned, I didn't go all out for this one. Instead I set a moderate-fast pace early and hit the cruise control, picking off the miles at a consistent pace of 7:15 – 7:30 per.

Thanks to Sempre Libera for the shout-out on the East Side somewhere around Mile 10 or 11. That gave me the extra umph to pick up the pace and finish a few steps ahead of NYRR President & CEO, Mary Wittenberg... Sweet!

From a confidence boosting perspective I am pretty pleased with this race. It proved that I could run a decent pace (for me) over a long and somewhat hilly course. On the other hand I regret not going a just a little faster...

Since, I’ve realized that my fitness is not what it used to be as evidenced by a wicked-bad case of Delayed Onset Soreness. My quads and calves are particularly displeased with the effort.

“Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald

13.1 Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll tackle two loops of Central Park in the Manhattan Half Marathon.

This will be my longest race in quite some time and should be a decent indicator of my fitness for the Jersey Marathon in May.

I am not planning on racing this all out but rather I'm viewing it as a long training run at marathon pace (or slightly faster) just to make sure that I can go the distance.

We shall see.

"The test of any man lies in action."
-Pindar

A Very Good Week

When running, there are times when every step of every mile is a challenge.

There are workouts so uneventful and ordinary that even reviewing your running log sparks no memory.

And then there are the runs like I’ve had this week.

It started Tuesday evening, running home from the office in Herald Square across town to 1st Avenue - past the United Nations Building and over the Queensboro Bridge before turning north to Astoria.

It was cold. It was dark. And neither mattered.

Traffic lights seemed to sense my approach and turn green. Tourists gawked and locals stepped aside. My pace and perceived effort were spot on – that fine line between speed and sustainability.

I arrived home energized and in less time than if I’d taken if I’d taken the Subway.

Thursday morning I woke at 5:45am and was at the track before sunrise. One mile warm up at an easy pace. Then 3 x 1 mile intervals (6:15, 6:18, 6:17) and finally a mile cool down. All followed by some core strength training.

At 5:45am the alarm sounded again on Friday morning. Peering out the window into the darkness rain poured down. Augh! I don’t want to run in that mess…

Then I remembered that just because I haven’t used it in months, I do still have a gym membership. So off I went and knocked out a solid 10k while fantasizing about being a rock star as jam after jam came up on my iPod.

Today I’ll head out for an easy 5 miler and tomorrow I’ll go long – it’s supposed to be wicked cold.

Awesome.

"Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values.”
-Ayn Rand

Twitter…

You may have noticed the “I’m Twittering” headline over to the right and thought to yourself:

“What the hell is a Twitter?”

According to the Twitter website, it is a free “service for friends, family and co-workers to communicate…” and is used by the LA Fire Department as well as presidential hopefuls John Edwards and Barack Obama.

Like you, I was completely in the dark until The Ubster and The Crew introduced me on New Years Eve. After a couple glasses of fine red wine I finally got it and began following a few people, including The Geek of Everything (*except home pool maintenance) who incidentally provided the quote for this post.

Since, I've become somewhat addicted to Twittering - known as Tweetaholism.

In short, Twitter is good for:

• Micro-blogging
• Sending brief, concise and relevant text messages
• Sending quick inane or irrelevant text messages
• Communicating information to a group
• Wasting time
• Driving up your mobile phone bill with loads of SMS messaging
  

Twitter is not good for:

• Communicating complex thoughts or instructions
• Communicating directly with an individual
• Workplace productivity
• Participating in or following dialogue via a mobile device while driving or operating heavy machinery
  

“Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Shoes and Hotels

My training schedule called for a 10 miler on Sunday – my first “long” run.

I am pleased to report that I was able to knock off nearly 11 miles at an easy pace and felt strong the entire way. My iPod also turned out a great playlist which no doubt helped.

I did feel a little soreness in my knees but that is likely the result of too many miles on my current shoes coupled with hours of bouncing a new baby to sleep. I think it prudent to shell out the monies for a couple pair of new shoes. Does Asics make a pair of neutral-cushioned trainer/bouncers?

I also need to find a hotel near the start of the Jersey Marathon in Long Branch. Does anyone have any suggestions?

“Only the little people pay taxes.”
-Leona Helmsley

Happy New Year

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
-Mother Teresa of Calcutta

New Jersey Here I Come!

Today being New Year's Eve, it seems very fitting to commit to the New Jersey Marathon. I've just signed up and received confirmation.

I am doing it.

Today also marks Day 1 of my eighteen week training schedule. I am pleased to report that despite some extremely gluttonous holiday binging I am ahead of schedule...

10k on the treadmill.

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
-Benjamin Franklin

Spring Marathon?

I am quite seriously contemplating a spring marathon for 2008.

On the one hand, signing up for a marathon is a great motivator. If I make the financial and emotional commitment I'll have no choice but to commit myself physically and put in the miles. It could also serve as a way to regain some of the fitness I've lost.

On the other hand training through the winter months isn't going to be any fun (case in point: today's raining, sleeting, snowstorm).

Decisions. Decisions.

"Indecision may or may not be my problem."
-Jimmy Buffett