Random Running Playlist Challenge

I am one of those folks who needs music to complete any and all of my runs. For example, if my phone has only 10% battery juice, I will have to charge the phone for 30 - 45 min to ensure that I will have music during my run. I’ve failed miserably with trying to run “naked”; that is running without any electrical devices (e.g. an Apple Watch or my iPhone).

For this challenge, I put my Long Run Playlist #2 on shuffle and, for the 1st ten songs that came up, I’ll provide a few thoughts about the song or artist.

Andrea Bocelli ft. Laura Pausini - Dare to Live (Vivere)

Aside from being a huge Laura Pausini fan, I’m not really too sure how this song made it into my music library.

La Quinta Estación - Busco Tu Piel

I pretty much love everything this group does. Actually, I take that back. I pretty much loved everything from this group when Natalia Jiménez was the lead singer. However, she did/does have a tendency to over scream at times.

Ike & Tina Turner - Shake a Tail Feather

No words needed.

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

Just a great song, in general, to get up and get going.

Laura Branigan - Gloria

Since I was born in the 80s, a lot of the music from that era holds a special place in my heart. Random fact: Two months ago, I learned that this is a remake from an Italian version. The Italian version also has made it into my music library.

Michel Montano - Waiting on the Stage

I “discovered” this artist during one of my Zumba classes back in the day. Pretty all of his songs have addicting beats that make you want to push harder.

David Guetta & Sia - Titanium

Aside from “Breathe Me”, I am not too familiar with Sia’s work. However, this is a pretty inspirational song with a catchy beat . . . thanks to David Guetta.

Destiny’s Child - Lose My Breath

Any song that incorporates a drumline gets an A+ for my running list.

J. Perry - Boujé

Another artist that I discovered from Zumba.

Bomba Estéreo - Internaciones

Another song/group that I learned about during Zumba. I’m not really sure why I like the song, but I just do.

Zumba Talk

Since I mentioned the influence of Zumba on my running playlist, I figure that I would mention why Zumba has come up a bit in this list of songs. A few years back, I had a lower back injury that pretty much prevented me from doing any physical activity for fitness. The funny thing is that I injured my back while during Shaun T’s Insanity workout DVDs. As I was healing, my doctor gave me the ok to do low impact exercises, and Zumba was one of the things that my doc recommended. Not to toot my own horn, I was a bit surprised that I was good at it after attending my first class. Even the instructor said that I picked up the moves pretty fast as a first-timer. I don’t know. I just made sense. If we are going to do a move two times facing the left, we’re probably going to do it again facing the right. It seemed pretty logical. At one point, I was attending Zumba classes three times a week and would only go to classes taught by specific instructors.

Endomorph, Ectomorph, Endocytosis, Ecto-cooler ?

As I embark on a new struggle challenge to drop a few pounds, I have been reading up on particular training programs that may work for me.

Endomorphic

Unfortunately for me, I am an endomorph ... Why must life be so tough?

Typically, endomorphs tend to gain weight faster and have a harder time losing it. But hey, we were super cool way, way, waaaaay back in the day. From an evolutionary point of view, we endomorphs were more likely to survive because we could to store fat longer. You know, when starvation was a true threat.

Some famous endomorphs include Russell Crowe, LL Cool J, Chris Pratt, the Rock (I guess he does not go by that name any more), and Bruce Willis.

I have pretty much been working out in the wrong manner (well, diet is an issue too) for as long as I can remember. Essentially, I should be doing high intensity, high muscle recruitment exercises with 3-5 sets of 12-20 reps. Umm the 20 reps seem a little aggressive. Here are some recommended exercises based on body part:

  • Chest (incline, decline bench press)
  • Back (deadlifts and barbell rows)
  • Legs (squats and leg press)
  • Biceps (barbell curls, and preacher curls)
  • Triceps (weighted bench dips and skull crushers)
  • Shoulders (dumbbell overhead press and military press)
  • ABS (weighted hanging leg press and cable crunch).

The good news is that most of those exercises already are in my Full Fitness app's training programs. I guess that I can just increase the set number from 3 to 5 and not do as much as the other muscle group exercises. Then, I should do 30-40 minutes of cardio after weightlifting. Those lucky ecto- and mesomorphs do not have to do any extra cardio after weight lifting.

Zumba:

I think that I have found a new Zumba home. Over the past couple weeks, I attended three different Zumba classes offered by Crunch Fitness. It was kind of like Goldilocks trying to find the porridge that was juuust right. You know, right before the three bears mauled and ate her.

  • Zumba 1: I signed up for the class online but I saw that there were only 3 other people who had signed up. No bueno. So I did not even attend it. Normally, if there are less than 10 people who has signed up for the class then it's probably going to be wack. I peeked into the class, and it did look a little wack.
  • Zumba 2: Decent class with a lot of people, but the instructor was WAAAAY into himself. He kept taking selfies and posting them to various Zumba sites. Also, he seemed to be literally admiring his ass.
  • Zumba 3: The class that I'm going to stick with. The class had a decent amount of people, the music was excellent (from shazzaming the class, I've already purchased 5 of the songs), the instructor was AMAZING & instruction was on point, and there were guys in the class (although I was the best male, not to toot my own horn). The one thing that I did not like about the class is the instructor made all guys do some routine in the front of the class. I guess that I did a good job, because many of the other students told me that I was really good for my first class with the instructor.

That's it for me. I guess that I should get back to packing.

 

TCS NYC MARATHON TRAINING WEEK - WHO KNOWS?

Life really has gotten in the way of me updating my marathon training voyage.

I am glad to see that everyone is still, since that Christian numerology Armageddon turned out to be a hoax. For these doomsday prophecies, is there specific time zone that is linked to the end of the world?

So, I am back to training for this damn marathon after my slight hip injury. The
marathon is so close (less than 40 days away), and I'm nowhere near where I would like to be with my training, but one must push through, right?

It was kind of nice to get back into training mode this week. I hope that there will be no more hiccups before November 5th. During my "break",  I did not realize how much I missed running. Maybe I have become jealous about reading about everyone else's training progress, PR's, and race pictures.

MONDAY: Rest

TUESDAY: Zumba and 3 miles

In addition to jumping back on the running wagon, I also got back on my Zumba grind. In my absence, the instructor added a couple new songs/routines, so class was a pleasant surprise. I think going forward (and even after the marathon) that I will run from work to Zumba. I didn't burn as many calories as I normally do (probably because of the three mile run before) but I had a blast, like always.

I randomly found a somewhat new ramen restaurant (Nana Rame) in my neighborhood of Bed-Stuy. I liked the restaurant, but two things kind of annoyed me - cash only and no Diet Coke. In this day in age, there should be no reason for a cash only restaurant if they serve beer, wine, and/or liquor. Nothing will ever change my option about that. The Diet Coke only was a thing because I really was craving one after Zumba class.

Even though the place has two strikes in my book, I will go back because the ramen was delicious and I really want to try some of the restaurant's appetizers.

WEDNESDAY: 20 min elliptical, strength, and stretching.

For strength training, I focused on the back and shoulders.

One thing that I love about NYC is you can go to so many restaurants and bars that you forget where you have been. We visited One Mile House (***), a pub and craft bar on the Lower East Side, for dinner and some beers. The food was just ok; I only had beers the last time I visited. No wait, the truffle oil fries were really delicious.

I even tried this random ass beverage, the Mango Beermosa - a combination of Bell's Two Hearted IPA (one of my favs), mango sector, Jack Daniels, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Since I do not like drinks that are super sweet, I ordered my beermosa without simple syrup. At first it was kind of gross, but you get used to it. Matter of fact, I think that I had three of those beverages, so I really must have liked them. I am still a little confused about the name, "beermosa," because it would imply the presence of champagne.

 

FRIDAY: 8 miles

I'm trying to ease back into my longer distances (although 8 miles is not that long at this point in training). I ran from work (Flatbush, Brooklyn), over the Brooklyn Bridge, and  back into Brooklyn via the Williamsburg Bridge.

*I know that I have complained about this before. NYC really needs to ban cyclists from riding their bikes across the Brooklyn Bridge, because the Bridge is way too congested.*

It was kind of cool running through the city at night; however, I did experience major FOMO. I was out running and other folks were out drinking, partying, and starting their Friday evening social plans. The run was a little struggle, but I enjoyed it. It was a struggle, because I ate lunch kind of late, so my food was not completely digested. During the run, I was quite gassy and I really needed to poop. I held strong, because I did not want to be like the poop-n-run jogger from Colorado Springs (***).

SATURDAY: Stretching

I really wanted to strength train and stretch, but I did not have enough time. I had to go to the lab job and squeeze in a workout before teaching at 12:30. I find that I have to go to the gym before teaching, because I'm either too tired or hungry after class (my class goes from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM). I figured stretching would be more important/productive to my overall training plan, since I did a run the night before and I had a race the next day.

After class, I met up with my beer club (Yes, I am in a craft beer Meetup group) at Lucky (***) in Alphabet City and saw a friend's band play at Arlene's Grocery (***) on the Lower East Side.

SUNDAY: Bronx 10 mile race

The second to last of the NYRR outer borough race series gives you a little taste of the second-most forgotten borough, the boogie down Bronx. I'll write a race report about the race later.

ETCETERA:

In addition to working a full- and a part-time job, having an active social life, and watching too much TV, I decided that I have too much free time ;). To fix this "problem", I am going to be a mentor with iMentor.

iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions. Students work with their mentors one-on-one, in-person and online, to develop strong personal relationships, nurture a college aspiration, navigate the college application process, and build critical skills that lead to college success. Since 1999, iMentor has connected 11,000 students with mentors, through our partnerships with public high schools in New York City, Chicago, the Bay Area, and nonprofits nationwide.

I actually volunteered for this program waaay back in the day, around 05/06, when it was based only in NYC. Now, the program has expanded to several cities in the US. 

 

TCS NYC Marathon Training - Week 8

Theme for this past training week was "Change of Scenery"

This week was pretty productive in my opinion. In my last training summary (***), I mentioned that I was somewhat frustrated with my lack of enjoyment training for this marathon. This frustration could have been the result of boredom, lack of motivation, and/or burnout. To fix some of those issues, I decided to mix up my routine a little bit, and I think that it may have worked. Yay, me!

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Planned - 5 miles | Actual - 5 miles

Change of Scenery #1

For my treadmill recover run, I visited another Crunch Fitness just for a change, in terms of the gym facility and the members of the gym. Actually (and "secretly"), I made plans to meet a friend for drinks in Williamsburg after my run, and the gym is really close to the bar. Although it was a recovery run, I pushed myself during the last 400 meters of each mile, and it felt grrrreat.

I treated myself to a couple of drinks with my friend. At Sweet Science, one of the restaurant's most delicious beverage is the frozen slushy. They normally come in one color, but you can ask the bartender to give you a tri-colored slush.

A nice frozen treat. 

 

Wednesday: Planned - Zumba and Weight lifting | Actual - Zumba and Weight lifting

Change of scenery #2.

Last week, I mentioned that I wanted to mix up my Zumba class because the routines have been come too predictable in my Tuesday class. I visited another Crunch Fitness in Crown Heights to attend a different Zumba class. Man, that class was so much!!! It's not that the Zumba class in Crown Heights was better than the one in Ft. Greene. The classes were just different in terms of music, choreography, and instruction. The Crown Heights class has some abdominal components to it, because my obliques were sore the next day. Going forward, I think that I will alternate Zumba workouts between Crunch Fitness in Fort Greene (Tuesdays) and in Crown Heights (Wednesdays).

Speaking of Crunch Fitness. Although I liked my Zumba class, weight lifting was not a productive as I would have liked. I think that this Crunch Fitness Express is so poorly designed, because there is no room to lift. Plus, the equipment is so close together that you are literally on top of each other; it scares me to death doing bench presses. During prime time hours, you have to work in your sets with 3-4 other people. It makes no sense when you have three people waiting for a single incline bench. I'm one of those folks who likes to do supersets back to back, targeting two muscle groups while lifting (e.g. bench press set followed by back row, dumbbell curl followed by tricep dips). Doing these supersets is pretty much impossible at this Crunch location. During that workout, I lifted for only 20 minutes because I was getting annoyed and frustrated.

My Lame Attempt at a Workout

 

Conclusion:   I will visit this particular gym only for Zumba and simple cardio work. 

Thursday: Planned - Six 800 meter intervals with 90 second recovery | Actual - Five 800 meter intervals. 

Man, how do early risers do it? I woke up at 5 AM to do my 800 meter interval run, and it was very "painful". I woke up early to do this workout, because I had plans to see "Aladdin" on Broadway later on in the evening. It felt nice doing some speed work again, but it was not so nice at 5:30 AM. Since I am not used to waking up that early, my body was super exhausted and I could not finish the last interval set  - my body was "one and done". After this workout, I realized that I really have to stop skipping out on these interval and hill workouts. During the racing season, I know that my body will thank me for these workouts.

Slappy the Seal and I

Clearly, the early start affected me later on, because I feel asleep during "Aladdin." Do not worry, I am pretty sure that I know how the show ended ;)  Yes, money well spent.

Friday: Planned - Static Stretching | Actual - Not a d*mn thing.

I kind of had a "fat boy" day on Friday. After a very long (and useless) day at work, I had a HUGE craving for fried chicken and made a nice trip to Popeye's. One just "reopened" in the neighborhood!!! I kind of lost my mind, because I ordered chicken tenders, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, AND french fries. Yes, I ordered two sides of potatoes . . . and I'm not ashamed for doing so.

Saturday: Planned - 5 mile race | Actual - 5 mile race.

NYRR  Team Championships - I will post a race report later.

Sunday: Planned - 12 miles | Actual - 12 miles.

Change of scenery #3.

I decided to mix up my long run by running over the Brooklyn Bridge and through the West Side of Manhattan. Originally, I wanted to run 6 miles into Manhattan and 6 miles back to Brooklyn. OMG. I feel in love with this run so much that I decided to keep going along the West Side for the entire 12 miles. It has been a while since I have ran along the West Side Highway. I believe running the Manhattan Half-Marathon, two years ago, was the last time I did this.

Brooklyn to Manhattan

Brooklyn to Manhattan

This run was so amazing, I felt strong and energized. I did not think that I would have been able to pull it off, because of the 5-mile race the day before. I think the combination of the nice weather (mid 70's) and the scenery of lower Manhattan and the Hudson River really made the difference.

Some pics from the run:

After my run, I rewarded myself with a nice pint of Shocktop ale and a burger (I passed on the fries) at McKenna's Pub. My beer tasted like pure nectar from the gods, but the burger was not so great. ;) McKenna's is a somewhat shady bar, BUUUUUUT it has 2-4-1 drinks all day and music from the 90's and early 00's rule the jukebox.

 

Favorite tunes from the run: 

Goals for the upcoming week:

  1. I do not know, I think that I may do a trail run next weekend.
  2. Core work, because the folks at Runtastic sent me this email.