I'm Back!!!!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have really gotten into Zumba style fitness after my back injury last year. I have been religious in going to Zumba, taught by LaShawn, at Crunch Fitness (Fort Greene location, Tuesdays); but for some reason, I have missed four weeks of her class. Vacationing in Spain was one excuse. 

I finally got that playlist:

Anyway, I finally made it back and I realized that really missed her class, because the dance moves are really energetic and the music is amazing. I was surprised that I did not forget the dance moves during my hiatus. The music is so amazing that I have been trying to find some of the songs to incorporate into my running playlists. I guess that I could have asked the instructor, but she is bombarded with the other Zumba participants after class. Maybe, I did not want to seem "uncool" or "square" because I did not know the more popular songs. Interestingly enough, the answer was under my nose or in my Entertainment folder on my iPhone. The answer was Shazam!!! I cannot believe that I could have used this app to find songs from her playlist ages ago! Also, Shazam has an auto feature where one can just leave it on and it will automatically detect the songs for you. Of course, the detected songs are  the ones that you can buy from iTunes.

The play list was very good and I have added "Pass at Me", "Bouje", and "Sal a Bailar" to my normal playlist. If it is not obvious, I kind of have a thing for latin music (I'm still trying to get used to Reggaeton though). Unfortunately, not all of the songs in the class were "Shazamable", especially the one I really wanted. 

Cardio Work

Regarding the cardio aspect, I think that I had other things on my mind during class, because I did not kill it like I normal do

Fitbit Stats

Fitbit Stats

In this particular class, I usually have a 1:1 ratio of time spent in my cardio and peak aerobic zones. I guess that I was  not "Zumba'ing" as hard as I thought I was. Again, I probably was thinking about some other personal issues, so I was not as focused as I normally am. 

Oh well, there's always another day to Zumba. 

Week 2 Marathon Training

Total miles: 17

This training week was really tough. Due to non running-related things, I just was not feeling the activity of running. It seems like when something is going well in one aspect of your life then 2-3 things go to crap in other aspects.

Training Runs:

For the most part my training runs for the week were kind of blah. I guess that this section will become more interesting as I increase my distance. 

I did a nice 5.5 miler run, which was supposed to be 7 miles, on Friday night. It was an interesting run because I rarely run at night. Running is one of those things that I have to get out of the way in the morning, because I just do not care by 6, 7, 8 pm. As a matter of fact, I started this run around 10pm . . . because I just did not care.  I realize that I cannot do training runs on weekend evenings, because I get a severe case of FoMo. I was so jealous seeing everyone out and about having a good time without a care in the world.

Some pics from my night run

Based on my training runs during the past week, I am somewhat disappointed that I do have the speed/endurance that I once had. Last year, anything over a 8:45 min/mile pace was horrible run for me. During one of my runs, I had to stop and walk a few times . . . although that could have been due to the intense humidity during the week. At this rate, I do not think that I will meet my goal of running the NYC Marathon in 3:45. Maybe, my pace and endurance will improve once I start interval training runs and running races. NYRR Brooklyn R-U-N 5K, NYRR R-U-N 5K, and NYRR Team Championships (5M) are a few races that I have coming up over the summer that may activate my competitive spirit again.

Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run (5M):

I had the opportunity to volunteer for this race, which was tough for me. The volunteering part was not tough; it was being on a train from Brooklyn at 5am to arrive to 102nd street in Manhattan by 6:30am. Ouch!

Unfortunately, it rained and rained HARD during the setup and the race, and I was so greatful that NYRR provided ponchos for the volunteers. Interestingly, the sun came out as if it had never rained about half-way into the race (*LAME). 

 I served as an Ambassador, so I answered runners' questions (i.e. location of baggage check, bib pickup, start, etc.) and surveyed runners about their race experience.

Soap Box Time:

Many people who volunteered did so to meet their "+1" requirement of the NYRR's 9+1 for guaranteed entry into NYC Marathon for 2018. I, as well as other runners, know that the volunteers are very important for the success or the races. The thing is many people only volunteer just for their +1, so it is not like some folks are volunteering for the sake of volunteering - they are doing it to enter the marathon. Yes, I have been guilty of doing this. But, I am going to change that by getting more involved within the running community. Going forward, I am going try my hardest to volunteer for a race once a month. Maybe, I will sign up to be a Volunteer Leader for a future NYRR 5 Borough race, but let's start with the small stuff first.

Upcoming Goals for the Week: 

  1. Start interval training and hill work. 
  2. Become more educated about proper nutrition for running.
  3. Incorporate body weight training after my shorter runs. 

 

Week 1 of Marathon Training 

 

Total miles this week: 13 (Hey, you gotta start somewhere)

This week can be summed up with one word – “REGRET”

I am not going to start this post with a whole “woe is me” story. But, I kind of struggled this week with my training plan. I did the training runs, but they were kind of tough. Running targets different muscles that I have ignored during my off season. After my first run (3 miles), the front of both of my quads were so sore. There was quite a bit of soreness walking up and down stairs.

So, I regret not doing more during my off season. Perhaps, I should have ran 1-2 times a week, just to keep those muscles (specific to running) active. It’s too late for the should’ve s, could’ve s, you just have to keep pushing on with what you got and learn from your mistakes.

Next phase of training

According to MY ASICS training app, I will begin Phase 2 of my training program, “Getting faster”.

Hopefully, next week’s training update will be a little more cheerful.

Getting some new kicks

With my raggedy feet, I have been known to run a pair of shoes in the ground. My Soucy running shoes that have lasted two years are no exception.

 

The new shoes are New Balance M880’s (a product review to come shortly). I visited the Super Runners Shop in downtown Brooklyn to pick up some new kicks.


While looking a the various colorful and shiny shoes, I had to laugh a little bit because the sales rep pretty much said that my type of running shoe is very outdated. She also told me that the shoemakers soles/cushion like my previous running shoes anymore. I have a feeling that shoemakers want to make running shoes look less like running shoes and more like shoes a person can wear everyday (IMO). After trying on so 8 pairs of shoes, I finally settled on the ones pictured above.

Once I find a brand of shoe that I like, I tend to stick with it because my feet are very … special (aka a hot mess).

The sad part about this picture is that I just had a pedicure three weeks ago. I need a very wide shoe, because I have a random bump that pushes out on my right foot. The bump has caused some concern with my physician but I have had it longer than I can remember. Plus, it does not cause any pain, so my physician recommended that I let it be until it causes pain.

Overall at the Super Runners Store, the process of selecting the shoes was pretty straightforward and the sales rep was very helpful and knowledgeable. I did not like the fact that the store did not have a treadmill for trying out the shoes before purchasing them. Ever running store that I have visited in the past had treadmills, so you can try out the shoes in a real situation and so you can observe your running gait and how & where your feet land. *I will be sure to note this issue in my yelp review.* As we all know, running shoes are not cheap, and a person wants to make sure that he/she is buying the best product. So far, I am wearing the shoes around town and I have not had any issues. Hopefully, I will not have any issues while running.

Upcoming Goals:

Since training for a marathon is about improving yourself, I will end my weekly training reports with 1-2 training goals that I will incorporate for the upcoming week and through my training plan.

  1. Begin logging my food to match my nutritional goals.
  2. Start fixing up my music playlists, tailored for specific runs (e.g. long runs, tempo runs, intervals, hills, etc.). 

Marathon Training Begins This Week

Ok, I have been putting this off long enough but I must start my 2017 NYRR Marathon training, ASAP. Last week, I did not run a single mile while on vacation in Spain. *I guess a single kilometer would be more appropriate because the metric system is used in Spain* Obviously, I did not do any running this week, because I have been a mess trying to recover from partying for 9 days straight and jet lag. I think I went to bed no earlier than 2am last week.

So, I will pinky swear to myself that I will be my begin my training on Monday . . . or maybe Tuesday  As of today, I have 148 days (or ~21 weeks) until the marathon, which will be held in November. I know that many training programs typically are 16 weeks but I have not been in the running game since October. I don’t know why but I kind of lost my excitement of running for a bit . . . maybe it was longer than a bit.

In other housekeeping news (or my list of “needs”):

  1. I need to buy a new pair of running shoes. That will be done on Sunday.
  2. I need to start running in some NYRR-sponsored races, if I want to qualify for the (9+1 qualification program) for the 2018 NYC marathon. Matter of fact, I will register for a couple of races after I submit this post.
  3. I really need get more involved with the NYC running community. I am a member of the NYC chapter of the Front Runners but I rarely attend any of the runs and social events. Perhaps, I will check out my weekly FrontRunners Gram to see what is going on this month.