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.
