Monday, March 24, 2008

Week of March 23rd

Sunday 3/23: much needed rest
Monday 3/24: 3 miles elliptical; core conditioning, lifting & stretching
Tuesday 3/25: 7 miles of HILLS!!! Hill workout in Waltham. Happiest moment ever. True Story slash I hope you can interpret my sarcasm in blog form.
Wednesday 3/26: Rest and MASSAGE!!!!
Thursday 3/27: 4 miles around the river with the Crossroads DFMC'ers
Friday 3/28: 21.7 miles - EAT YOUR HEART OUT! Taper Time :)
Saturday 3/29: Resting and a weekend visit to the Big Apple

Time Stamp: 2:34pm on Monday 3/24


It is 2:34pm.

I am hoping that in exactly four Mondays from this exact time, I will have finished Boston.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

A Letter to my Body

Dear Body,

I wanted to apologize for being so tough on you these past couple of months. But, I need you to stick it out a little while longer. We have less than a month to go, and only one 20+miler before the taper begins. Then, you will get your chance to rest. I need you now more than ever though, so you can't break down on me yet. This race is very important to me and to the patients at Dana-Farber.

I know I have been especially mean during these past few weeks because of the constant increase of weekly miles and my desire to run faster. I am sorry if the hills in Waltham yesterday hurt you. But, you didn't need to retaliate the way you did. I was rather embarrassed at the Puma store yesterday when you wouldn't let me bend over to tie the shoes that I was trying on. Instead, I had to have my mom tie them in front of a store full of people. You made a scene, and that was not justified. I've purchased two new pairs of kicks in the past week for you - one for everyday use, and one for the marathon. I don't know how else I can show my appreciation besides that.

OK fine - I hope that the hour long massage that you are getting this coming week will make up for my neglect and continuous abuse. I know I am being very selfish and am not treating you the way that you deserve to be treated. I also know that in many years from now, you will be angry that my stomach lining has dissolved into nothing as a result of all the Advils I am feeding you. But know that I am trying really hard not to hurt you.

Please accept my deepest apologies. You will be handsomely rewarded after April 21st. I promise. I just need you to hold out until then.

With love and appreciation,
Lindsey

Friday, March 21, 2008

ONE MONTH FROM TODAY.

That is all I really have to say right now.

But, well I guess I am really never at a loss of words, so I'll say a little more....For those of you who said you wanted to donate closer to the date, I can assure you that we are closer to the date. Knowing that the marathon is one month away makes me want to throw up in my mouth.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Week of March 16th

Sunday 3/16: 13.1 miles - New Bedford Half Marathon
Monday 3/17: Becoming O'Weinstein. Rest day :)
Tuesday 3/18: 30 min elliptical, lifting
Wednesday 3/19: rest
Thursday 3/20: 6 miles - river run
Friday 3/21: 4 miles to test out my new kicks!
Saturday 3/22: 15.4 miles (2:05)

To Life! To Life! My Marathon Bib Number!

22018.

That is the number that will be with me from Hopkinton to Boston on April 21st for (hopefully at most) four hours.

The 22 is for all the Dana-Farber runners. I guess we are in corral 22. I feel like a horse already thinking about it.

How about the 18? Well, I clearly obsess about my Jewish pride. My marathon number could not have been a more perfect fit.


18 = Chai (see Hebrew Letters above) = Life.

It is a very lucky number in the Jewish religion. Many people give donations to charity in increments of 18 (See my current marathon fundraising total...I have 36 cents sitting there). Well, this member of the tribe will be running with it proudly displayed on her Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge singlet. I can hardly wait!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Hey Moby Dick! Double or Nothing!

My blog entry about the New Bedford Half Marathon was a long time coming. When I think about the day, very few things stick out in my mind - those being: headwinds, fish sandwiches and Jeff's uncomfortable obsession with whales (BlueBook Citation, See Jeff Blog Entry 1; Jeff Blog Entry 2; Jeff Blog Entry 3). Five of us crammed into Tyler's car and we headed to good ol' New Bedford early Sunday morning. We arrived with T-2 hrs before gun time, so we set up camp in the gymnasium/wherever they were giving out our numbers. The place reeked of fish chowder and fish sandwiches (the oh-so-delicious post-race meal they were planning on serving...thank G-d I was allergic to gluten and brought my own meal!). The race started at 11AM. I am stealing Tyler's words that he posted on our DFMC Bulletin Board describing the course b/c I am on spring break and give myself permission to be lazy.

To give you an idea of the course: Mile one is flat and fast, it’s near impossible not to go out too hard. Mile two is about the same, which creates a bit of a problem for mile 3, which is predominantly an uphill climb – time to reel it in. From 4-9 you can pretty much cruise over some rollers and you actually start feeling pretty good until you take a left turn and next thing you know, you are running straight into a 10-15mph headwind - for the next mile and a half. After turning back into town you are greeted by a lovely hill at mile 12. The race then circles around and finishes downtown, right where it all began.

So here it was, my final time:
935 LINDSEY W. 25  45/117 BOSTON 1:52:00 8:33min/mile

So my official time was 1:52, but my watch time was 1:51. I wanted to break 1:50 for my double donations. Mind you, my watch time wasn't fully official. I knew I crossed the starting line about 35 seconds (at least) after gun time. However, I saw my mom, surprisingly, standing and waiting for me at the finish, so I gave her a huge hug before I even stopped my watch. Fortunately, after a bit of Jewish guilt-tripping (my mom taught me well), Chris and Jay each still doubled their donations. I got a great PR (my previous Half marathon was 1:58). I felt pretty good throughout the race, with the exception of the fabtastic headwinds at miles 9.5-11ish. My first mile, admittedly, was WAAAAY too fast. But because I was so concerned about breaking the 1:50, I didn't even notice the hill at the end. I booked it. Regardless, I was pretty happy with the results, and the corresponding donations. Bring on Hopkinton and the post-marathon celebratory Whale Watch!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Wanna Bet? I am Ciderly Yours.

I was recently propositioned. No, I was not propositioned by Client #9, but by my friend Chris, AKA "TLB", AKA "Radar". Chris was one of my cross country co-captains in high school, and now is one of the fastest distance runners that I know. When I ran the BAA Half last October, I just barely broke the 2hr mark (1:58), and I learned that I need to break 1:50 in a half marathon to be on track for my goal of a four hour marathon. So Chris made a bet with me. If I break 1:50 (based on my watch time, not official time b/c official time will be off a bit) in the New Bedford Half on Sunday, he will double his donation. I explained this bet to one of my best friends from college, Jay in Chicago. He told me he would double his donation as well. Anyone else want to jump on this Vegas bandwagon?

On another note, I've realized that I have become quite the cider drinker. This whole running phenomenon is still new to me, but I am catching on slowly. My DFMC running buddies do intense workouts, then have one, maybe two glasses of water to rehydrate, and then break out the beer within an hour of the workout. This is pretty standard behavior for runners across the country. Given that I am the gluten girl (gluten free entry to follow at a later date), I cannot fully participate in this beer drinking scenario. But, I also know that if I went drink for drink with them with my vodka sodas, I would end up hugging porcelain. Instead, I keep up with them with cider.

I had my long awaited summer intern reunion last night. Again, as the people around me drank their beers, I attempted to keep up with my fermented apple juice. I should own stock in Magners by the end of this marathon training. We had a good showing - Denture McGov, Khush, Wax Smilin' Sar, Murph, Seth, and Alex Copperfield. After seeing all of them, I realized that I am thoroughly looking forward to the last six miles of the marathon. (WHAT?) These loyal cheerleaders will be along the route at BC Law/Centre Street, BC @ Lake Street, Comm and Mass Ave, and then at Hereford b/w Comm and Newbury. I would hope that when my intern loves finish some of their day's worth of boozing, they'll meet me at Copley, within an hour of me finishing, with an ice cold Magners. YUM!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Walk Like an Egyptian...


Pyramids.

My least favorite workout from high school track.

We did them last night. Torture, say what?

For those of you who don't know what a pyramid track workout is, see the picture on the left. You legit go up the pyramid (ie do longer distances each set) and then come back down the pyramid. Our workout was a 400m, 600m, 800m, 1000m, 1200m...then an oh-so-generous three lap rest. Then, a 1200m, 1000m, 800m, 600m and 400m. By the second 1000m, my legs felt like lead. It was the most painful feeling I have dealt with in a while, but I somehow ran through it. Fortunately though, with so little rest in between each set, we were done in record time....giving us more time at Redbones :)

This morning, I went for an early morning run with my family friend, Emily. My grandparents and Emily's were very close friends, our moms are good friends, and she and I ran cross country together in high school. Emily is running for Team in Training and certainly can fit the "b!tchin fast" runner category. Although it was rainy and my legs were a bit sore, Em and I had a good run, and had some good catch up time as well. We only did two miles together (she did a speed workout last night too), but it involved each of us running over a mile each way to meet up. As I look to the New Bedford Half Marathon on Sunday, I think my little legs need a bit of a break for a while. Advil and ice here we come...

On the fundraising front, we are kicking butt! Over $6,300 thanks to some recent generous donations! Keep them coming!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Carbo Loading, Head Winds like whoa & Short Shorts

After a semi-disasterous morning last Sunday thanks to some tequila, Tevya bonding and birthday partying, there was no way that I was going to let myself miss the long run yesterday. But, after learning of Harpoon’s new cider, I was hard-pressed (haha! get it? hard pressed like the cider? alright, not so funny) to miss my first ever Harpoonfest on Saturday. I went, had few ciders and some good times. When my friends and I were ready to leave, I decided to head home after feeling guilty for missing the last long run due to the night before being too big of a night out. I made myself a delicious dinner, and drank tons of water and propel before getting to bed early.

Tyler and his awesome wife Angie hosted the Sunday run along the Minuteman Bike Path from Arlington.

The weather for Sunday's run was great: Sunny and bright day thanks to the "spring forward" the night before. So, I just assumed that it was spring, and therefore, I should be running in shorts. I got into my traditional Elle Woods JD outfit (pink top & black and pink shorts), and grabbed a pair of Soffe cotton pants, and headed up to meet Lauren at Davis Square. Yep, I was wrong about the weather. I started running with my cotton pants over my shorts, and yes I looked like an embarrassing amateur runner. At our first water stop, I stripped. Don't get me wrong - I was freezing in my shorts in the beginning (thanks to some fabulously horrible headwinds on the "out and back” course). Mind you, I was still adequately layered on top - wearing a long sleeve, my pink tank, a jacket, a headband and gloves. But running in shorts was much easier than running with the bulky pants.

Sarah suggested that I get myself a skirt, instead of my pink shorts, and also said that the Zebra print skirt is now on sale. Elle Woods at her best, perhaps?

Despite my legs getting as pink as my tanktop, I had a great run. The headwinds definitely slow us down quite a bit, but I averaged a pretty solid pace. After I finished the 15 miles, I did my own little loop, which was supposed to only be a mile. Being the directionally-impaired girl that I am, I ended up doing what was probably a two-mile loop making this run officially the longest run to date...17 Miles!

Also important: I think I finally figured out my "refueling foods of choice" for a run...those being Mint Chocolate Gu w/ Water; Peanut M&M's or Ginger Chews (don't make fun) w/ Lemon Lime Gatorade. To most of you, this may seem silly. But it may be helpful for the peanut gallery who will be cheering me on on Marathon Monday (**hint hint**)

Lesson learned from this run? Day drinking is a great way to load up on carbs the night before a long run so long as I don't overdo it too much...and, it helps guarantee one of my best runs to date! I wasn't the only one to have my best runs after day drinking. So for those of you out there who think that I need to test this out again, see my friend Lauren's blog on her awesome run last weekend. Clearly, it works!

Another tidbit - The group I ran with (Steve, Lynn, Megan and Tom) all decided that we would each tell our "best marathon story." Well, because I don't have one YET, I just said that I would "get back to them this time next year." Can you believe that I said that without having completed my first marathon? I guess this running addiction has really rubbed off on me :-)

Week of March 9th

Sunday 3/9: 17 miles!
Monday 3/10: a very necessary rest
Tuesday 3/11: Track Workout - Pyramid, 5 miles
Wednesday 3/12: 4.5 miles w/ Emily (HS XC Buddy and 3rd Generation Friend!)
Thursday 3/13: pilates....much needed stretching time
Friday 3/14: 4.5 mile taper :)
Saturday 3/15: Rest pre-New Bedford

Week of March 2nd

Sunday 3/2: 7.5 miles (lesson learned: no more tequila)
Monday 3/3: gym - 3 miles elliptical; abs and weights
Tuesday 3/4: Track workout. 4X400m repeat 5x...5 "quality" miles
Wednesday 3/5: Stretch
Thursday 3/6: 8 miles
Friday 3/7: Rest
Saturday 3/8: Yoga and 3 miles elliptical; abs, weights and stretching then Harpoonfest

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Most Annoying Runner Ever...

I saw on the Runner's World blog an entry titled "The Most Annoying Runner Ever." Given that I've received the Chatty Cathy award during my long runs, I kinda thought this would be a link to a YouTube video of me running. Fortunately, I was wrong. I ran my long run today with Steve, Megan, Lynn, and Tom. I told them all about this crazy runner's video when Steve vocalized how painful it was for ALL OF US to start running again after we took too long inhaling our Gu's and sipping our Gatorade at a water stop. Well Steve, for a moment (and just a moment, I promise), this runner made me think of you. Enjoy.

The thoughts on today's makeshift long run will come in another blog later this evening. Until then, my couch and the beginning of Season 2 of Lost are calling my name.

Niiiiiice.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Dirty Water and Men in Skirts

I had plans yesterday evening, so I was unable to "do the Thursday" with the regular group at Crossroads. Instead, I was going to head out and do the hills on my own in the afternoon. On my walk home from school, I realized how nice it was out, and remembered that I have neglected the Charles River for quite some time now. For those of you who don't know, after close to a ten year hiatus after high school track and cross country, I got back into enjoying running by doing loops around the Charles this past summer. The story as to WHY I started running again is similar to some of my other running friends. But, that is for another blog. In sum, yesterday I realized it had been a while since I ran around the Charles. So, I did my 6 mile and 4 mile loop, but ended up walking the last two miles thanks to my legs feeling like bricks...which I blame on the fact that I didn't consume enough carbs or proteins on Wednesday night.

This blog entry also references "Men in Skirts", which I am sure intrigues you all. On Tuesday at the track, a few of the DFMC men dressed up for Skirt magazine. I never realized some of these guys, particularly the famous Jack Fultz, could be so comfortable in such an outfit. Sarah, my favorite literary DFMC running blogger, highlights this moment perfectly in her blog. But, for my readers, I thought it would be only appropriate, and amusing, for you to see the men in skirts yourselves.
On another note, we are less than 6 weeks away from Marathon Monday! AHH! Let the freak out begin...

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Proud of my B*tchin' Fast DFMC Tracksters :)

Lauren, my DFMC buddy, coined this term properly last week. The people who do the track workouts from the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge are "B!tchin' fast." But...we still do it. And hope to be the same speed, someday. We also enjoy some delicious booze and beef brisket at Redbones after a hard earned workout. Tuesday was a fabulous workout...slash I would never call what we did fabulous UNTIL it was over.

4 X 400 m repeats. In between each 400m, a 1 minute cooldown. After one set, a 400m "cooldown." Repeat five times. For those of you impressed at how many miles I run daily, this probably wouldn't sound impressive to you. I only ran five "quality" miles on Tuesday evening. Those miles were SPRINTING though. Think of it that way, and yeah, I know, it made me wanna throw up too. But here is a video, reminding me of how proud I am of my fellow runners and fundraisers, and how lucky I am to have THE Jack Fultz as both my marathon training coach, and friend.