Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Seas The Day


So this Sunday 7 of my friends and I participated in the Ocean To Sound Relay Race. It started on the south shore at Jones Beach and went 50 miles all around Long Island, ending on the north shore in Oyster Bay. For some reason, we thought this would be a "fun time". Yeah, I don't know...

We all spent Saturday relaxing, well I should really say stressing out, on the beach. It was the day before the race and we needed to find one more person to run because the team member who was supposed to run the hardest part of the race was injured. I don't know about you, but I don't know that many twenty somethings you can just call up and be like "hey wanna give up your Saturday night so you can wake up at the crack of dawn and run a 7 mile race with a bunch of people you don't know tomorrow?" Thankfully, one of my friends did know somebody crazy enough to do it, and problem #1 was solved.

So, we finally have enough people for the race but beings that it is a relay race, everybody starts off at a different location. So at about 11pm the night before the race we figured out a good system to get every member of the team at our respective starts, while still being there to cheer each other on.

To make a very long story short, I'm just going to skip ahead to my leg of the race. I ended up doing the 5th leg- 6.4 "mostly hilly" miles. Even though the race started at 8am, I didn't end up running until around noon when the sun was out in full force. Thinking I still had a good 5-10 minutes before my teammate would be there to pass me the baton, I was on the other side of the parking lot when I heard an official screaming my number. Ahhh my ipod's not set! My laces aren't tied tight enough! I didn't have enough time to flip out! Next thing I know I'm running up a huge hill trying to set my ipod to my play list and start my timer. Once I got all that figured out, I relaxed a little bit. Next thing I know I'm running and running and running and about to die as I look for the 1 mile marker so I can take my first walk break (Each mile along the course is marked). Next thing I know I look at my i-pod to see that I have been running for 18 f'n minutes. WTF! Colleen you need to pick it up you fat a$$! How the f are you so exhausted and you haven't even ran a f'n mile...oh wait why does that have a 2 on it? YOU IDIOT, you didn't see the first mile marker. Whew! Yessss..I get to walk now After I walked my much needed minute, I started to run again. Thank god Disney is flat because those hills really killed me. It was not an easy leg, and I did stop and walk after each mile (besides mile 1 because I couldn't find it), but only for a minute each, which is my marathon strategy also.

I finished in 1 hour and 3 minutes which is like a 9.55 mile...and I am perfectly happy with that time. After I was done running and rehydrated I felt good, but I'm not gonna lie...there were a couple times (okay the entire time)I wanted to run in the middle of the road and get hit by a car so I wouldn't have to run anymore. Don't worry...I didn't, I'm just saying the thought was there. Cool, Disney is quadruple the distance. Sweet Life.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Last Week

I didn't realize it's been almost a week since I last updated this, which I really want to try and start doing more often because...on three separate occasions people told me they are reading my blog. Weird, I thought my friend Meaghan was the only one reading it...and only because she was procrastinating at work. So, to the other three readers...welcome! haha im such a dork :)

I'm sure the anticipation has been killing you...Kate was able to join TNT and is now signed up to run the Disney Half Marathon! I'm so excited and we are already planning to stay in Disney for a couple days after our races for some much needed celebrating...and hopefully we'll make it on a ride or two.

So, last Tuesday we were supposed to have a group run...well I guess supposed to wouldn't be the right term because they had it...I just couldn't find it. So I ended up driving around Old Westbury for a good half hour before I decided that even if I did find the meeting place, the team would have already been gone, so I turned around and attempted to go home. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I didn't get home until 8: f'n 30 after ending up all over the island. Let's just say I was not a happy camper when I got home and still had to go on a 4 mile run. But I did it and felt great afterwards...although the "great" might be from the delicious grilled shrimp salad my parents picked me up for dinner.

On Wednesday Kate and I ran on the path from Cedar Creek Park down to Jones Beach. She did 2 miles and I did 4, so we did the first two together then I kept going. Then after my run I hit up the supermarket to pick up something for dinner. After spending a good half hour undecided I picked up some stir fry stuff and was on my way home. Me, being the idiot I am, decided I would make some rice and throw the stir fry on top of it. Did you know rice takes like 20 minutes to make??!!! WTF!? Haha I'm used to college and my 3 minute Uncle Ben's in the microwave. Well after I ate it was like 10 o'clock and I still had to get ready for work on Thursday and put together an outfit for a fashion show we were going to Thursday night...which I found out about on Wednesday. So long story short I didn't end up going to bed until after midnight.

Thursday I did Pilate's after work which I'm sure you can imagine was a sight to see. All five other people in the class were like masters...okay maybe not masters but at least they knew to take their shoes off before starting. I walk in and I can only imagine what these Pilate guru's are thinking when they see me rolling and falling all over my mat. I can only compare my experience that afternoon to the time when Jessi, Kelly and I went a drag show in Rehoboth Beach last summer. At first, we stood out like sore thumbs..beings we were the only females who were actually born female. But by the end of the night, we pretty much owned the place and were bff's with all the "girls"! Okay, it might be an exaggeration to say that at the end of pilates I felt as comfortable as I did at the end of the drag show night...but at pilates I only had some water to refresh me whereas at the drag show/bar, I had plenty of bahama mamas...

After my pilates escapade, I quickly showered and got ready for the High Life New York Fashion Show Party at Tavern on the Green. The night started off kindof awkward, but after a couple cocktails I relaxed a bit and started to have some fun. Rumor has it Derek Jeter stopped by, but I didn't see him so who knows. All in all it was a good night and I was home by 2...just enough time for a nice three and a half hour sleep before having to turn around and come right back into the city for work.

Friday's 5 mile run was probably the worst one I've had so far...and it wasn't because of my lack of sleep the night before, or the fact that I was giving up another Friday night to run...it was because of my sheer stupidity. When I got home from work, instead of immediately just going out and getting the running over with I sat on my couch to unwind and watch tv...and eat half a box of Wheat Thins. Ummmm eating half a box of wheat thins is never a good idea, eating half a box of wheat thins and immediately running in hot and humid weather is NEVER EVER A GOOD IDEA! I felt like I was going to throw up about a mile into my run and the feeling never left. All I wanted to do was turn around, go home, and curl up in my bed. I don't know how, but I finished...even though I did manage to get lost...in my own neighborhood...going there and back. I got lost on the back part...Sweet life.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Good News

First and foremost I need to thank everybody who already donated to my fundraising. The other day I procrastinated my run until after work and really didn't want to go. But when I got home, I was greeted by a very nice note and check for my fundraising. Beings that my goal was to be a quarter of the way done, and I hadn't received a single donation, that one was a major confidence booster. So I'd like to thank Lou and Beth Groia for being the first people to make a donation. :) That three mile training run didn't seem nearly as bad as I built it up to be.

Ahhh a three mile training run..those days are over and now my daily mileage is either four or five miles. Those numbers are very intimidating, but I know I can do it. Saturday morning we had our group run at Sunken Meadow at 6:55am. (Time I needed to leave my house- 6:15 Time I actually left my house- 6:25 Amount of time I spent lost on the way to the park- 3 minutes Time I spent lost on the way home from the park- 20 min...make sense??) At least I didn't get lost during the run...which I most definitely would have if I hadn't been running with Mentor Sue and another girl Kelly...who, fyi I convinced to switch from the half and run the full marathon. She was pretty much like if you can do it, than I must be able too. Hmmm...I dunno if I should find that insulting or not, but I'm happy to have another running partner who keeps the same pace as I do. Speaking of which, we did 6 miles including some major hills (Cardiac hill...the name alone is scary) in one hour and 5 minutes! That's like just over a 10 minute mile!! Susan suggested that we run a mile then walk a minute, starting with mile 1 to conserve energy and let me tell you it worked wonders!

Thursday's 4 mile run by myself was rough and I was exhausted when I was finished. During it I kept second guessing myself How I am going to run a f'n marathon if I can't run 4 f'n miles!?? Well, those walk breaks helped out so much and I felt like I could have done another 6! Well, maybe not another 6..but definitely another one or two.

Other good news...my friend Kate called me earlier today and expressed interest in joining the team! I think I might flip out (in a good way) if she does it! How fun would it be not only to be doing this for a great cause, but also to be doing it with a great friend?! She e-mailed the office today, so we'll find out if its not to late to sign up. (*hint hint if anybody else wants to join!)

Wow! I didn't realize all the good news I have to report! Well, anyway we had off from training yesterday (for labor day...haha I dunno why, but you don't have to tell me twice not to run!) so today starts week 6. We have a group run in Old Westbury at 7pm which is gonna be cutting it a little close because I don't get home from work until about 6:15-6:20, but that's alright, I'm actually looking forward to tonight's run....weird.