Run For Central Park

Yesterday morning TNT participated in NYRR, Run For Central Park. The 4mile race around Central Park kicked off at 9am with over 5,000 road runners participating. Everyone was so thankful that it rained the night before. The humidity levels were down and there was a refreshing breeze in the air, perfect for running!

Because of the race all those who took part got a break from our usual 7am long run. Coach Ramon on the other hand wasnt summer slacking. He was approching about mile 37 or so, in the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Race! Crazy man!




i finished at 37:14 and paced an average 9:18mile


runners refresh and refuel with pretzels, plums, and live music in "the mall" at central park. the race was capped at 5,000 runners

lots of runners, lots of port-o-pottys!

"now you wouldn't believe me if I told you,

but i could run like the wind blows"


practice last night was fab! we had our first mile "test".

at the start we broke into small groups based on pace. my girlfriend kristen and i decided that we would challenge ourselves and run with the 8-9min milers. practice is the best time to push your norms. and with the support of your teammates and coaches its hard not to break personal bests and set new goals. which is the whole point of the mile test!

at half a mile i hit a good pace for myself and carried to the end. my watch isn't exactly the most accurate thing in the world so i turned to the girl who finished just a few steps behind me and asked her what she ran... a 7:56 which meant i ran about a 7:54!

my 2nd time around the lower loop mile i ran a bit slower finishing at a 8:15.

TNT is participating in a four-mile run/walk, presented in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy this weekend. CPC works to restore, manage and enhance Central Park. NYRR and CPC are joining forces to make this the greenest race of 2009. All the awards, including for the kids' races, will be earth-friendly, and CPC will also plant flowers throughout the Park in honor of each race winner. Thus the race will have a lasting, healthy effect on the environment.

no pain, no gain

For temporary foot pain relief i made a small but valuable investment in some new sneaker insoles. They're priced anywhere between $11 and $24 and i picked mine up at the CVS near my apartment.

The inside of shoes (especially for people running 25, 30, 40, miles per week) can breakdown way before the outsides have seen any wear and tear at all. Your shoes might still look brand spanking new but the support and cushion are kaput. back, hip and foot pain are clear signs it's time to replace. New shoes are the best option, however, for this city girl on a budget i have to squeeze a few more miles out of my kicks before getting a new pair. i went with recessionista plan A and hit the foot care isle at the pharmacy.

I usually try to buy the store brand versions of products but when it comes to my face and my feet i stick with trusted name brands. Dr. Scholls makes replacement insoles specifically designed for athletes with their trademark "gellin" in all the right places as well as added arch and shock support. i swapped out the old for the new and hit the pavement.

Germaine was coming in for the weekend to play nurse and take care of me during wisdom teeth recovery. (she's the best) in the event i planned last nights workout around picking her up at the train station.

warming up from 92nd and 3rd avenue to 92nd and 5th i then headed to the 72nd street transverse to cut across the park to Central Park West. From there i did a quick loop around Columbus Circle and then continued south down 8th avenue to 31st street.

going down 8th avenue at midtown was a BAD IDEA. lesson learned, i shouldve taken 9th ave but i was worried about being on time. i probably wouldve saved time in the long run (ha ha) cutting out slowpoke tourist traffic but i was just so excited!

during my run i barely realized it was a thousand degrees because i felt like i was running on clouds! The new insoles make a big difference in my stride and comfort. new shoes to come soon but until then i wont be risking injury.

headed to the oral surgeon now, fingers crossed for an easy procedure and quick recovery!

"rain never hurt a runner... but lightening might!"

fortunately there was no lightening last night and although my run was soggy id say it was refreshing!

last nights workout: run to park (approx .5 mi) 2 times around lower bridle loop (1.66m each/ 3.32mi total) run home. workout total 4.32mi! a nice easy run but my feet KILL today! time for new shoes!

team practice tonight. we're doing 2 lower loops of the park weather permitting. and according to weather.com's forecast, so far so good! starting this week we are working on our effort levels aka figuring out how much we can challenge and how much we should challenge ourselves during workouts. this week E2 and E3.

sending out more letters today. hopefully the donations will start coming in soon!