This year was not about racing, training, injury or mileage. It was about survival, observation, change, trust and taking risks. I ended 2010 with some resolutions. I didn’t do half bad at sticking to them. With the exception of Facebook. January I started the year by attempting to let go of all plans and expectations. [...]
Filed under: coaching, eating, elites, everyday life, humor, injury, inspiration, ny harriers, olympics, podcast, racing, training | 1 Comment »
This race, put on by the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC, not be be confused with the Long Island Road Runners Club — or, LIRRC), was the second of my three 5K tuneup races leading up to Houston in mid-January. I’m running these races to get a sense of where I am fitness-wise, so [...]
Filed under: coaching, ny harriers, racing, training | 11 Comments »
This was actually kind of a tough week. It started out with a race that went very well. Then a zippy recovery run on Monday (my pace is averaging right around 8:30 on most recovery runs these days). Then a very late night owing to going to see Sleep No More, a piece of immersive [...]
Filed under: coaching, drinking, eating, ny harriers, racing, training | 1 Comment »
This week of training featured my first tempo run at Rockefeller State Park (aka “the Rockies”), and it was enjoyable. It’s a good park to run in once you figure out how not to get unspeakably lost. The last time we ran there one area in particular caught my eye: Swan Lake. This small lake [...]
Filed under: central park, coaching, recovery, training, westchester | Tagged: jack daniels, VDOT | 1 Comment »
Back in May, after my debacle in the Long Island Half, I put together a plan that consisted of 10K-specific training to get me to the NYRR Club Championships in early August, prepared to race my best 5 miler. Then both life and injury got in the way and I ended up with severely compromised [...]
Filed under: coaching, reading, training | 2 Comments »
Yeah, so I’m back to into it, officially doing 10K-specific training now. I am also back to self-coaching at the moment, not owing to any displeasure with what Coach Sandra had me doing, but because we’ve not been in much contact lately and I couldn’t really afford to wait around for guidance. I looked around [...]
Filed under: central park, coaching, racing, strength training, training | 4 Comments »
The adventure continues: low mileage, lots of recovery and not a little hard work. Any misgivings I’ve had about taking days off and losing easy miles were put to rest during last weekend’s race. I remain concerned about my fitness for a 13.1 mile race in two weeks. But I have to keep reminding myself [...]
Filed under: coaching, ny harriers, racing, training | 4 Comments »
[Warning: A bout of confessional bloggorhea follows. There is a running pay off, though. And maybe other useful things.] This past fall and winter were rough. When I think of 2010, I see a year that began with disappointment and frustration (following hot on the heels of a less-than-stellar 2009), then had a fabulous high [...]
Filed under: coaching, everyday life, injury, physiology, training | Tagged: anxiety, depression, dysthymia, meditation, minfulness, rilke | 21 Comments »
I’ve been rediscovering Warren Zevon lately. If you have no idea who he is, then look him up and discover for yourself his uniquely sardonic yet humane — and always highly literate — musical take on things. He’s dead, by the way. Before succumbing to lung cancer in 2003, he produced one of my favorite [...]
Filed under: central park, coaching, drinking, everyday life, racing, tracks, training | Tagged: warren zevon | 4 Comments »
I realized just now that I did three hard workouts, plus a race, this week. That probably wasn’t the smartest way to schedule things — and I take responsibility for this schedule. In reintroducting Coach Sandra’s original schedule for the summer, I wanted to get back to doing long runs on Saturday. This seemed as [...]
Filed under: billat, central park, coaching, training | Leave a Comment »
