that's a mouthful!! my running club hosts a series of cross country 5k races each summer in van cortlandt park. they are every other thursday beginning late may through mid august, plus we have a 2-person 2-mile relay in the middle for fun. i signed up for the whole series, partly because the races are replacing our regular thursday tempo runs (which i really enjoy) and partly because i've never done a cross country race before so i figured it would be fun. plus a ton of my teammates will be around so that is always fun too.
the first one this year took place may 23 in the midst of torrential rains -- a great introduction to xc racing! ha.
it was actually a lot of fun once you got over being wet, especially after the first plunge through ankle deep rainwater. once you're soaked you can't really get any wetter, and once your shoes are waterlogged, there's nothing left to worry about. the first mile of the course is pretty flat, then you head up into the hills. the trail is well maintained but it is muddy and rutted. many of the steep hills have the wood crossbars (like railroad ties) across the trail, to help with erosion and footing. it is very pretty as you're surrounded by woods, feels very far from the city, which is nice. i'm looking forward to running this many more times this summer. maybe after i learn the course better, i'll be able to look around a bit more and enjoy the scenery. especially if it isn't pouring. :)
i finished in 27:23, not too bad for my first xc race, especially given the conditions.
Monday, May 27
may 26 grocery challenge
grocery bill:
about $60
menu plan:
dinner
leftover chili, spin pie, and we'll probably order a pizza. also making blueberry oat muffins and chocolate chip cookies. yum!
shopping list:
eggs
bread
OJ
yogurt
cheddar
hummus
spinach
tortilla chips
triscuits
olives
salad dressing
tuna
chocolate chips
celery
onion
garlic
apples
apricots
orange
Tuesday, May 21
race report: brooklyn half marathon
this was another race i signed up for on a lark, mainly because a ton of my teammates were doing it so it sounded like fun.
in the end, more than 70 people from my team ran it! awesome! we arranged a bus to take us to brooklyn, so i got up at 4am and got sean to drop me off at van cortlandt park by 5am. race start was 7am and we should've had plenty of time but as we got closer, the traffic got worse and people started getting antsy. so the bus pulled over and we walked the last half mile or so.
i met up with julia near bag check. we had decided to run the race together. i wasn't looking to PR, just to finish in 2 hours or less. julia really wanted to finish sub-2 as well so we decided to run together. we had planned to run the first half or so at a 9 min/mile pace then once we got out of prospect park and the hills were behind us, we'd pick up the pace if we felt we could. if not, we'd stick with 9's, which would give us a 1:58 finish.
so we checked our stuff and headed to our corral. we met up with penny there who decided to run with us as well. once the corrals closed and they took down the dividing tape, we were able to use the port-o-potties before the starting horn. it was another 12 minutes before we even got to the start line! sheesh. huge race. we started out well with the first mile faster than planned, but it was an easy mile (downhill) so we took it. by mile 3 we were entering the park, and it got tough. the east side of the park is basically one looooooong hill and we were definitely feeling it by the time we crested it. after we rounded the north end and headed back down the west side, we regained a little time and got back to our planned pace.
around mile 7 we left the park and headed to ocean parkway. from there, it's basically a straight shot to coney island. i thought this would be the easiest part of the race, but i really struggled the first couple of miles on ocean pkwy. i ate a gel around mile 8 and promptly got a cramp in my right side. i think i should've eaten one sooner (hindsight). thankfully it was entirely overcast, so my sunglasses remained perched helpfully atop my head. ha. it was quite humid though. just after mile 8, i noticed our pace was dragging and i was worried we were jeopardizing our sub-2 finish. i asked julia if she wanted to pick it up but she said she was really struggling and i should go on without her. i waited a couple of minutes, then checked in with her, but she wasn't feeling great. i tried to convince her to stick with me til mile 10 thinking she would feel much better but she declined, so i reluctantly went on ahead. i picked the pace back up to around 8:45-9 for the next few miles, reminding myself to breathe, focus on form, and just run one mile at a time.
sure enough, mile 12 eventually arrived. we banked right onto surf avenue and you could just catch a faint whiff of ocean. the course narrowed drastically as we turned left, through a parking lot, and up onto the boardwalk for the last quarter mile or so (i think).
i knew sub-2 was in the bag, so i was happy about that. crossed the finish and began the slow zombie parade off the boardwalk. collected water, gatorade and pretzels, and then my medal (yay). continued down the boardwalk and then realized we had to climb down a flight of stairs to get to the bag check. LOUD COLLECTIVE GROAN.
after the race, i met up with a bunch of teammates and compared notes. we ended up at peggy o'neill's pub, where an 80s cover band entertained us as we drank beer and sat around. it was still overcast and the cool breeze off the ocean combined with some sprinkles. but mostly everyone remained cheerful. the bus came back to retrieve us and we began the far-too-long trek back to the bronx.
all in all, i had a good time. i was really looking forward to hanging out, eating hotdogs and drinking beer, but the post-race period was calmer than i had anticipated. i was a bit disappointed that i couldn't pace julia to a sub-2 finish. and i wasn't feeling 100% great myself after the race. but once the nausea/exhaustion faded, i felt much better.
added another HM to my accomplishments, and another medal to my collection. :)
official time of 1:57:53, neither my best nor my worst! i'll take it.
in the end, more than 70 people from my team ran it! awesome! we arranged a bus to take us to brooklyn, so i got up at 4am and got sean to drop me off at van cortlandt park by 5am. race start was 7am and we should've had plenty of time but as we got closer, the traffic got worse and people started getting antsy. so the bus pulled over and we walked the last half mile or so.
 |
| me and beni pre-race |
so we checked our stuff and headed to our corral. we met up with penny there who decided to run with us as well. once the corrals closed and they took down the dividing tape, we were able to use the port-o-potties before the starting horn. it was another 12 minutes before we even got to the start line! sheesh. huge race. we started out well with the first mile faster than planned, but it was an easy mile (downhill) so we took it. by mile 3 we were entering the park, and it got tough. the east side of the park is basically one looooooong hill and we were definitely feeling it by the time we crested it. after we rounded the north end and headed back down the west side, we regained a little time and got back to our planned pace.
 |
| somewhere in the park |
around mile 7 we left the park and headed to ocean parkway. from there, it's basically a straight shot to coney island. i thought this would be the easiest part of the race, but i really struggled the first couple of miles on ocean pkwy. i ate a gel around mile 8 and promptly got a cramp in my right side. i think i should've eaten one sooner (hindsight). thankfully it was entirely overcast, so my sunglasses remained perched helpfully atop my head. ha. it was quite humid though. just after mile 8, i noticed our pace was dragging and i was worried we were jeopardizing our sub-2 finish. i asked julia if she wanted to pick it up but she said she was really struggling and i should go on without her. i waited a couple of minutes, then checked in with her, but she wasn't feeling great. i tried to convince her to stick with me til mile 10 thinking she would feel much better but she declined, so i reluctantly went on ahead. i picked the pace back up to around 8:45-9 for the next few miles, reminding myself to breathe, focus on form, and just run one mile at a time.
sure enough, mile 12 eventually arrived. we banked right onto surf avenue and you could just catch a faint whiff of ocean. the course narrowed drastically as we turned left, through a parking lot, and up onto the boardwalk for the last quarter mile or so (i think).
i knew sub-2 was in the bag, so i was happy about that. crossed the finish and began the slow zombie parade off the boardwalk. collected water, gatorade and pretzels, and then my medal (yay). continued down the boardwalk and then realized we had to climb down a flight of stairs to get to the bag check. LOUD COLLECTIVE GROAN.
 |
| lookit me, i gotta medal! |
all in all, i had a good time. i was really looking forward to hanging out, eating hotdogs and drinking beer, but the post-race period was calmer than i had anticipated. i was a bit disappointed that i couldn't pace julia to a sub-2 finish. and i wasn't feeling 100% great myself after the race. but once the nausea/exhaustion faded, i felt much better.
added another HM to my accomplishments, and another medal to my collection. :)
official time of 1:57:53, neither my best nor my worst! i'll take it.
Monday, May 20
may 19 grocery challenge
grocery bill:
~$64
menu plan:
dinner
CHILI!
shopping list:
bread
raisin bread
english muffins
OJ
yogurt
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
salsa
goldfish crackers
pretzels
pretzel crisps
hummus
tuna
corn
beans
tomato sauce
onion
bell peppers
apples
lettuce
Sunday, May 12
may 11 grocery challenge
grocery bill:
~$75. oops.
menu plan:
dinner
leftover squash risotto, quesadillas, sweet potato burritos. plus i made some olive oil & orange chocolate chip cookies (yum)
shopping list:
OJ
chocolate pudding
butter
shredded cheese
mustard
pickles
olive oil
tuna
kidney beans
bread
tortillas
english muffins
chocolate chips
yogurt
sweet potatoes
onion
orange
celery
lettuce
Monday, May 6
may 5 grocery challenge
grocery bill:
~$48
menu plan:
dinner
leftover spring veggie penne and squash risotto (made on a whim last week), plus quesadillas
shopping list:
apple juice
jello
club soda
graham crackers
tortilla chips
apples
bell pepper
green onions
yogurt
bread
tortillas
cheese
tuna
black beans
corn
olives
Sunday, May 5
race report: st. a's run to squash hunger
i signed up for this 5k because it promised to be flat and fast (http://sta5k.com/), and i wanted a new 5k PR! as it turns out, the PR wasn't quite meant to happen, but it was a lovely, mostly flat race and i did enjoy it.
i finished 21st overall (of only 72 finishers), 4th female, and 1st in my group, and i tied my PR of 24:16. so it was a good day!
conditions were great, and the course was right alongside the river, offering a nice breeze and pretty views. i wanted to hit a pace of ~7:45 which should have been enough for a PR with a time of 23:xx. i wasn't concerned about winning my group or anything, i was really racing this for myself and my ego. ha. first mistake. garmin said my first mile was 7:40, not bad. mile 2 caught up with me, as it tends to do, with 8 flat. then mile 3 i did at 7:50, evening out to exactly match my PR. ha again.
part of the course was an out-and-back, so i could see who was ahead of me and i started counting females. i realized i was #5 and decided to try and pass female #4, who was within a few dozen yards. we had been close all race. i did pass her about halfway through mile 3, and i knew i had no shot at catching female #3.
i was alone for much of the race, which is unusual for me, and i think that actually hurt me a bit since my motivation and pace flagged somewhat. i think i do better with a few folks around to keep me honest. :)
for winning my age group, i received a pretty potted plant!
i finished 21st overall (of only 72 finishers), 4th female, and 1st in my group, and i tied my PR of 24:16. so it was a good day!
conditions were great, and the course was right alongside the river, offering a nice breeze and pretty views. i wanted to hit a pace of ~7:45 which should have been enough for a PR with a time of 23:xx. i wasn't concerned about winning my group or anything, i was really racing this for myself and my ego. ha. first mistake. garmin said my first mile was 7:40, not bad. mile 2 caught up with me, as it tends to do, with 8 flat. then mile 3 i did at 7:50, evening out to exactly match my PR. ha again.
part of the course was an out-and-back, so i could see who was ahead of me and i started counting females. i realized i was #5 and decided to try and pass female #4, who was within a few dozen yards. we had been close all race. i did pass her about halfway through mile 3, and i knew i had no shot at catching female #3.
i was alone for much of the race, which is unusual for me, and i think that actually hurt me a bit since my motivation and pace flagged somewhat. i think i do better with a few folks around to keep me honest. :)
for winning my age group, i received a pretty potted plant!
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