by Monica on July 31, 2009
Lessons in humility are fewer and further between for a 46 year old. Yesterday I had one at the pool. I received my aqua jogger in the mail and decided it was time to try the foot out on the road and in the water. I have an appointment with the sports doc today and the foot in the boot was feeling really good. My 15 year old daughter and I decide to run to our community swim club (only 2 miles) and then try out the aqua jogger in the pool. It felt great to run! Freedom. But by the time we made it to the pool my foot was already starting to feel a little sore…nooooo! My husband and 13 year old son met us there and brought my new aqua jogger with them. Now if you have teenage children (who swim very well), you may relate to the utter humiliation of their mother strapping this thing on and running (in front of everybody) in the pool. I am not a swimmer. I practically drowned trying to put the thing on (I am suddenly reminded of those ladies from my youth at the Y doing water aerobics for the 60 and over set). My husband (another really good swimmer) is laughing so hard at my lack of finesse in H2O that my son decides I am too embarrassing to get near.
I start my trek cross the pool in the running motion with vigor. I can actually feel the resistance on my legs, but what do I do with my arms? I decide to move them as if I am running. I change the intensity now and then to see if that makes me more tired. The kids decide it’s better to ignore me and play with their dad…I keep running up and down the pool. I see people I know and they don’t seem to notice the flotation device strapped to my middle…I chat…but I keep running. After about an hour and a half I am really starting to get tired so I declare I am ready to get out and the kids cheer. The most boring run of my life…I will never take the road for granted again. [click to continue…]
by Monica on July 30, 2009
Dara and I are tight…tight-muscled that is. When I read her book ( Age is Just a Number) that included her pre-olympic routine I wanted to know more about the stretching she came to rely on to get her there. She called it her secret weapon. Now, I do not have the very apparent resources of Dara so when I saw the Resistance Stretching DVD with Dara Torres online, I was in. It is the work of her resistance stretching team of Anne Tierney and Steve Sierra of Innovative Body Solutions. I have been doing these stretches for a few weeks now and I come to look forward to them at night. At first I wasn’t sure if I was doing the resistance part correctly (and this is where a trainer or one of their classes would be good)…but I managed to go back and watch their very detailed tutorial again and again until I was confident I fully understood.
If you are an older runner like me you may also find these stretches very helpful as part of your cross training. I have been off the road for two weeks now due to my foot injury but continue to cross train and stretch. I am not as sore as I am usually. [click to continue…]
by Jamie on July 27, 2009
image courtesy of www.myrecipes.com
More protein! The latest distance running mandate. As well as protein, beef provides us with iron, Vitamin B12, zinc, niacin and that singular taste and texture we sometimes crave. What better excuse to put together steak salad, relished by foodies, basic eaters, ethnic food fans and kids alike. An informal dinner party dish; a platter of steak salad in the middle of the table inevitably leads to leisurely conversation and dining. We serve it each year for our daughter’s birthday dinner.
Even better, steak salad is a cinch to make. It relies on fresh, seasonal vegetables as well as the juicy steak. Substitute your favorite vegetables —they all work! The components can be made well ahead of dinner and then put together (and dressed) right before serving.
Recipe (to serve 6):
2 lbs London Broil or Flat Iron steak
¾ lbs fresh green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb mesclun (salad greens) mix
Fresh tomatoes (if you have them)
Broiled asparagus, (if available)
2 lbs new potatoes, washed
Salad Dressing:
¾ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (peeled) clove of garlic crushed into sea salt with a fork, then diced
Fresh herbs if you have them; basil, tarragon, a little mint-all finely chopped
[click to continue…]
by Jamie on July 14, 2009
I’m becoming restless. Time to break up the drudgery of distance training by running somewhere new. I choose the NY Marathon Long Training Run #1 in Central Park. The run costs $15.00 if entered ahead of time and a little more to pay on the spot. The run is billed as a “noncompetitive” 6-20 miler.
Saturday night, Chelsea, NY: Paul, consummate theatre enthusiast and fun time addict, absolutely must attend the last performance of Twelfth Night, a Shakespeare in the Park production starring Audra McDonald, Anne Hathaway and Julie White. Goddesses all. The play has earned stellar reviews and the requisite buzz. The tickets are free (that is, if you can line up early enough).
Paul stays up late and sleeps in, while my definition of a late run, alas, is 6 am. But tonight is not like any other night. After drenching thunderstorms pass, Paul leaves his Chelsea apartment at 3 am and bikes to Central Park West, where the ticket line begins. Paul encounters a mighty line in front of him formed in defiance of the storm. I leave 3 hours later to make my way to the run’s starting point, at the Park on 5th Avenue and 102 Street.
The run’s start is low-key and upbeat. I take in the pre-run chatter. Runners are wowed by a Polar triathlon watch (it records time and distance on the run and in the water.) We talk of our next marathon: NY and Chicago are mentioned most often. Runners bitterly compare notes about the perpetual conflict between Central Park bikers vs. runners. (Heidi: how do triathletes’ traverse this divide?)
The run consists of 4 loops; one 6 mile loop, two 5 milers and the last loop of 4 miles. Water is provided throughout the run. At mile 6, 11, 16 and 20, Gatorade and pretzels are provided. GU is located at miles 11, 16 and 20 (does anyone actually down a GU at the end of a run?)
The run starts about 20 minutes late. The course is hilly throughout (see map). Each mile is marked. The sun is blazing hot. Then, we run into luxurious, jade colored shade. The sites that keep my mind off the miles: the Lennon/Ono Dakota, the stately Met, the newly spiffed up Guggenheim, the jewel-like Reservoir and the Fred Lebow statue (checking his watch.) Lebow was a beloved runner who helped organize the first New York City Marathon along with many other notable races.
I pass Paul and the Shakespeare line three times. Line holders eat. They doze. They read the Times and play Charades. Parents are reading the Shakespeare plays to their teenagers (Ann Hathaway fans.) Everyone is fretting about their chance to get a ticket. Anxiety is a faithful friend.
The staff informs Paul that his place in line is directly across from the Rock of Hope. Meaning that he has a 50% chance of scoring 2 tickets. 50%!?! Paul has bonded with his line-mates as they share tales of ticket-waiting hell. To pass the time, they track my progress throughout the loops.
Unlike most races, the pace groups are well-defined. The event organizers purposefully create time and space between each pace group. It’s a good thing because there are no pace balloons or identifying markers. When I inevitably slow, it’s as if a herd of caribou are behind me.
Most of us end our run after the third loop, at mile 16. Unlike a race with a definite finish, this run allows my running devil to go wild; “stop now, it’s hot and hilly. Quit while you can; with a modicum of dignity!”
I cool down with a 2 mile walk to the Shakespeare line and spend some time with the line dwellers. At 1:30 pm Paul and his compatriots are awarded with tickets. Everything is cool!
Twelfth Night is all that Paul hoped for, a splendid production and a luminous summer evening in the Park. A perfect way to spend the day on the Twelfth.
