GOBBLE, GOBBLE!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

My 15 Minutes

I had my 15 minutes of fame this past week. My artwork adorned the back walls of a 3 part interview between Bill O'Reilly and Sarah Palin. Don't be hatin', I don't subscribe to the politics, but I don't mind seeing my work on TV either.

First for the video still:

I know, you can hardly see it, but I'll take what I can get.

And now for the video, if you can manage to sit through it.



I would have told you all about it earlier as I know you would have sat by your TV's anxiously awaiting my moment in the sun, but I forgot. Yes, I forgot that my artwork was going to be broadcast nationwide on prime time TV (I didn't even phone friends or family!). I am happy to report that the ratings for all three nights of the interview blew the competition away. Clearly it was due to the fabulous paintings displayed in the rear shadows. Excuse me, I think I need to go write a book about my experience now.

I Love It When A Plan Doesn't Come Together

You know how there is something special you want to do so you make a particular plan to do it? I could go into the whole Burns expression of mice and men and plans, etc., but I've milked that one dry. It also follows that in this particular case those plans did not go awry. Well, actually they did, but the end result was way better than I could have planned. This little ditty has a happy ending.

In my desperation to find new places to run in NYC besides Riverside Park and Central Park (I hate running the streets), I Googled "NYC trail running" and hit the motherload. It turns out there are several places to do trail runs either in NYC or a short train ride into the bedroom communities of Westchester County. Escaping NYC is an added boon to getting a run in. I had my eye on a particular trail, the Croton Aqueduct Trail. This trail runs atop the old Aqueduct that used to deliver clean water to NYC until the early 20th Century. If you've read Caleb Carr's The Alienist you are familiar with the reservoir the aqueduct supplied, it was the setting for major events in the novel. It used to sit where the NY Public Library is now on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. If you don't live in NYC you probably give a rat's ass, but a nice little bit of trivia for those who do.

As per usual, I knew I could depend on my good bud Laurie to be my partner in crime on this day. The day was gorgeous, 58˚F and sunny. We met in Grand Central early Saturday morning. This is when our seemingly ironclad plan first began to unhinge. I was supposed to buy the map of the trail from the bookstore in Grand Central. Idiot that I am, I forgot they wouldn't be open at that hour. Oh well, let's just wing it then. Laurie was all for it, this is why I love her, she likes an adventure as much as I do and that's a good thing because it was about to get more interesting.

We took the train about an hour north of the city to Scarborough and decided we would take the trail south from there as that is the more attractive part of the trail (it also doesn't hurt that it runs on a downgrade headed south, 13" per mile). The ride up was peaceful as the train skirted the Hudson River the length of our journey.

Ride along the Hudson

Once we arrived at our station we disembarked and started heading east, or what I believed to be east (which was indeed east when I checked the map later, you know, the one I was supposed to buy before the trip that I wasn't able to get my hands on until after the trip). No trail. Hmmmm....we'll just walk some more, we're bound to run into it. We passed through some lovely neighborhoods with gorgeous homes and we had plenty to chit chat about, so no biggy. Still no trail. We finally saw people. Yes, aside from the occasional passing car we really didn't see anyone. There were two gentleman standing in a driveway so we decided to ask them if they could point us in the right direction. These two men were very nice and accommodating, but it was like that skit you see on TV. You know the one that goes something like this:

Man 1: First you have to find the intersection of Sleepy Hollow Road
Man 2: No it's the intersection of Old Sleepy Hollow Road
M1: Old Sleepy Hollow? Well, they have to go to the intersection with all the stop signs
M2: Yes, then they have to take a right, but not that first right because that isn't really a road
M1: What road isn't really a road?
M2: you know, the one that goes off just this way (makes directional gesture with hand)
M1: Are you sure you two want to walk, it's really far.

You get the idea. Well, it was Sleepy Hollow Road and not Old Sleepy Hollow Road and so we passed it and it wasn't that far, but we passed it because there was no "Old". This is the thing about suburbia, everyone drives everywhere, so everything seems far. For New Yorkers who walk just about everywhere nowhere is far. What? You want me to meet you downtown (2 miles away), no problem, I'll just walk. So we walked and walked and still no trail and of course we realized too late that he really meant Sleeepy Hollow Road. Literally, it was like we were the Headless Horseman meandering aimlessly (Laurie, thanks for that analogy). However, we did finally locate a trail!! Well, a paved pathway anyway.


You'd have thought we'd just arrived at an oasis having spent days wandering in the desert. Could this be it? No idea, but we took it. We came across some cyclists ready to take on this pathway and asked them if this was the Croton Aqueduct Trail. Nope. It was the North County Trailway (which does indeed connect with a South County Trailway), Damn!! They were nice and had a Blackberry (yes, we still have just a regular cell phone, we're not total luddites) so they pointed us in the right direction south.

Onward we went for several more miles. Our plan had been to maybe run a mile, walk a mile (Laurie isn't running like I have been so we figured we would do it that way), but that didn't happen, we just walked....briskly. What the hell. This really wasn't about training anyway, this was about finding a cool new place and hanging with a good friend. My training starts soon enough....really, really soon, but I digress. The path we were on was quite nice, there were some cyclists on it, but not a lot of people and everyone we came across was very pleasant.


We continued on our way marveling at how we ended up on a completely different trail, albeit a paved on. We eventually came to a fork in the road and headed back west around the Tarrytown Reservoir, very pretty, and came out in another neighborhood and a main road I know, 9W. We took that into town, Tarrytown to be exact. I knew of it, but had never been. We hit the motherload, food, and the ever elusive Croton Aqueduct Trail. I happened to know that it ran right down the center of town passing through...sigh....

Tarrytown Reservoir and I don't know what that small structure is in the center.

We were beat. As it turns out we walked, hiked 10 miles. Now, I have run 10 miles, but my legs, hips, knees and right heel have never been as sore and achy as they were walking an equal number of miles. What the f*ck? If I were to guess why this is I would chalk it up to a longer stride and more heel strike than running (I guess the mechanics are different enough to make a body hurt!). We decided to grab a bite and take the next train back to the city. There was this Greek restaurant that was hopping so we figured if the locals are eating there it must be good. We were not disappointed. Falafel, hummus, rice, Greek salad, tsatsiki and two beers each later and we were happy as two pigs in shit.

Laurie & me

Oh yeah!

Falafel & rice
Can you say mmmmmmmm?
Isn't that hummus gorgeous?

So, no, the day did not go at all as planned. But that is what made this, in the end, such a grand adventure. We were flying blind, but managed in the end to find an amazing bike path (The North and South County Trailway) that runs from the north Bronx to Carmel for a total of 36.2 miles one way. I am stoked (as is Laurie) to ride this pathway in the very near future. We had a great walk, got to see some cool parts of NY, had a kick ass meal afterward and a nice scenic ride home (we only had to wait 5 minutes for a train.....on the weekend!). I love it when plan doesn't come together. And we still have the Croton Aqueduct Trail to explore yet.

Now for the funny or not so funny part. I purchased the map for the Croton Trail when we arrived back in Grand Central. As it turns out, when we got off the train in Scarborough and started walking, we were on the trail, which I would have known had I had the map. Not only that, but when we veered off the trail, we crossed it again further along. We didn't recognize it as it was unmarked and was passing through neighborhoods at this point. C'est la vie.

I now have a date with my foam roller, my ass is killing me as are my ITB's. Who says walking is for suckers?

Foto Friday: Coney Island Day

Got Moose?

Yeah, I've got moose, or more precisely, Mooseman as in Mooseman 70.3. GULP! I've bitten the bullet and signed up for my first 70.3 (Half Ironman for my few non tri readers). I will lose my virginity on June 6, 2010 which is quite fitting as I will be 43 the next day and it's about damn time. What a way to celebrate turning another year older. This somehow rings of self flagellation, no?

It's official

I am very excited and equally terrified. I love the fact that it is in New Hampshire. My grandmother was from Portsmouth. And yes, she ate "con on the cob" and "pocked the ca". Even after having left NH over 50 years ago she still had the accent. My grandfather too, but he was from Brooklyn, "I need some earl (oil)". I'm getting off on a tangent.

I mentioned to Kim what I was doing (as we are FB friends) and we both equated this to something like giving birth (although, my labor and delivery was twice as long as a full IM) and she had a great idea, "Hey...too bad we couldn't have a "shower" for your half iron! You could get sneakers, clothing, gel packs etc...lol...wouldn't that be cool?????" Yes, Kim that would be way cool!! We could play games like, see who can change a flat the fastest, who can strip off a wetsuit the quickest, name the flavor of this GU, and guess my finishing time (prize to be awarded at a later date). Alas, I doubt anyone of my friends would go for it, but I love the idea.

So that is my BIG news of the moment. I have a few folks (Sherry, Jen, Black Knight, and my sister) to blame for this (someone else too I'll tell you about another time). A while back I did a post on the new Syracuse 70.3 and the comments I got were nothing short of "don't be a punk, do it!" It was Jen's comment that stuck in my mind though, "SIGN UP!! COME ON....Seriously, go big or stay home is your motto for 2010! :)". Ok, happy now? It isn't Syracuse, but it's BIG. I almost don't want to post this as I only get one chance at announcing this for the first time, it must be just right!

In other news, my little PSA about getting your yearly mammogram starting at age 40 is already old news. According to an influential group that provides guidance to doctors, insurance companies and policy makers, if you are at "low risk" you need not start screenings until age 50 and then only every two years. I am considered low risk; no cancer in my family to speak of, at least that is ratable to me by blood. However, I literally just got a call not 2 minutes ago from the imaging office asking me to come back in for more images and an ultrasound on one of my breasts. I'm not worried, I had to go back last year for an ultrasound too which turned up nothing. Apparently I have dense breast tissue...makes for good times when running all those miles, ouch. I'm mixed about this new recommendation for many reasons I wont go into. How do you feel about it?

Yesterday I had my first flat (front tire). A nice sharp piece of glass still stuck in the tire. I guess even kevlar tires are susceptible to tiny pieces of glass? I have Kenda Kalientes that have "Iron Cloak technology. That provides the ultimate puncture resistant aramid casing" (what is aramid?). Oh well, at least I was prepared; had my tools, a spare and CO2 cartridge. No, it wasn't the fastest flat fix on the books, but I didn't need to be fast, I needed to be thorough. I patched my old tube, do I keep it, toss it? I'd feel safer at race time with a new one in my kit.

Indulge me in some more moose "stuff"

Brooks Launch Review

This is my very novice and unscientific review of the Brooks Launch running shoe. Because I am not a long time runner and new to Brooks, I cannot compare it to their other lines. However, I do run a lot, I needed new shoes, I liked the reviews I did read on these so decided to try them for myself......Just the facts ma'am.

OUT OF THE BOX:

Women's Brooks Lauch

These are the replacement for the Brooks Burn. I cannot compare the two as I never wore the Burn. In fact these are my first pair of Brooks (and probably not my last). While not a huge fan of the colors, they are a vast improvement over many of the BORING looking running shoes out there (I love the men's color!!! Come on shoe design people, get with the program, we girls want color!). To me this equals eye candy. I mean, if I see one more blue and white running shoe I may go postal. Hmmmm...maybe this is my new design niche. As we know, color isn't everything, unless you are turning green in the 13th mile of an Ironman, then color is everything.

Men's Brooks Launch, way cooler right?

I could not find these shoes locally at all, they were sold out. Even online they were tough to track down. After trying on two other styles of Brooks, I realized they felt a half size too small for me. I usually wear a 10 in Saucony and Asics, but I needed a 10.5 in these. This also added to the difficulty of finding it, some places online don't carry the 10.5. I finally got them at Zappos in case I needed to return them, gotta love free shipping and returns. These rocked out of the box! So soft, responsive and light. All the barefoot runners out there are groaning right about now. I feel you, I've got a mind to try out the barefoot thing......someday. FYI, These are a completely neutral shoe, so if you pronate.....they may not be for you.

Brooks says this about the Launch."With an incredibly flexible outsole and seamless transition, this lightweight neutral trainer will get you from start to finish, whether for a tempo run or in a race. Add to that the lower-profile midsole and minimal upper, and it's 3, 2, 1 . . . blast off! Weight: 7.5 oz." I am not sure what size this weight is for, but Running Warehouse has them listed at 8.1 oz. for a size 8.

You also have to love that these have what Brooks calls "BIOMOGO, the world's first biodegradable midsole." I guess like with anything there is a carbon footprint in the production of the shoe, but the effort Brooks is making is laudable.

ROAD TEST:

I never thought I would be sensitive enough to tell so subtle a difference in the weight of my running shoes, but compared to my old Asics Landreth 4's at 10.6 oz., these felt immediately lighter on my foot.

Asics Landreth 4, on their last legs, or feet.

They felt very soft, which makes me believe that they may not last as long as my Landreths. That said they have great cushioning on the forefoot and even more on the heel. I am by nature a heel striker (trying hard to me a midfoot striker), so the heel may break down faster for me. This also has a pretty roomy toe box which is great for me as I have slightly wide feet, but nothing freakish; I can't walk across water or anything.

The first run I took them on was an easy 6 miler. I ran a combination of asphalt and hard packed trail. I noticed right away, not only the lightness of this shoe, but it's responsiveness. Confession, I never knew what the hell people were talking about when they mentioned this, and maybe I still don't. But if responsiveness means that the shoe seemed to spring back from the pavement with every stride, then these are mucho responsive. In some ways, I felt like I was being carried along and if I can be carried during a run, I am all for it.

The next run they accompanied me on was an interval session; 1 mile W/U followed by 3 x 1 Mile better than 5K effort, then 1 mile easy jog. The Launch did not disappoint. Even when I felt my form breaking down with the fatigue of the intervals, it was somewhat easy to keep my stride light.I am happy to report that I had no blisters, rubbing or sore spots after either of my runs, this makes me very happy.

Price tag? About $90 give or take, depending on where you find them.

FINAL THOUGHT:

I am very please with these shoes. I think they look even better with my improvements; red speed laces, a girl can never have too much color.

More color, please.

They are light, responsive and won't break the bank. They have cushioning where I need it, so they'll do for long runs as well as my speed training. I don't see them as my one and only running shoe, I plan on rotating them with another pair of trainers and maybe calling upon the Launch for shorter, speedier distances. Which bring me to....

PLEA:

Has anyone worn the Brooks Defyance 2 (sigh...blue and white color scheme)? Are you happy with them? I am trying to decide between those or another pair of Asics Landreth 4 (they are discontinued, but I can find a pair on ebay). I tried on the Defyance in the store for a short "ride" on the dreadmill, they felt pretty good. Thoughts?

Foto Friday: An Homage To the Bike

First a little PSA from the UK:

Kind of gives "Brick" a whloe new meaning.

I wasn't sure about posting this, but what the hell. My blog isn't exactly G-rated.

Quick and Dirty

I'll make this quick as I have bigger fish to fry. More on that at a later date.

Yesterday I was coerced into riding bike. It was cold, it was windy, I was unhappy. My friend was trying to talk me into it since the day before sending me emails about "your skirt" as in "hike up your skirt and get on your bike!". I succumbed after several of these harassing emails. My bike still had the race number on it form my last event and the tires were in desperate need of air. When I met her in the morning she said, "If it wasn't for you I would have stayed home today." What?! She had a long night with her two kids, I get it. We did two very lame loops of Central Park. Toes were cold and energy waned. I was still glad she got my ass out there though in the end.

Today my energy seemed to return. I had to miss my Tuesday night run class cuz my sitter had to leave early and Tom doesn't get back from work in time for me to make it there. As a result, I decided to impose some self inflicted pain this morning. Another gray, cold, gusty day in the park. I did a mile warm up then did 3 x 1 mile intervals at faster than 5K pace (for me).

Mile 1: 8:41 (W/R: 4:00)
Mile 2: 8:29
Mile 3: 8:26

A nice slow jog home up a very steep hill. I am pleased I was able to push the last mile out b/c I wasn't sure I wanted to do it or would be able to do it. I also took my inhaler before heading out and felt totally fine. Ok, not totally fine, I was working for this, but at least I could breathe! Makes me wonder if I should push myself harder. I know I will soon enough.

Lisa has recruited me (and some other bloggers) to do the 100 push-up challenge. I started on Monday. After taking the test, I am in column 3. UGH! I want to start in 1 or 2! I'm sore today and can't believe I have to do more tomorrow along with Matt Pilates.

Carry on...

Rambling

So what did you do today? I went and got my boobs squeezed and I had to pay for the privilage. Yes, another reason to embrace your 40's; the annual smashing of the mammaries (really? spell check is telling me this is not a word?). In all seriousness, get a mammogram yearly if you do not do it already and are 40 or over, sooner if you have a history of breast cancer in your family. There, I've said my piece.

What a glorious weekend! Indian Summer for sure. I decided not to train on Friday as I had done quite a bit during the week and this is off season, right? RIGHT?! Instead I went for a walk in The Ramble in Central Park.

Here's the thing. I have lived in this city for just over 20 years (good God) and am finding that all my training is taking me to places I have never been before. I mean that literally and not metaphorically. It's forced me to spend more time in Central Park, for one. I've never spent a lot of time investigating it's interior so I've decided to change all that beginning with The Ramble. It is a beautiful collection of meandering pathways and trails that occupies 36 acres just south of the 79th Street transverse.


I stopped in Belvedere Castle and chatted with some of the Park's People. They noticed the collection of fall leaves I had been gathering and commented on it.

My collection

They also told me that it was illegal to take them from the park. I was aghast. Really? I just picked them up off the ground! They were good natured (ha!) about it all and didn't give me a hard time, in fact they gave me a plastic bag for my leaves (Accomplices now and I would rat them out if I got caught!). They did confirm though that it really was against the law to remove anything from the park, leaves, flowers, etc. You can't even kill a bug! Really? Really! I assured them the leaves were going towards educational purposes, as I had promised my son to do a leaf book (they actually ended up on his wall, it's a seasonal thing I do for him; snowflakes are next and thank the good Lord we did them last year and I saved them).

View atop Belvedere Castle looking north

One surprise I met in The Ramble was a black squirrel.


You usually don't see them up in this part of town. Don't get all ACLU all over my ass. It's just widely known that the one place in the city you will find them is Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village which is way down around 14th Street and 1st Avenue. It is odd to see one in Central Park.


The other surprise (ok, not really) I found was this:


There is a reason for this, which I will not go into, but I am sure you can guess. Be safe in NYC!

Yesterday I had a nice 6 mile run in Central Park. I continued to follow my wanderlust in the interior parts. I ran a combo of trails and asphalt through a lot of the northern part of the park; more places that I hadn't been before. The first three miles flew by. I had some knee pain and I'm not sure if it was from the new shoes (more in a later post), the trails (which I don't normally run) or the fact that I was walking all over creation on Saturday in my Fryes. I had some barking dogs by the end of the day.

Are You Kidding Me?!

You've probably seen this video of Elizabeth Lambert (#15 in red) of New Mexico's Los Lobos college soccer team in their loss to BYU on Thursday. As someone who has played soccer for close to 30 years, I was shocked that she was not called for more fouls than the one yellow card she received for tripping; that was the least of her infractions. In fact she performed so many blatant illegal moves that she should have had been removed from the game (Two yellow cards or one red would have done the trick, and she certainly would have deserved either). One has to wonder where the ref was in all of this? He did let a lot of rough play go on. It is a rough game and I have played against (and given) my fair share of "rough play", but this surmounts anything I have ever witnessed on the pitch.

Elizabeth Lambert released this statement, "I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary," Lambert said. "This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them.

"I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."

She has been suspended indefinitely. And now, to the video tape (keep watching past Julie Foudy's feedback, there's more). BTW, I resent that when women "go at it" it is called a cat fight. I mean, what is that?

Foto Friday: Nuts!

Apparently my son is taking a lesson from the squirrels and gathering nuts for the long winter.

Yankees Win! The Yankees Win!

Only I fell asleep in the bottom of the 8th inning. Watching baseball, for me, is like watching paint dry. In any case, I still made my son wear his Yankee cap today. Admittedly, I'm a fair weather fan.

Tuesday's run class was great. I actually didn't feel much like going; my back was irking me and I just felt "off". I went anyway. The marathon is over so we are back to more general speed training and less about the marathon finish. Still, those workouts were challenging and there was plenty of applause Tuesday for the marathon participants who still showed up for class. They were, however, encouraged to take it easy or just go toast one another with Gatorade.

The coach decided we would do a timed 5k. I imagine this was to provide a baseline for measuring future improvement (If I was a betting woman, I'd put my money on a second timed 5k in the final week of our class). The 5K was an OAB of 1K intervals with someone standing at either end to give us our times for each 1k split. She encouraged us to be mindful of pace and try to start off a bit slower and increase with each 1k length. I've mentioned that I placed myself in the 9:30-10:00 group (vs. 9:00-9:30), and that is where I started. I managed to increase my pace with each split as instructed and finished with a 28.07 time (9:02 pace). I am pretty happy with this. Mostly because I managed to stay in control of my pace and increase it as I went on. The last 1K length I really pushed it and was breathing hard. However, I used my inhaler for the first time this night and while I definitely was breathing hard, it wasn't the same gasping, struggling feeling; I felt like I could get air in and this was definitely an effort where I would normally be wheezing.

This morning I read an article in the NY Times about a method of breathing called the Buteyko Method that is supposed to help with asthma. I've found some videos on YouTube that demonstrate the methods and am going to give it a try. I hate to depend on drugs and would rather not if I can help it. In any case, it can't hurt.

Yesterday I finally went to the Matt Palates class at my gym. Killer. I was challenged for sure and am feeling rather sore today. I went with my back still feeling kind of icky and expected it to feel worse after the class, but wow, it felt so much better! I'll be back next week. I really feel all my core muscles today.

Did a spin class today and I will not do anything tomorrow. Although thinking of a walk through the Ramble in Central Park while Baby Toots is in school. It is so beautiful this time of year. OH! one last thing. I signed up for a 10K on December 6th. Still debating which indoor triathlon to do. I may juts bite the bullet and do the November 15th one..still pondering.

Spooky Marathon

Well, not really, but Halloween the day before the NYC Marathon? The poor souls couldn't fully raise their spirits on the eve of the 40th running of the event, so unfair. I am undeniably a big fan of Halloween. Now with a son who is old enough to enjoy it (and not old enough to tell me how much I embarrass him), I can fully partake in the Halloween festivities in full blown regalia. It doesn't hurt that my block has a big Halloween bash every year, Booya!

The last time I got to dress up was 2004!! Here is that "Gold Digger" (notice the shovel, please) costume:

So this year my son was a fireman posing with his good friend, Spiderman. Keeping the neighborhood safe from fire and evil doers.

What was I? Here is a hint:

Guess yet?

Every fireman needs a dalmatian, right? Hey, it beats being the fire hydrant, if you know what I mean....to pee or be peed on, that is the question. Yeah, dog trumps hydrant. Funny thing was, I felt like a character in an amusement park. Every parent wanted to take my picture with their kids, which was fine, I was happy to do it. In addition, every small child came up to pull my tail (thank goodness it was very secure) and tell me "woof, woof, Doggie!" Very cute.

Through the years..
2006 (a two for, thanks to grandma)

2007

2008

Bob the Builder, for those not in the know.

Some other fun costumes from this year on my street:

Bailout and Taxpayer, Brilliant!

The 300!


The Candy Hoard!

The Best sign at I saw at the Marathon:

She asked me, "Do you think this is too offensive?" I thought it was pretty funny. They do kind of have the market cornered on the whole running thing.