JPMC Corporate Challenge "Race" Report . . . AKA Why I Will Never Enter Another Running Event With Co-workers

UGh. Huge warning to everyone thinking about reading this post . . . I'm mostly going to whine. So yeah, if you're not feeling like listening to a bunch of whining, feel free to skip this one!

I woke up yesterday morning feeling like I really wanted to race. Thus, I decided I would go all out in the JPMC Corporate Challenge that evening. I even brought along my racing flats to really seal the deal. But as the day went on, I eventually gave in and allowed a slower co-worker to talk me into running with her. Deep down inside, I really wanted to race . . . but I didn't want to look like some kind of anti-social, competitive running freak in front of all my co-workers! So I figured I'd treat it as an easy run, and try to enjoy some girly chat-time in the process. Little did I know that "easy" would mean "so slow my heart-rate never moved past its normal resting rate."

You see, co-worker was running a little bit late for the race . . . we didn't end up leaving until 6:20 (the race started at 7:00). Some guy in the elevator even mentioned, "Aren't you two cutting it a little close?" Thanks for the input, buddy! So we made our way over the Central Park. Luckily, our office is only three blocks from the park. Unluckily, neither of us knew where the hell the "team tents" were supposed to be. Finally, with about ten minutes to spare, we found the tent. I threw down my stuff, ready to sprint up towards the start . . . but co-worker, was in no mood for rushing! She chatted with our team captain, who was manning our tent, took her time pinning her bib onto her shirt, grabbed a few sips of water, took a few photos, etc. Again, I didn't want to be some kind of killjoy, but I was going absolutely crazy! I knew we were planning to run "easy," but I seriously didn't want to get caught behind tens of thousands of walkers!

Finally, we headed in the direction of the start line. When we got up there, I immediately came to realize that we were pretty much screwed. The 12:00/mile marker was so far up, I could barely read it. There were just hoards and hoards of people everywhere . . . most of them seriously out-of-shape. There was just no way in hell we would be able to sneak our way up to even that far off 12:00/mile marker! I couldn't believe I was about to spend the next 3.5 miles dodging walkers. Ugh.

The gun finally went off and people started moving . . . ever so slowly. Finally we crossed the line and I hit start on my Garmin. I remember thinking, "what's the point?!" But I'm glad I timed the run . . . because now I have proof of my slowest run EVER! I'm telling you, people, it was rough. There was nothing but walkers back where we were. And we're not talking polite walkers who stay to the side of the road . . . we're talking large, out-of-shape walkers selfishly walking six abreast, thus making it virtually impossible for anyone and everyone to get past them! I was so annoyed, I could hardly even concentrate on what co-worker was saying to me! Another dude came running up at one point, looked over at us, and we just gave one another a look that said, "holy misery!"

Finally, somewhere around mile-2, things started to clear up ever-so-slightly. I instinctively tried to speed up, but then noticed that co-worker's breathing was getting really labored. Thus, I figured I should be nice and slow back down a bit so that she wasn't struggling quite as much. We held steady somewhere around 11:00/mile, which kind of bummed my speed-craving legs out. But still, I have to admit that it was kind of fun running with a marathon newbie (she's training for her first marathon; NYC) . . . and imparting all kinds of "expert" knowledge! :)

We continued running and chatting it up until I saw the finish line, and I instinctively kicked it up a notch. Co-worker, of course, made fun of me for being too competitive . . . so I gave in and slowed back down to her pace, crossing the finish line just under 52 minutes. I immediately looked down at my Garmin and checked our time. 3.5 miles in 42:44. Yowsers. We headed back to our tent, where we had to turn in our times to our team captain. As I walked up to her to report my time, I suddenly realized everyone was listening. As soon as I'd spoken, a couple of my co-workers busted out with, "YES! I beat the marathoner!" I didn't even know how to react. Obviously, if I would have raced full out (like they did), I would have smoked all of them . . . but I didn't want to say anything like that, because I wanted to be the bigger person. Not to mention, it would hurt co-worker's feelings! Instead I just said, "Yeah, I took it easy today. Congratulations!"

I quickly enjoyed some post-race snacks, and immediately thereafter exited the tent area. I was just so frustrated with the whole event . . . and my co-workers' behavior . . . and the fact that my legs were disappointed that they never climbed above an 11:00/mile pace. I really wanted to head straight to the gym for some hard core speed training. But I knew better than to let such a silly event get to me. Thus, I hopped on the train, and headed home. And you know what? The strangers on the subway who generally do nothing but drive me nuts? Last night, they were a source of comfort for me. They knew nothing about my finish time in the JPMC Corporate Challenge . . . and they weren't about to compare themselves to me. And that? Was all I needed to move on.

Next up? An 8-mile long run tomorrow morning. I think I'll have more than enough motivation to get through that one ;)

Back to basics

Believe it or not, I actually have a run to report on. I know--you probably thought that my "running blog" had officially been converted into a "travel blog." But worry not, my friends . . . Irish is back and ready to train!

Last night, I hit the gym and took on my arch nemisis, the treadmill. Ugh. I H-A-T-E the treadmill. I stepped on, and realized I didn't really have a plan for myself. Thus, I decided to hit quick start and see where it would take me. For some reason, as I ran at a relatively easy 9:40 pace, the number 5 kept creeping its way into my head. The problem is . . . I can rarely stand the boredom of running on the treadmill for more than 3 miles. Generally, after passing that magic number, I get so bored I have to stop and stretch . . . or get a drink of water . . . or fix my ponytail. I just HAVE to do something to break the monotony of running in place for an extended period of time.

Well, I decided to test myself last night. I would try to make it to 5 miles without letting the boredom get to me. I cranked up my ipod, turned on CNN to search for typos in the ticker (yes, I am weird enough that I am actually entertained by this activity), and prayed for time to pass as quickly as possible. I ignored the temptress of a treadmill display and just kept on going . . . that is, until I couldn't take it anymore. I just HAD to know how far I'd "traveled." I looked down, noticed I was just under 3.5 miles, and immediately proceded to get the worst side stitch I'd ever experienced. It was ridiculous. I tried to gut it out and get rid of it with some belly breathing, but after several minutes of doing so with no results, I finally gave in. I paused the 'mill, got a drink of water and just generally collected myself for a few minutes.

Finally, I hopped back on and got myself ready to finish out the last mile and a half. The side stitch threatened to come back somewhere right around the 4.5 mile mark, but I gutted it out and forced myself through the last half-mile (during which I could not, for the life of me, take my eyes off of that damn display!). When I was finished, I cooled down with a nice ten minute walk. Even though I'd failed at my mission of completing the 5 miles without any interruptions, I felt pretty good about myself, considering I'd covered five miles at a 9:40 pace on my first run back since the half (unless you count pool running--which I did a couple times in St. John). Amazingly, it felt pretty darn easy, other than the obnoxious side stitch. I definitely breathed a HUGE sigh of relief to know that I haven't lost much fitness over the past two weeks (thank you hiking, swimming and pool-running!)

Tonight, I am participating in the 3.5-mile JPMC Corporate Challenge. I haven't decided whether I'm going to all-out race it or just be social and walk/jog with co-workers. Whatever the case, I'll be sure to share the results after the fact.

Happy running!

Irish: lots; Commitophobia: 0

So I went ahead and signed myself up for the XTERRA Mohonk Preserve 21.1K XDURO race on August 16! I'll be doing it more for fun, and to get some good hard hill training in . . . but I'm already looking forward to the mini-race vacation it will create for me. Anyone else in?

One For the Birds

Hellllloooo! Well, I'm back from St. John, and I have a TON to share with you all . . . it's quite the work in progress. But for now, I must share the story of what Wilson and I came home to last night. I'm pretty sure you're not going to believe this, but I promise you it's true.

We arrived home at around 9:45 last night after an obnoxious tarmac "traffic jam" at Newark Int'l kept us from our gate for nearly 2 hrs after we'd landed--fantastic! We walked in the door, switched on the lights, and irritatingly realized . . . our apartment was a disaster site. Now would probably be a good time to mention that we did not leave it in such a state. Nope. We, for once, had actually made a point of leaving it pretty spotless, with the hopes that it would be easier to transition back into the "real world" upon our return. I know what you're thinking--Irish lives in the ghetto . . . obviously someone broke into her apartment while she was gone. I wish! No no, good friends. What went on in my apartment was far worse (not really, but I'm feeling all dramatic right now, so I'm just gonna run with it) . . .

In our brownstone, there are just two apartments. Our landlord and her fam occupy the bottom apartment, and Wilson and I occupy the top. Now, we're relatively friendly people, so we generally check on one anthers' pets while the other is out of town. Since the weather in NYC promised to be quite toasty while we were gone, we'd asked our landlord and her two girls (they're maybe 8 and 12 years old) to check on Nico every so often to make sure she had enough food and water, and wasn't dying of heat stroke. Well, I'm pretty sure that the girls took the duty of "checking on Nico" to a ridiculous extreme--it appears that they all but lived in our apartment while we were gone!

We are still discovering stuff they got into. The freezer door was open a tad, and there were tell-tale popsicle sticks thrown on the floor in the kitchen. They'd pulled DVDs off the shelf and carelessly discarded a couple onto the floor, outside of their cases. It would appear that they played dress-up in my jewelry and accessories, as there was a bunch of it strewn about the apartment. They'd pulled out the guitar hero. They obviously played darts, as the darts were found all bent up, in various parts of the apartment. They pulled out a little massage buddy thing we have from a drawer in the bedroom. They'd gone through our magazines and mail and spread it about the kitchen table, thus eliminating the neat "pile system" we had going on. One of our posters had been half torn off the wall. Ugh. The list goes on and on.

BUT. THE KICKER, my friends, was when I went into the bedroom and turned on the light in there, only to discover . . . BIRDSEED. EVERYWHERE. I'm not making this up. The broom was laying against the wall, as though they had attempted to clean the mess up, but their attempts obviously hadn't produced very fruitful results! The seed was covering the couch, and spread all over the floor in the bedroom, even reaching as far as the living room. It was ridiculous. As Wilson and I sat and tried to think of what possible explanation there could be for such a bizarre spill, we vowed to email our landlord the next morning, assuming she knew nothing of the mess her little hellions had wreaked on our apartment.

Turns out we were wrong. Her response? "I'm so sorry!! M--- (the girls' father) got a parakeet for father's day and we hid the bird in your apartment. Apparently Nico wanted to play with the bird and knocked the cage over. The good news is that the bird survived and Nico had fun but the birdseed got on your floor. I'm so sorry!! They said they cleaned up the mess - I'm so sorry!!" Yeah. Not so sure how I feel about an icky bird being chased all over my apartment by my cat (or the fact that my landlord didn't even offer to clean the mess up for us!) But I guess it's a good story . . . or it will be anyway, once it's finally all cleaned up--that sh*t is EVERYWHERE!

Oh well . . . there's renting in NYC for ya!

Sunburst Half-Marathon Photos . . . AKA, I really CAN look like a runner while running!

Okay, y'all. I'm feeling all kinds of super smart and savvy right now because I managed to pull my images off of the race photographer's site and post them on here, despite their best efforts to keep me from doing so. Go me! Anyway, I was shocked to learn that I almost sort of kind of look like a runner in some of my Sunburst Half-Marathon photos! I KNOW! I can't believe it either! Since I've decided it's WAY too hot outside today to run (if it's currently 93.6 degrees Fahrenheit INSIDE my apartment, I don't even want to know what is is out there in the sun!) . . . I'm going to post these photos as proof that I really truly am a runner. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I owe you all some Stockholm photos . . . still working on that one. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Try to stay cool!

Okay, so this is a typical Irish Cream race photo . . . it looks as though I'm dying and couldn't possibly be suffering any more than I am at the moment. In other words, I do not look at all like a runner.

Grrr! Out of my way or I'll eat you! But still, getting a little better . . .

I'm thinking this is a pretty sweet race photo . . . I almost sorta/kinda look like a runner, and the shadow on my left arm deceptively makes it appear as though I have muscle in there somewhere. YES!

Finally, this is my favorite race photo of all time, as it looks like I just missed qualifying for Boston by less than 9 minutes. Not bad! Thank you race photographers for framing this photo in such a way that the marathon clock is in there instead of the half-marathon clock!

Gearing Up for Vacay!

Okay, so despite the fact that I have tons and tons of work to accomplish before I can officially consider myself "on vacation" tomorrow evening, all I can think about is my quickly approaching trip to St. John, U.S.V.I.! As I always forget something important, I figured I'd write up my list here, and you (organized) people can yell at me for forgetting to pack underwear! But first, here is a link for the beautiful villa we are renting, so you can all get really jealous! :) (sorry, that was just mean and horrible!)

http://www.coralbayvacations.com/astral_ridge.shtml

Oooh, so excited! Anyway, here goes the list:

CLOTHING/ACCESSORIES

Dressy Outfit (just in case!)

Shorts/Skirts

Tanks/Tees/Blouses

Sun-dresses (I just got a couple new ones and I'm VERY excited to wear them--I may or may not have inappropriately worn one to work today. I got lots of compliments, though--so it couldn't have been THAT inappropriate--right?)

Lightweight jacket/sweater

Long pants (again, just in case)

Jewelry/Scarves/Accessories (obviously necessary!)

Shoes/Sandals

Undies/Bras

Sports Bras (woohoo, running!)

Running Shorts

Running Tanks

Running Socks

Running Shoes

Garmin/Charger

Hiking/Trail-Running Shoes (these are new--I'm very excited!)

Swimsuits

PJs

Sun Hat/Baseball Cap

Beach Cover-up

Flip-Flops

Sunglasses

TOILETRIES

Shampoo

Conditioner

Body Wash

Face Wash

Razor

Shaving Gel

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Dental Floss

Body Lotion

Hair Gel

Hair Brush

Hairbands/Headbands

Makeup

Tweezers

Nail Clippers

FIRST AID/SAFETY

Prescription Meds/Over the Counter Meds

Medical Insurance Card

List of Important Phone Numbers

Phone Card

Maps/Directions

Sunblock/Sunscreen

Aloe Vera Gel

Bug Spray

Mini First-Aid Kit (All the essentials--band-aids, first aid cream, cotton swabs, tape, gauze, etc.)

Matches/Lighter (what if the power goes out and there's nothing to light candles with?)

OTHER

Camera/Camera Battery Charger

Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Spice Coffee (yes, I am actually brining my own favorite coffee to brew in St. John. And yes, it is necessary--I'm pretty sure there are no DD's in St. John!)

Beach Bag

Beach Blanket

i-Home Alarm Clock/iPod Dock (okay, fine . . . this one is really not necessary, but it's on the list nonetheless!)

iPod/Charger

Travel Journal (how much does this scream, "NERD"?!)

Books/Fashion Mags/Runners World (Yippy! More running stuff!)

Cellphone/Blackberry/Chargers

Wallet/Money/Cards

Passport

Guide Book

Okay, there you have it, folks! What am I forgetting? Our villa will have most of the beach-y things we might need (beach towels, beach cooler, snorkel gear, etc.) . . . as well as all of the home-y things we'll need. But I'm positive I'm forgetting something important! Any thoughts?

Also, as far as running goes . . . I've been told there is literally nowhere to run on the island. Obviously, as I am packing running gear, I do not believe such malarkey! How could there possibly be "nowhere to run?" I'm sure I'll find a place (even if it's just running back and forth in our 12 foot dip pool!) And if I don't find one (how is that even possible?), Wilson and I plan on doing quite a bit of hiking . . . so I won't be COMPLETELY immobile!

I'll check in at least once more before we leave (on Sunday! YAY!) . . . as I'm planning to attempt a long run of some sort in the 95-degree weather we're supposed to have on Saturday. I'm sure I'll have loads of wonderful things to say about that one! Until then . . . be good, kids! :)

More Bad Luck

Bummer of all bummers. I almost forgot to share my bad news with you all. About a week ago, I threw my name into the lottery for the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike on July 27, 2008. The verdict?

Entry Number: 300930
Accepted?: NO
Age: F26
City: BROOKLYN
Province:
Country of Residency: UNITED STATES

Sadness. This race was going to work out quite nicely with my Chicago Marathon training schedule. Oh well. Wilson had far better luck than I (perhaps it's beginner's luck?), and so I will be cheering him on that day instead of running. But seriously, I'm thinking about changing my name here . . . you'd think I'd get at least a little bit of the "luck of the Irish," but so far, I've gotten the complete opposite!

As I really do love half-marathons, I was thinking about signing up for this race in August:

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/racefinderdetail/1,,s6-239-283-284-0-0-0-0-1883002,00.html

It's a trail run, which I've never done before . . . and I'm assuming it would probably kick my ass, but I'm having trouble finding any additional info to prove it. The registration fee is only $20, though, and it would be kind of a fun mini-vacation. Has anyone out there run any of the XTerra trail run series races? I'm just curious how crazy-difficult they tend to be . . . I'd prefer to not absolutely kill myself a month before Chicago! Anyway, I've got some time to think it over, so we'll see. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts on trail racing :)