It's from the NYC Marathon site, and is essentially a list of footage from the race.

The Top 5 NYRR Great Moments are not to be missed.

http://www.nycmarathon.com/about/video.php

        

for so many reasons.

Last week's run went well.  My IT bands are hurting far, far less.  I've still been working out, but not running except for on the weekends.

I have come down with a cold though, because hey, it can't ever be perfect.  The creeping crud is going around work at the speed of light.  If I didn't have so much work to do today, and if I weren't minding the whole place from noon to 5pm, I would definitely stay home.  Still, since I have to go in I'll work out and if possible sit in the sauna for a bit to relax. 

The job I have can be cool.  It can also be so incredibly demanding and when those days (or weeks, or months) come, it doesn't seem worth it when you consider how little I am paid.  Yet to be able to go to work and hang out with folks who are health seekers like me, and then chill out (figuratively speaking) in the sauna for a bit, is pretty fricking awesome. Is it worth the 10-20,000 dollars I'm not earning?  Shockingly, some days it is.

        

And we will see how it goes.  I should've gone out already.  But I cooked a big breakfast and procrastinated, and now the Liverpool-Chelsea match is about to begin.  So it won't be until after that.

I am congested.  I have a sore throat.  My left quad feels strained.  Blah, blah, blah. 

I just have to get out there.  I'll report back later... if I survive!

Wish me luck.

        

Or so I hope.  My IT band is sore... on both legs.  Ugh!

Yesterday my workout consisted of 35 minutes on the arc trainer as I'm trying to stay away from running except for weekends in order to stave off this injury.  After that I got involved in doing some basic core exercises, and I am sore today.  To be in good shape for everything, I am convinced you need to exercise 2 hours/day.  There is always going to be some weakness to address otherwise, and I found my weakness yesterday.  Granted, I knew it was a weakness, but that's why I try to avoid it. 

So, my new regime for weekdays will be 30-40 minutes of cardio, plus 20 minutes of the strength circuit, and 20 minutes of core.  Being fit is practically an occupation.  Luckily for me though, I do actually get paid for it. 

        

It was my first run since the race.  I had worked out on Friday-- 35 minutes of rowing and about 25 minutes of upper body weight training.

The first mile I was a little stiff, but felt strong.  Right around the beginning of mile two I began to have knee pain in my right knee.  I had experienced the same pain during my half at Disney, which caused me to walk from approximately mile 8.5 to mile 11.  It is a pain that progressively gets worse with each step, rather than simply working its way out. 

During this training, when the pain became too intense to take, I would stop and walk.  While walking it would immediately cease.  So I would walk for perhaps 20 steps, and then run until the pain again became too great.  It was really bizarre.  Also, the pain was exponentially worse on the downhills.  That was frustrating because I typically love downhill running... just letting gravity take hold.  But in this case I couldn't.

Yesterday I worked out, with about 35 minutes of rowing and almost 45 minutes of weight training.  Today I am going to try a run on the treadmill and see how it goes.  I am unsure what caused this pain or if it will simply go away.  I had no problem with  my knee until the day of the half marathon and didn't feel any strain during runs or other work outs.  Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come.

I am going to make sure I do more adequate stretching at the end of all work outs, and take walk breaks when necessary.  Even if I have to do the NYC marathon with a two minute walk break at the end of each mile to prevent this injury from stopping me, I will do so. 

        

I work at a YMCA.  We have locker rooms.  The staff are encouraged to use the locker rooms as their restroom to monitor everyone's safety in the sauna, steam room, etc.

So I found myself in the 'women's health center' (women's locker room) shortly after 4pm.  On the tv mounted in the corner, Oprah was on, and I tuned in for a moment just to check and see whether she was still gushing about President Obama, or whether some other sacred topic was being discussed.  I hear her say something to the effect that women 35 and older should do this.  I'm thinking, what mammogram?  Colonoscopy? You know, what routine medical exam do I have to start having at 35 (not long off) because Oprah has told me I must.

Without being too graphic, I was in the stall and listening, only to discover to my horror that it is hormone replacement she is talking about!  Hormone replacement?  That is for old people!  Old ladies with personal summers and sour attitudes because of menopause. 

Then it hit me.  I am one of those old ladies!  Or will be in a couple of years when I turn 35!  It is really starting to get real.  Now, I know what many of those reading this will say.  35?  I wish I could go back to 35!  Get back to me when you're 60.  That's old.  You're a youngster.

And I know, I know.  Hopefully I still have a long way to go from here.  But still, hormone replacement?

Then I thought.  Hmm, I wonder if that can improve my PR's? 

        

This is going to be my training program for the NYC marathon.  Granted, I won't be starting this program officially for quite awhile.  The NYC Marathon is on November 1, 2009. I don't have to start this program until June 28th. 


However, I am going to do something this year differently than I have done for any other race year.  I have the good fortune of working at a fitness facility.  So I won't be taking any time off from working out.  Typically I don't run again until March after a January marathon.  It's not only because I decide to spend time at home instead of out on the road, but also because having worked at colleges for the last few years before this one, January was one of our busiest times.

NYC will be different.  I am going to arrive in the best shape of my life, god willing. I am going to run some other races along the way.  Possibly the Fredericksburg Historic Half with my husband, possibly the Shamrock Half in Virginia, I'm not entirely sure.  However, I will be primed to be victorious and enjoy the truly once in a lifetime experience of the NYC marathon.

        

So the Disney race is over.  It was my victory lap as life won't allow me to register for the race again in 2010. 

However, the year is here.  It is 2009.  It is the year of guaranteed entry into the NYC marathon.  Here we go folks.

Starting today, January 19th, 2009, the road to NYC begins.

        

I have gone back and forth on this race.  I've been really excited at times.  I've also thought, why the heck am I bothering, at others.

However, now that it is this week, I can't wait.  It may be my last Disney race for some time and I am happy to get out there on the road.  I am also thrilled to be doing the half as I know I will truly enjoy every mile... rather than enjoying most and wishing for death on others like a full marathon.

I haven't kept up with this blog as often as I'd like.  Work, life, etc. have gotten in the way.   But it's going to keep going especially with my preparation for the NYC marathon on November 1, 2009.  I will do some podcasts as well just to track how it's going.

So to any other Disney participants reading this, best of luck.  I'll see you at Epcot at 4am on Saturday!

        

On Friday I worked out with a personal trainer.  I'm not a client of his, just a friend and since his client didn't show up he asked me to join him.

Holy mother.

Here's the work out for those who'd like to try it.  I really recommend it, perhaps once a week, or more often if you can survive it.  That of course is not a professional opinion, but just what I think would bring about great results.

We did interval training.  The very basics are that the first 15 seconds of each minute you exercise at 85% or so of your ability.  Then recover for 45 seconds.   Repeat for 20 minutes. 

Our first test was the bike.  I was on level 8 (out of 24) at 120rpms for the first half of the 20 minutes.  The trainer was on level 10 @ 120rpms.  Half way through the work out, so at about 10 minutes, we went up a level (me to 9, him to 11) @ 130rpms.  Recovery was at level 3 for both of us, at no determined pace.  Just recover.

We then did about 10 minutes or so of core work including planks, crunches, etc.  It was an active recovery.

Our second test was the treadmill.  We ran at about 85% sprint, so that would differ based on anyone's particular speed.  I was on 7.5 mph.  He was on 9.  Again, run for 15 seconds, recover at a 4 mph walk for 45.  Half way through, increase .5 mph. 

We then did about 10 minutes of core work again.

Last, the elliptical.  I actually didn't participate in this portion of the workout as we had already done 1 hour and I had to get to work.

He finished with about 10 minutes of stretching.

Long story short, great killer workout for your whole body.  The trainer told me later that he used this specific work out to lose 20 lbs.  If you want to challenge yourself, do this.  I had never done a short interval workout like that before.  Believe me, at the beginning you'll think, hey, this isn't so bad.  But by the time you're on the 12th minute or so, you will definitely be feeling it.  The work interval will start to seem very, very long and the rest interval will seem very, very short. 

Have fun!  And have lots of water available and a towel!