Ballin'

Mist

Brooklyn Half Marathon

Yesterday was a good day in my little world.  I ran my first half marathon in NYC.

It's my 6th overall, but this one was significant in many ways.  Earlier last year I used running as an escape, as a way to try to stop thinking about all the challenges I was facing in my personal life and just zone out for awhile.  It was perfect for that reason because as I've said before, I can't really think about anything when I run.  When I do, I tend to stop.  Real thinking and real running do not go hand-in-hand for me.  

For the past 8-9 months running has been different for me.  After moving to NYC I immediately fell in love with Central Park and began running in it every weekend I could.  I joined a gym with a ton of treadmills.  I started walking for miles and miles at a time to explore the city, which also created a distinction between "training" and "being active".  Walking is just a part of the day, it doesn't count as exercise anymore.  When I lace up my running shoes, the mind shift is clear - it's go time.

I have become more focused.  I started pushing myself.  My workouts have a purpose now.  Intervals for speed.  Pacing myself on longer runs.  Speed then recovery.  Using my Nike + GPS to track pace on the outside runs.    

It's been paying off.  I've had 2 PRs this spring - a 4 mile then a 10k.  I've seen mile paces in the 8's, which I swore I could never get to.  I thought my legs were not capable of turning over anything less than mid 9's.  

I find it ironic that since turning 40, I have actually been able to break that barrier and even see some 7:30s during training.  Turns out, like many things in life, the obstacle in front of me was really mental, not physical.  And when I think about it, I'm mentally tougher at 40 than I have ever been in my life.  My friends and I joke..."We've seen some things".  And it's true.  Life has taught a lot of lessons by this age, and if you are really living then you've learned your share of them.  Each one brings more clarity, more focus, more confidence, more resolve than the one before.  

Fast forward to yesterday.  The Brooklyn Half Marathon.  15,000 runners made their way to Brooklyn yesterday morning for the 7am start.  I left my apartment at 5am, and finally made it to the bag drop at 6:20, just before they closed it down.  

I had to wait on 2 trains because the first was at capacity.  We then had to wait nearly 10 minutes to ascend from the subway platform because so many runners were navigating the turnstile above.  None of the waiting made me anxious.  Since I've moved here, I find myself surprised often by how many people live here, and almost amused when I encounter these situations.  It is sort of like going to church, it reminds you that you are a small part of something bigger, just when you think your life is soooo important.

Then the port-a-potty lines, complete with replica Statue of Liberty at the Brooklyn Museum.

Finally, the race start.  My number was 11841.  Out of 15,000.  Needless to say, I was a bit far back from the start line.  It is so cool though to see that many people coming out to run 13.1.

Now...the race.  I crossed the start line at 7:13.  The course was beautiful.  I have never been to Brooklyn, and I definitely need to get out there.  There were a few hills along the way, but a lot of flats to relax on.  Crowd support was outstanding. The weather was gorgeous, creeping it's way toward 80 degrees but mostly just humid and warm at the start.

I had a goal.  Break the 2 hour barrier.  A sub 2:00.  My closest was the Austin Half in 2008, on a mostly downhill course, when I hit a 2:07:54.   (and then couldn't walk for 2 days because the downhill really kills your knees)

With so many people, I ran everyone else's race for the first 3 miles.  Finally it started to break a little.  There was more room to navigate, but still a ton of people to navigate around.  Around mile 9 it really broke open and that's also coincidentally when I became very tired.  I took another gel at 10 and that helped a little, but the soreness was creeping in.  My GPS was recording times between 8 - 9 for most of the race.  In the early miles, with the congestion, I registered a few over 9.  I felt maybe, with the right focus, my sub-2 was still within reach.

In every half I've done, the mile between 11 and 12 is only longer than every one that came before.  This was no exception.  Finally, the mile 12 marker.  I took a deep breath, and hit the accelerator.  Time to get this done.  Every muscle hurt but I was fighting the clock.  This was down to the wire.

The last push into Coney Island was pretty spectacular.  An initial climb up the boardwalk was rewarded with a run to the finish between the Cyclone and the ocean.  It was amazing and gorgeous.  I crossed the finish line, threw my arms up in the air.  Then smiled.

The clock was showing 2:10.  I know I started around 12-13 minutes in.  I must have done it.  My GPS was telling me 1:58.  I still couldn't be sure.  I still didn't know.  I wouldn't believe it until I saw it on the official results.

I took my post-race apple and limped to the subway.  It took an hour and a half to get home, during which the train was so packed I had to stand.  Fortunately the train was packed with finishers...although that was unfortunate for those passengers who didn't run but yet bravely got on the train with us.  Yuck.

This is me, on the train.  Hurting.  My stomach is starting to turn.  I can't wait to get home.  But the medal around my neck reminds me that I do this to myself on purpose.  And I like it.

View of Coney Island from the train.

When I got home, I threw a towel on the floor to stretch...and promptly fell asleep for an hour.  Finally, I gathered my resolve and grabbed the laptop to check my results.

NYRR Race Results Member Race History ING New York City Marathon New York City Marathon Archive (1970-2011) About NYRR Race Results Results Corrections NYRR Event Calendar		Brooklyn Half-Marathon List by Name: elamDistance:  13.1 miles, 21.1 kilometers Date/Time:  May 19, 2012, 7:00 AM Location:  Prospect Park to Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC Weather:  58 degrees, 56% humidity, wind calm. Search Results   Wheelchair Finishers   Award Winners   View, Share & Purchase Photos  Claim your finisher badge!   Statistics    1 match found. Click any blue heading to sort the list.   AG = Age Graded.

Last Name

First Name

Sex/ Age

Bib

Team

City

State

Country

Overall Place

Gender Place

Age Place

Net Time

Split Time

Split Time

Split Time

Split Time

Pace/ Mile

AG Time

AG Gender Place

AG %

Elam

Mindee

F40

11841

0

NEW YORK

NY

USA

6774

2273

200

1:58:18

0:28:19

0:56:37

1:24:27

1:52:15

09:02

1:54:30

1991

57.50 %

UNBELIEVABLE!  I DID IT!!!

I let it sink in for a few minutes...wow, my first sub-2.  My first.  I realize in certain circles, it's not that fast.  Even in my AG, you can see many are faster than me.  Many.  Yet, I never thought this was achievable for me, I pushed myself, and I did it.

At brunch I couldn't stop smiling.  I went to one of my local haunts, Cognac Brasserie, and had a celebration meal of my favorites...Eggs Benedict, Chicken Liver Tartine and a Bellini.

Then I grabbed a blanket and headed to Central Park to just lay around and do nothing for the afternoon except read and nap.  Oh, and enjoy my favorite dessert...M&M's.

So many people have been supportive of my racing and all of my adventures this year, and I just want to say thank you.  I am one blessed, grateful, and happy chick.  

On to the next goal...

Running with Ryan Hall

Today I went out for my 3rd race put on by the New York Road Runners - a club so large that my membership consists more of a card and a collection of race points than it does of camaraderie and team sportsmanship.  But they put on a ton of road races all year, and they are really well run.  All of them are for good causes and I love the motivation to train.  Plus if you accumulate enough racing points in a calendar year you can get a ticket to the NYC Marathon.  A pretty hot commodity.  I'm thinking about 2013.

So far, I've only raced in Central Park.  The first 2 races I completed were 4 milers, this one was a 10k. The race was the UAE Healthy Kidney Race. I'm gearing up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon next weekend...and I'm pretty excited.  My last few longer runs have been exhausting though. I don't think I'm eating enough and I just run out of juice and suffer near the end.

Same happened today - I don't eat breakfast before racing and I scarfed down a Power Gel before the gun, but those 100 calories just weren't enough.  Ouch.  Miles 5 and 6 were not fun.  Yet, I pulled out a PR!  I am waiting on official clock time, but my gps reports an average of 8:30/mile.  THAT is FAST in my little world.  I have been training at 7:30s on the treadmill and always hope to break 8 in one of these shorter distance races...but I'll take the 8:30, or what I hope to see when the clock comes in, just a little under.

These races in CP are challenging.  The park is hilly, which after 5 years in Madison, WI is not so much the issue.  Madison is extremely hilly.  The larger issue is the sheer number of people who come out and the fact that they try to sequester the runners to one side of the street so the park is still usable by cyclists, strollers, other runners.  In the last 2 races it took about 1.5 miles to get free and finally set a decent pace where I wasn't tripping over anyone.  This race today was so big, it never happened.  The entire 6.2 was spent weaving, trying not to trip over cones that had fallen over, getting elbowed/cut-off/even kicked once.  It was really mentally difficult, but still worth it.

On top of my PR, something else exciting happened.  3 members of the US Olympic Team were racing today...including Ryan Hall.  Instead of lining up with my peeps (I was in the 6th barricade of like 10), I stopped to snap some shots of what I can only describe as a God-given runner's body.  I know they work tremendously hard but I also know my body just isn't built to ever be 100% muscle and no fat.  It was surreal to see him here and really, really cool.

Some pics of Ryan and team -

 Then some shots of the girl who PR'd...this one is "VICTORIOUS"

This one is "THAT'S RIGHT...I AM TOUGH.  DON'T YOU FORGET IT"

And this one?  This one is just one very happy chick, loving the training that got me here, loving the city I live in, and just pretty much loving life right now.

And then, as if the ray of sunshine I am dancing on could be any brighter, when I walked home I discovered people are setting up a street festival right outside my apartment today.  There will be music, and shopping, food...and even crepes people.  Crepes!  

Excuse me, while I kiss the sky.

IronMin - Ultimate Fighting Champion

That title totally makes me think of the Friends episode where Monica's boyfriend Pete decides he wants to fight in the UFC, and pretty much gets beaten up...badly.  Although don't underestimate IronMin...she's seen some stuff.  She could take you on.

So, sometimes new opportunities just sort of present themselves out of the clear blue sky. Such a remarkable thing happened to me on Friday.

It was after 5 at work and while my manager and I were talking, another colleague happened by with 2 tickets to the UFC event Saturday night in the Meadowlands (NJ).  UFC = Ultimate Fighting Championship, for those not inclined to follow such things.

The seats were good...12th row good...and no one else could scoop them up so I thought, why not?  Can't let these seats go to waste, and can't pass up a chance to try something new.  Especially in this, the year of not being afraid to try new things and/or make a fool of myself.  Often simultaneously.

I rang up my friend Courtnay and asked her if she would be my date.  I promised I had no idea what to expect, and that apparently with seats this close some of the fighting could be so brutal we may run for the door.  

She said, "I'm in!"

She's a Michigan girl too...it's just in our DNA.

We met at Penn Station on 33rd St at 6:15...and missed the train to NJ.  Almost an hour to the next one, and the big fights started at 7:30 so we did what we to do to get there in time...we took a limo.  We were trying for a cab, but the limo is ever so classy and we had a grandiose vision of the driver dropping us at the door and everyone staring, wondering who we were. There might even be cameras flashing.  

The reality is that he complained that drivers had to go around the back, then dropped us about 500 yards from the entrance.  Fine.  We snapped pictures of ourselves instead.

After avoiding the pat-down but being stuck in the bag check, we finally got in, grabbed a box of popcorn and 4 beers (stocking up so we didn't miss anything), then we headed down, down, down to our 12th row seats.  

And then we looked at the arena.  And we saw fighting.  And it was awesome.  

Here is the preamble to the fight John Dodson vs. Tim Elliot

Then the in-ring introductions....(Dodson, by unanimous decision)

Me and Courtnay, trying to rock a little NJ look...

 Some pics of the octagon...

Overall, a great experience.  I think both Courtnay and I have become fans.  By the last fight on the card we were totally into it - trying to decipher the strategy, oohing and aahhhing at the slap and punch sounds, and totally cheering for our faves.  It was such an amazing show of mixed martial arts, which to me almost looks like aggressive gymnastics, with wrestling, boxing, and kicking thrown in. Cool. Bloody, but cool.

And another thing?  When the audience appears to be about 75% male...NO LINE FOR THE LADIES ROOM.  

In a word, AWESOME.

I am not a violent person, but I do believe this sport requires a level of training, strategy, skill, and resourcefulness that should be respected.  

A new experience, and another new lane of life explored.  It seems when I don't think about what I will or will not like, I discover something that brings another layer of depth to my life. This one was surprising...but it opened up my mind to a lot of "what ifs"...

12 Angry Miles

I discovered the movie "12 Angry Men" in an unlikely place: B-school.  We watched it during our organizational behavior class and since then it has really stuck with me.  The psychology behind it is fascinating, and the performances by Lee J. Cobb and Henry Fonda are flawless.  It's also in B&W which scores additional cool points.

This post has nothing to do with that movie.  The only connection is that today I ran...

12 Angry Miles.

Maybe angry is strong.  I ran with purpose and that purpose was to run as fast and as far as I could away from my thoughts.  It worked.  For almost 2 hours.  

The why is somewhere buried in the following story.  

We recently did the HBDI exercise at work and I am an off-the-charts "red".  HBDI is like a personality test - it stands for Herrmann Brain Dominance Indicator.  Using your responses to a survey, it breaks your thinking preferences down into 4 quadrants.

Blue: Analytical Thinking

Green: Sequential Thinking 

Red: Interpersonal Thinking

Yellow: Imaginative Thinking

The colors are only important in as much as they allow you to readily understand everyone else's map.  The hope is that by better understanding the thinking preferences in people, you can build better performing teams.  It makes total sense to me. Anything that helps you understand people a little better is good in my book.

So, not surprisingly, my "red" brought on a lot of discussion.  It means that the way I look at the world almost always starts outside looking in.  I start with people, their moods, their feelings, my feelings about their moods and their feelings, listening and expressing ideas, talking things out, and looking for personal meaning.  The best way to describe it for me is that it's exhausting.  It means whether I like it or not, people are often, if not always, on my mind.  I absorb sensory input into my thoughts so I can analyze and understand the world around me.

And some days - it's too much.

So I did the only thing I know of to try to stop thinking...I ran.  For 12 miles.  It helped, during the duration of the run.  Now we're back to square one so I may have to lace up and hit another 12...

Here's to a beautiful run along Riverside Park...and a temporarily quiet mind.  My legs are less than pleased with the outcome but unfortunately in the quintessential mind over body battle, the body almost always loses.