Medals

Here are some pictures of my Philadelphia Medal and since I never posted a picture of my Chicago medal, here's that too.

Running filled weekend

Definitely did a lot of running this weekend. Got up on Saturday for my last long run prior to the marathon. And it was raining. And not a little bit of rain, a lot of rain. But marathon training does not wait for nice weather, so I ran. In the rain. Got the 20 miles done. I felt good, towards the end I started to get some rubbing in my shoes from the wet socks, but other then that it was a good run.

On Sunday, I did the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 5M in Central Park. It was cold (only 53 degrees), but a nice cold. Ran it nice and slow (still recovering from the 20 miler, so no need to push it) and finished in 47:46 - a 9:33 min per mile pace. Not bad for my first race from Chicago.

Only 20 days until Philly!

All recovered

Well, I'm all recovered from Chicago. My quads are still a little tight, but nothing too bad. Believe it or not, I'm ready to start running again. As I said before, I'm considering doing the Philly marathon on the 18th. Ramon is holding a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss. Can't believe I'm so insane! But some of my teammates are considering doing it, so I'm not alone :) I'll keep you all posted on my decision.

Chicago Re-cap

Well, the Chicago marathon has come and gone. And let me tell you, it was one for the books. While I finished, it was most definitely one of the hardest things I've done. It was super hot in Chicago - so hot in fact that it was record breaking. Yup, record breaking. The temp reached close to 90 degrees. It was insane out. I just tried to drink as much water and gatorade as possible in order to stay hydrated. It was not an easy job. I was drinking 2 cups of gatorade at every station and pouring as much water on me as possible to stay cool. I was also putting ice in my hat to keep my head cool. The ground was un-godly hot. By Mile 17, my feet were on fire. And to top it all off, at Mile 23.5, the marathon was CANCELLED. That's right, cancelled. We were allowed to continue, but we're encouraged to walk. I still got to complete the entire 26.2 and cross the finish line. It was unreal. There were ambulances everywhere and people collapsed on the side of the course due to the heat. The heat just got to everyone.

I did finish, and I am very proud of it (especially considering the heat factor), but I do feel like I missed the true Chicago experience (although I won't be running there again for a while). Some of our team members weren't even able to finish! Ramon is organizing a team for the Philly marathon on November 18th for people who feel "cheated". I am seriously considering running it. Hmmmm. I'll be making a decision soon.

Less then 1 week!

OMG - the marathon is in 6 days. I can't believe its here already. All season it seemed super far away and now its here. YAY.

This week is all about the taper and relaxing. No working out this week. 40 min run on Tuesday and 30 mins on Thursday and that's it.

This past week we ran for 50 mins along the westside highway. The weather was gorgeous and perfect for a run. People running long had a great day for it.

Weekend taper

This weekend will be doing a nice short run of approximately 6 miles. The weather should be gorgeous and perfect for a nice run. Chicago is an (almost) a week! Woohoo!

Yay for tapering

Yay for tapering. Last night we did a nice easy run of 4 miles. Took it easy. Not running today because of tapering. Running less this week then normal and even less next week. Can't believe the race is already here!

Weekend run

Was in Cape Cod this weekend for a wedding, so ran there. Since the race is less then 2 weeks away, we are beginning to taper. Ran about 11 miles. We ran on this bikepath that was gorgeous. Ran along the beach for part of it. Beautiful run and nice way to see Cape Cod.

Tonight is send-off. We'll get last minute details as well as the rest of our flight information and such. So soon!

huge dork...

I think my obsession with running just confirms the fact that I'm a huge dork. Case #1 - this shirt I just bought: Chicago 2007 In Training. Yup, I'm that much of a dork.

And to top it all off, they have a Chicago Jacket that I am seriously considering pre-ordering. I love that my running has given me a new wardrobe and a way to expand my shopping problem :)

Fall Season Kick-off Tonight!

That's right - fall season is here already! I am super excited for Chicago in October and to meet my new mentees! Kick-off is a great way to see what TNT is all about. Interested in coming:

Kickoff
7pm
630 Second ave (b/w 34th and 35th) - its a big church, cant miss it.

See you then!

Fall Season

As hard as it is to believe (given that the Spring season isn't over yet), Fall season has begun. For Fall season I will be mentoring for the NYC Marathon and running the Chicago marathon. This is particularly exciting for me, because I have a lot of family in the Chicago area and am looking forward to having them there. We just had our Fall Season Mentor Kickoff meeting followed by a social (Coach Michael even bartended). Great way to start off the season. Training for Chicago officially starts on May 12 - just 2 weeks after New Jersey. I am nuts!

And so it begins...

Well, I have decided it was time to create a blog to document all my running craziness. Give people a chance to see what I am doing and how training is going.

As many people know, I am training for the New Jersey Marathon on April 29th (ok, so this is a couple of months late seeing as how I am already most of the way through training) as a member of the New York City chapter of Team in Training (TNT). For more information on TNT visit: www.teamintraining.org

Also make sure to check out my personal fundraising page: http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyc/tntnycSPodzio1

I will also be running the Chicago marathon on October 7, 2007 - mark your calendars! In addition to participating, I will be mentoring participants and helping them to cross the finish line. Will be a great season!