Thanksgiving Recape & Poll Results

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Jenna and I both went down to NC to see the parents and get our eat on. Such good food.
We had been looking at doing a turkey trot Thanksgiving morning but with my knee in question and my sister still recovering from the marathon, we decided not to sign up for one, but rather have one of our own. So we had the first ever family trot! Jenna and our dad went off for a 2 mile run, while mom, Alex and me stuck to walking with a few jogs here and there. It was a nice crisp morning but by the end off it, I took my sweatshirt, gloves and hat off. We came home and started cooking while we watched the parade. We ate and gave thanks, such good food! I am thankful that I have wonderful and supportive friends and family, I am thankful that I can still run, and I am thankful that I enjoy it. Saturday morning Jenna went for a run, my dad went for a run, and mom and I went for a walk. Their neighborhood is rather hilly so I figured that walking would be better.
It was a great visit, and it was nice to be MIA from twitter and facebook for a while. Actually, I was really MIA from the internet most of the weekend.
But now its December (whoa) and that means my poll for my next marathon is over! It ended with a tie between WI and NJ. This rarely happens but the winner is NJ. I know, it's JERSEY! Its close, and I feel that I need to have a low key marathon which won't require me to travel or pay too much for This is in case my knee tears more or something and I cannot run for a while. The two loops are going to suck, but I think it will also give some of my NY and NJ friends a good chance to cheer me on. I'm considering making it fun by decorating a shirt or something. I just love running so I'm sure I will have a good time.
Good luck to all you racers out there. I know Vegas and CIM are going on this weekend, but for I'm sure there are more! Kick butt and have fun! :)

People That Inspire Me

Philly at 5:30 am

This weekend was the 2009 Philadelphia marathon was going on. I didn't run it, but my sister ran it. And she owned it.
I had always planned on going down to watch Jenna run, but I had decided that I wanted it to be a surprise. I called her the night before and played it off that i was going out for brunch the next day with a friend and that I couldn't wait to hear about it.
She told me later that she was really sad that I wasn't coming...little did she know!
Sunday morning I woke at 3:30am and went down to my car - people were still coming home from the bars at this time. I was on the road by 4; Gitty and excited about surprising her. I was only on 3 hours of sleep but I had a large tea so I knew I would stay awake. I had been texting Alex (Tall boy AKA her man) so I could easily find her. I got to the start by 5:45 and waited by the sea of port-a-poties. It is HARD to keep a surprise. I wanted to tweet something so many times but I knew she would see it. Finally I got a call from Alex on there exact whereabouts and I found them. I ran up and gave her a big hug! She did a triple take and said "OMG! I know you!" I gave her a big hug and met Jenn (AKA Purpleshoe) a twitter/Daily mile buddy.

It was soooo cold!

Alex and I headed to the start to watch them cross the line. It was cool we got to see the wheel chair participant (there was only one) and all the elites start.
Finally Jenna and Jenn crossed and we cheer loudly as she passed.


Next stop was Mile 6. She was planning on running with Jenn who is a speed demon so we hauled ass over there to make sure we wouldn't miss her. We were counting on seeing her around the 57 minute mark. We made it over there with time to spare. I had a sign that I wish I had taken a picture of...but it said "Think of the Beer" "Beer @mile 26.2" "My Sister ROCKS." Alex had a sign that said "Run Tiny Jenna Run" and "I Love U." As they passed we cheered and screamed for them!

Next stop was mile 13.1 - which was located right next to the start. We walked back over. We were expecting to see them close to 1:50 - 2:00. We saw Jenn first and we cheer for her loudly. She gave us a look like she was not doing so hot :(

We saw Jenna approach shortly there after with a huge smile on her face!


She smiles for most of the race actually. Plus she looked like she was having a blast! Next we wanted to get to mile 19 so we hopped in a cab. I was pretty exhausted so I was going to take a nap...but the cabbie must have learned to drive in NYC because he was like our cab drivers. I got so freaking nauseous. BLAH. We got close to mile 19 and we hopped out of the cab and walked over a bridge where we saw a cab parked. We asked him if he was driving today and he said he would take us to where the start is in when we came back. Sweet.
We got to mile 19 and called Jenn's family and they said they were at mile 18 so we started to walk back. I held my sign and cheered loudly. What kind of sucked about this marathon is miles 15-25 were basically a there and back...since there was not a lot of transportation, there were few spectators. People were glad to see our signs and it put a smile on a lot of peoples pain stricken faces. We got a text that Jenna had passed mile 18 so we knew we'd see her soon. Sure enough up the hill she came!








I absolutely love those pictures. She had the biggest smile and she was so happy! She looked like she was having fun. We screamed for her and Alex gave her a high five. So proud of what she had done thus far. She was making amazing time.
We walked up to mile 18 and waited for Jenn with her family. Soon Jenn came and started crying telling us that she throw up at mile 10 :(. Luckily her friend jumped in to run to the turn around and back with her. Now we debated waiting for Jenn and taking a ride back with them or going to catch the cabbie. We decided we didn't want to risk missing Jenna cross so we started to walk back to mile 21/19. We soon saw Jenna coming and we cheer for her again.


She was doing so well! STILL SMILING! :D I'm glad we got to see her twice out there...from what I heard, the turn around SUCKED.
We walked back to the cab...wow, that was an interesting experience. First he wanted to show us his property and the view he had. True it was nice, but we wanted to see Jenna finished. Finally we got in the car that reeeeeaked of weed. I can't say I was too surprised...he had a beard that only ZZ Top could appreciate. He started to tell us joke...turtle and snail jokes. They were lame so we just chuckled to make him feel like he was funny. THEN he started to go into racist and religious jokes. Such an uncomfortable car ride. BUT he did get us there in time!
We hopped out and started to look for a nice cold beer. 2 problems....one, it was Sunday before noon, two there was no beer! Since when is Philly a dry city? Ha. We walked over to the finished about 4:15 into her race. I was expecting to see her at 4:30 or later. She was hauling ass so I knew she would have amazing PR. Alex spotted her first and started cheering. I whipped out my camera and got these two shots.


Then that yellow shirt guy block my view of her. We screamed our heads off and ran to find her. I ignored the do not cross cones and ran up to hug her. She looked so happy and teary eyed. My watch clocked her at 4:25:47. DAMN! And I knew I had started it early. Her official time was 4:25:32!

Overall Place 4795/7474
Gender Place 1619/3110
Division Place 429/787
Age Grade 51%
Pace 10:07.8
10K 1:00:20
Half 2:09:42
30K 3:06:52
Full 4:25:32

I had her on athlete tracker...and it actually gave me updates on time! Unlike the NYCM tracker that updated me in weird orders and a few hours late.




I am so proud of you Jenna. You always say that you quit when things get hard, this is proof that that is not true! You totally kicked butt in that marathon. I love you and am SOOOO proud of you! You have inspired me in so many ways. I cant wait to run with you and run a 1/2 marathon in the spring with you. I still look up to you and will always want to be like you. Keep your spirits up. You can do anything you set your mind to do! :)

Running Partner

I've been reading a lot of blogs/twitter post about running with someone. People wake up early and go meet someone for a lovely jog at 6 am. Nicole just found a running pal in her area in Michigan. Then I keep reading about Aron meeting up with Tara and Maritza for a morning run out in Cali. Well, damn it, I want a running partner! Sadly, I know no one who lives close to me that could meet me to go for a run. True, I know runners in NYC, but if you are not familiar with NYC, then you should know that someone who lives 5 miles away could take up to an hour get to. My second obstacle is that most of the runners I know are super fast. I am faster than I started out being, but I am not super fast. I don't want to train with a fast runner and reinjure my knee.
I am fun, have a good work ethic, don't complain while running, and I have a positive attitude. Really, I just need someone to motivate me and keep me company on my runs.
If I could only find someone so wonderful :)

Training the Pooch

I rehabilitate dogs...I train humans.
I am the Dog WhispererMy roommates are out of town this weekend so I am watching their bull dog Mochi. He has kind of (understatement) gotten out of shape so I have big plans for him this weekend. Last night we went on a long walk that included some light jogging. He did really well, except for the fact that he loves to come to a dead halt randomly for no reason. Stopping isn't the problem when we are walking, its when we are running. That dog almost made me trip! I've taken him on walks before so I was prepared with food to lure him to keep moving...he's getting better. We did just over a mile total. and I went to a part of my neighborhood I haven't been too. I saw a cute wine bar that I will have to try out. If I wasn't with a dog, I totally would have gone in. We walked by Columbia's track/stadium. The tracking team was practicing. It was kind of cool to see the runners (and by kind of cool I mean GREAT to see hot men run shirtless).
When we got back to my apartment Mochi drank water like we just went for a run out in the dessert! I felt bad that he was so thirsty. He seemed so happy though (and tired). I am trying to train him to be calm and submissive. I am the pack leader after all. He likes to bark, for no reason, he tries to direct me when we are walking outside, he jumps up on people and pees in the house. I hold my own with him and have done a lot of Cesar tricks to make him obey. It's a slow process but he actually is catching on quickly.
I want to try to get him in running condition...eventually. Believe me, I am not looking to kill the dog before my roommates get home...something tells me that they wouldn't be too thrilled. I warned them that I would be taking him out a lot...and really working him hard. Kind of like a Biggest Loser thing. I will be playing the part of Jillian Micheals.

This morning when I went to take Mochi out he was so excited to see his collar. However, after the collar went on he must have had a flash back to the night before because he did NOT want to leave the apartment. It was like pulling teeth to get him out the door and down the stairs. Once we were out and a block away from the apartment he was good to go again.
Last chance work out will be Sunday. If he thinks last night was hard, he ain't seen nothing yet!

Running Wishes

DC was a lot of fun. Dinner and tea with the Obama's. Bar crawl and movie night with the Biden's, and brunch with Hilary Clinton. Unfortunately, I got little sleep that entire weekend. I was going to go for a run Sunday morning, since it was lovely day. But, with lack of sleep and a massive headache, I decided not to.

Tuesday my knee was KILLING me. I have had very little pain in my knee so it really upset me and freaked me out, to say the least. I think it was due to all the walking and carrying my heavy bag. Wednesday my knee was fine. No problems. No pain. Weird. I went for a run after work - just a short 1.14 mile run. And I felt good. Yeah knee! I'm trying to take advantage the decent weather we are having. I am a wuss in the winter time and will refuse to run outside - plus running on snow/ice with a bad knee could only result in bad things. It was only 50˚ outside, but my ears still were killing me. Time to get ear muffs :)

On a brighter note: I have officially entered the NYC Marathon lotto. Not only that, my sister has too. Not only that but my DAD has too! My dad was a super fit athlete back when I was born in '85. He did triathlons like it was his job. He competed in tons of tri's for about 5 or 6 years (right dad?) before stopping. He never ran a marathon though. Never had any desire. But after seeing me train and my sister get into it too, he has been inspired to pick up running again. He competed in his first 10k a couple of weeks ago and got 1st in his age group! Don't worry dad, I won't say which age group you were in :). I am so proud of him. Not only is he super fast, but he has been sticking with it and run's almost every day - even when he travels (which is super impressive to me). So now he has entered the lotto to run his first marathon. I hope he gets in. I hope he gets in more than I hope I get in. I would love to watch and cheer him on during his first marathon. I'm so proud of you dad! :D

The Great Debate

I woke up this morning feeling good after last nights run. I was ready to take on tonight's work out too. I packed my gym back and headed to work. Work was long and I started to feel worn down and tired. The gym was looking less appealing. The idea of coming home and snuggling up in some PJs definitely had the right sound to it. But as 6 o'Clock rolled around I decided to go ahead and change into my clothes and head to the gym.Once I was in my work out gear thought of skipping the work out still rang in my ear. I fought inner demons for the 50 minute drive home. I text my dad for back up. He replied to my 911 text with,
"Jocelyn you go to work every day for PF - do this for you - Marathon will be here sooner than you think - JUST GO"
A lot of this rang through in my head. He's right. See my dad is a smart man!
As I circled the block looking for parking I started to get restless again. Maybe it was the fact that I really had to pee, or the fact that I couldn't find parking. I circled one more time and found a spot. I stepped out and started to walk the .4 mile walk to the gym. I played the excuse game with myself as to why I really should be going home.I am tired!
You are always tired at night
I have to pee
The gym has a bathroom
I'm hungry
You will eat afterward
Its cold outside
Its just windy
I don't want to miss The Biggest Loser
You won't miss it, you're only running 16 minutes
My knee hurts
No it doesn't
I'm dehydrated
No you aren't
I had a busy weekend!
You worked out yesterday though
I am going to DC next weekend!
You will most likely not have time to run then!
I will run tomorrow morning
Um, you always say that and you never do! You will regret it if you don't run tonight!

Finally I gave in...well I was at the gym so I thought it would be pointless to turn around.
I got to the treadmills and they were all taken! See I told you I should have gone home! I waited and the hopped on the 'mill to start my 16 minute run. I continued my trek of 8:38 pace. I know, I am so fast it crazy! Its still comfortable but I did have to take a couple of breaks. I had my iPod this time so the run went a lot faster and wasn't as boring as before. There is so much going on in the gym that sometimes its really hard to just zone out. After my 16 minutes I did a 5 minute cool down and worked on getting my heart rate back in the zone. I did some stretching and then power walked back to my apartment to watch The Biggest Loser. I love that show. No spoilers here though.
I'm glad I was able to fight through my bad side. I am not sure why I was having such a hard time convincing myself to work out. I guess it was just one of those days.

I am going to DC this weekend and I really want to run through Arlington Cemetery. My grandmother is buried there so it has a speical place in my heart. I don't think I will get that run in though. I'm not sure where my friend lives but I think it's more north of the city. Oh well, another visit :D

NYC Marathon and 1st Day of Training

Sign I made for Tara. Yes, there is a theme to my signs :D

This weekend Tara flew in to run the NYC marathon. She totally rocked it and we all had a blast cheering her on. She came in Thursday and Jenna and I met her at our favorite Mexican spot, Benny's Burritos.
The next night we all met up at Blondies with some other Twitter peeps for some beer and wings.

Tinyjenna, nycbklyngirl , TLM26, me, and uwsrunnergal.

It was a good time and fun to talk all about running with everyone. We saw some other people who were going to be running the NYC Marathon. I am impressed with everyone who drinks before their marathons. Maybe because I have only run 1 marathon, I was so careful not to drink a few weeks before the actually run. Now I'm questioning my decision!
I took no real pictures the following day because I left my card reader at home. FAIL! Maritza had made it into town late the night before so I met up with Tara and her near Rockefeller Center before heading down to Little Italy to meet up with Jenna and to enjoy some carbo cramming. Then we walked around China Town to enjoy some lovely knock-offs. Both M and T were dressed as Fairies, although they got their share of cat calls as Angels, Butterflies, and one even called them Bees...not sure where they got that from. If I had known there were going to participate I would have dressed up too. I guess I was playing tour guide so that should count, right? Next we headed to Harold Square/Empire State building area for some Jamba Juice. We then moved on over to the Gingerman for some yummy beers. I did get one picture with my cell. They look fab!

After the Gingerman we headed over to the Crocodile Lounge where they give you a free pizza for every drink you buy. Dinner and a drink = perfect. Best costumes of the night : Dwight & Angela from the office, Towelie from South Park, "Little White Lies" , "Smartie Pants", Rhianna, Key and Hole, and my favorite...Balloon Boy. It was entertaining to see the things people came up with.
Race Day.
With sign in hand I headed down to Brooklyn to meet up with Maritza and Jenna at mile 8. Jenna was running a little late because of her AMAZING 20 miler she did that morning. We had fun cheering on the crowd while we scanned the sea of people for Tara. Not sure how Maritza found her but she did...and she was allllll the way on the other side of the road. She didn't seem to hear us so Maritza sprinted after her to get some pictures. After that we headed to mile 17 on 1st ave.
First ave was a little crazy to say the least. It was so hard to see anything and people would get aggressive to get a better view. We were right next to portapotties and right after a sponge station - hence all the green things on the ground in the picture above.

I was slightly overwhelmed as you can see here :D

We saw Tara run by and once again she was on the far other side and didn't hear or see us. To be far is was CRAZY loud. After 1st ave we walked over to Central Park around the 24/25 mile mark - only after picking up a couple beers.

It was less crazy near the park so we were able to get a front row spot again.

Me, Maritza and Jenna

Maritza and Jenna

We saw Tara and she saw us. She ran over to throw her water bottle at us...

And Maritza caught it...

And there she goes! On her way to another marathon completion!

She was not lost, she was walking towards us! :D

A sea of finishers!

She finished! Wooo! 4:19:42. Thank you Athlete Alert for not working. She did a it with out pushing herself and with no watch. Maybe one day I will run a marathon that fast!

Perfect way to end a race? Beer :D

Overall I had a lot of fun with these Cali girls! They where both so nice and so much fun. It was nice to talk to them about running and get "experts" to give answers.
Both of you are welcome back any time! I love you girls. :D
I wanted to do a spring marathon closer to home to save some cash, but now I am considering California. Ah! We'll see what happens I guess.

As for my training, Today was my unofficial training start date for my marathon #2. And I guess it's fitting. I ran for 15 minutes at a 8:38 minute mile pace. Not to shabby. After my last fast run I decided to give that speed a try on the treadmill. It was pretty good except for the fact that I forgot what running on a treadmill was like. Boring. I checked how long I had been running for just before the 4 minute mark. Damn this was going slow. I finished and did a cool down before moving to the stationary bike. This is twice as boring as the treadmill. But Christmas came early for me today and I got a package in my mail box at work with "Born to Run" in it!! Yess. No idea who sent it to me so I thanked Santa. I found out later that my dad had decided to buy it for me since he was loving it so much. Thanks again dad! I read the first chapter while I biked for 30 minutes at an easy pace. I ran with the brace on and biked with it off. So far the knee is feeling pretty ok. I'm going to ice it just for good measure to make sure I don't injure myself again.
Why does Planet Fitness serve pizza on Monday nights? Doesn't that seem...I don't know...counter-intuitive? Why don't they whip up some fried chicken and some lard while they are at it?

Great weekend! Great Work out! :D