One is the Loneliest Runner...

I've been very lucky the past few weeks because, with the exception of the days during my trip to Vermont, I've been able to make every team speed workout. I used to do speed work alone almost exclusively and usually in the early morning. Since that's what I was used to it didn't totally suck seem that bad. Chalk it up to "what you don't know can't hurt you," because now that I've started doing speed work in a group, it's hard to imagine flying solo anymore.

The hill I used for my 200s, Morningside Dr.

Unfortunately, I've got a very busy week at work and I knew there was no way I'd be out in time to make last nights 7pm workout in Central Park. Did I just decide to skip the workout? If you're guess is yes, you probably haven't been reading this blog for very long. I decided to do the workout tout seul and before work.

What was the workout? Hill repeats--twelve to fourteen 200m repeats at 5k pace to be precise. You know what? It wasn't all that bad. I got up super early and discovered that it's a lot cooler at 5am than 7pm (okay, I already knew that, but the part of me that likes sleep tends to overpower the part of me that likes lower temps). I also discovered that I can still push myself without "good" peer pressure since I did the full 14 instead of stopping at 12.

The moral of the story: I can miss a team workout and still do the work but it's definitely more fun when you have others yelling at you encouraging you to do your best.

A Low Key Weekend of Running

This weekend we had two beautiful days in New York with lots of sunshine and seasonal temps. I still haven't returned to long runs yet (next weekend?) but I did manage to get out and enjoy the weather. On Saturday I woke up early to get in a quick easy run around Harlem and Morningside Heights before heading out to Brooklyn.

Photo Credit: nycgovparks.org

Continuing my volunteer kick, I signed up to volunteer at the Verrazano Half Marathon, put on by the folks at NYCRuns.com. Somehow, I slipped through the cracks and as of Saturday I hadn't heard back from them but since I had a friend running I figured I would show up and see what happened. Sure enough, the organizers were only too happy to have another hand. I had a blast! I helped with baggage check, setting up the post-race food, and most important I cheered runners on at the turnaround point. I love these small local races because everyone seems to know everyone and the folks are all friendly. There's nothing fancy about these kind of events, they're just running for the sake of running. Still, they're well-organized and you can't beat the real Brooklyn bagels that have at the end.Of course, what really made the morning fun was a post-race visit to Spumoni Gardens for some of their famous Sicilian slices.

Sunday, I got a late start after a bit too much wine Saturday night (oops!) but I didn't let that stop me from getting in a run along the East River Esplanade. After the run, I picked up a bagel from Bagel Mill and ate in Carl Shurz Park, one of my favorite spots in Manhattan. It wasn't a super exciting weekend but it was a nice break from an intense training schedule. Now, however, it's time to get back on that training bandwagon since it's only three short weeks until the Brooklyn Half.