Here's the ad!!

My picture of Laurel is the 2nd picture in the ad.

It will be in ESPN magazine and Self as well.

It's official

Have I mentioned how frustrating this home improvement project is? It was another brutal day spent at the house finding flaws with "completed work". So I have to compose an email with pictures to send to the contractors. Equally as annoying.
I've definitely learned a few things along the way. I need to make a point of putting them in my database so I don't make the same mistakes the next time we take on a project like this.
So as I'm putting together this email and I'm kind of steaming. I receive an email from the advertising company that wants to use my picture of Laurel Wassner. It seems that the ad is approved! I'll be paid for the picture and it will be used in a national campaign. I instantly stopped writing the email to the contractor to write this post. I'll be sure to ask what magazines the ad will be in and when.
I'm still amazed at how this all happened. The internet made it all possible.

Alright. Back to this email. Then Yoga. Then to the pool.

I haven't been saying much

With all the projects going on at the house. I'm having a hard time staying positive. Things aren't exactly going smoothly. That seems to be the normal state of things for the workers though...
I guess the stressful part is this. I have to do quality control on everything and guess what. I don't know all the things to check for and that is frustrating. This isn't going to go on forever. There is an end. I just can't say the end is in sight yet.

I posted my workout schedule last week. It was listing 2 workouts a day. Well I managed 1 workout a day and I'm fine with that. It will get better.

Michelle and Ruth, I hope you get some solutions from your MRIs.

I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family this holiday weekend.
Jim remind me that I wanted to talk guitars with you.

Apologies for the boring post.

Xcountry 5k

Wow reading Genine's post was incredibly inspiring. She IS a warrior! So I thought I'd share my not so warriorish post.  As you know I've been taking a running class with New York Road runners. And the saga continues. Once a week. Beginner's class. This week (WEEK 6) we're up to 8 minutes 2x. The class has been good. According to the coach we're running at 12 minute pace which is a great improvement over the 15 minute mile which was my best pace this summer.

Well I decided to see how this improvement translated to a 5k. I had the brilliant idea to sign up for the Cross country championships at Van Cortland. I haven't been jogging for any 1mile+ distances lately  but since I knew the course I felt comfortable. HA! I thought we would do the FLAT loop plus the little wooded loop, twice. I was sadly mistaken.
The course was expanded to go over the little bridge into the wooded area that I had never gone through which  I swear was 2 miles of uphill! Or it seemed that way to me. Hello. What was I thinking? Excellent challenge though. So I sadly admit I walked the entire wooded area to bring my time down to 54 minutes. Yeah I know. I know. Almost the last one in again. But I did the first mile in 13.5 minutes! So I felt good about that (small victories!) So this is another race to add to my goals for next year. Maybe some of you would like to run it too! I'm doing those &*%% hills! The weather was absolutely perfect. And the course not too muddy. And the crowd was extremely generous with their cheering. It made me misty eyed.

I do want to congratulate my volleyball teammate Nina, who decided to run the course with me just to see how she would do. Damn. The girl is a machine. 28+ minutes. Can't imagine how'd she do once she begins training.  She wants to do more races. The winner, Frank Corrigan, did the course in 15:55 minutes at a 5:08 pace. HOLY COW! Congrats Frank!


I gotta say I really enjoy the cross country running. It's so much better on my possibly torn meniscus (grrr MRI coming) and the view is gorgeous. I saw a Blue Jay and a Mocking bird (I know I should have been concentrating on the run but hey!) and tons of squirrels. The trees were all shades of yellow, orange and red.  What a great course! Afterwards we treated ourselves to a large unhealthy breakfast at the Coffeshop under the bridge for 4$ each.

All in all, a great day at the races.

Hurts So Good

I finally got myself to the yoga class that Tiffany teaches on Monday nights. Ever since our Wednesday yoga lessons at her house have dissolved (schedule conflicts on both sides), I have been wanting to get there. Tonight I did.....aahhhhh. How can something so painful feel so good? My gluts, hamstrings, hips and calves were screaming. But by the end I could feel a huge improvement in my flexibility and I felt so relaxed. This is definitely going into my "soon-to-start" winter workout schedule. I'm going to build into the training plan between now and January, so when the new year starts I will be ready to go full force. My plan is to increase my biking via the trainer, get back to the pool and continue my base running. I also will be adding kickboxing to my cross-training along with intensati. Sounds a bit ambitious, but I really want to see what I can build into this winter. Can I keep healthy and focused on my goals?

I guess I should set some goals then, right? Those are still a work in progress. For now, let's just say my goal is to get my mind set back to a more scheduled workout plan....add some "non-sbr" stuff in for fun and see where that takes me. I'll be sure to keep you posted!

I'm also looking forward to some workouts with our Warren friends over Thanksgiving vacation. Jim: You can count me in for maybe 5-6miles of your 13mile run. Michelle: Shall we line up some swim and spin time at the Y? Craig: Will you be in Warren over the holiday?

Gotta work off that stuffing, potatoes and pie!! ;-)

Atlantic City Trip

Last Friday night I went to the chiropractor because my lower back was really starting to give me grief. If I had to guess about the cause, it was either butterfly kicking with fins or perhaps because it had been so long since I’ve had my back adjusted. I was hoping to run a 5K race the next morning. I didn’t make it to the 5K. I slept right through it. My back wasn’t much better anyhow. So it was probably for the best.

Genine and I then took a bus down to Atlantic City with Tiffany and Jimmy. It was a fun day, not profitable for anyone but Tiffany, but fun. I’d go again. Genine would too, only she wouldn’t spend any time in the casino.

Sunday was a gorgeous day and we managed to get ourselves out the door in the afternoon to do some biking. 71 degrees! My back was fine during the bike. The trouble was getting off the bike, and putting the bikes back on top of the car. My lower back was super tight.

So I finally realized I had better start taking some NSAIDs.

I had hoped to swim Monday morning but decided to play it safe until I saw my chiropractor in the city. He got some really good crunches out of my lower back. That’s a good thing, sometimes I’m so locked up it won’t move. Then I asked him if I should be taking time off. He said only if it seems like the activity is causing a problem. Guess I’ll find out as I try some workouts.

I think I’ve come up with a bit of schedule finally. I’ll try it out and see if it works.

Monday: AM Swim / PM Yoga

Tues: AM run speed/ PM Bike

Wed: AM Yoga & Core / PM Swim

Thurs: AM Run some intervals/ PM Bike

Friday: recovery day

Saturday: AM Run / Afternoon Swim

Sunday: Bike / Swim

Lastly, I hope not to jinx myself. I think I’m making progress with my foot. I’ve been diligent with the icing and rolling it out with a tennis ball and the boot at night. Maybe it's just the pain in the back is masking the pain in my foot... It's always something.

I am a WARRIOR!

As you all know, I am a firm believer in the principles of the practice of IntenSati developed by Patricia Moreno. I started almost 2 years ago, and I can say without question that it is an integral part of the positive changes that have transpired for me these past few years. It has empowered me and enlightened me. It has shown me how to find the best in myself and others. It has allowed me to find my inner strength, not only in sport....but in life. I have become acquainted with some amazing people...most notably my friend Tiffany. She inspires me to dig deep and keep moving forward no matter what the hurdle. it was Tiffany who nominated me to be featured in the SatiLife monthly newsletter and I was chosen! I have pasted a copy of the section from the SatiLife November newsletter below. My story is found in the "A Higher Level" section. (If you click on the article, it will zoom to a bigger size which is easier to read.) It is such an honor for me, so I wanted to share it with all of you. If you want to find out more about IntenSati, just click on the link.

I told Matt what a lucky guy he is. Instead of PlayMate of the Month, he is married to the Warrior of the Month! So much cooler, right?! :-)

The Triangle

Some might not know about "The Triangle". The sides are triangle are labeled: Good, Fast, Cheap. There are many situations in which you can use this triangle. Here is the deal, you can have any two sides but not all three. I'm currently wondering where the home improvement falls on the triangle (good and cheap I hope!). I'm going to withhold judgement until the end. I'm hoping I don't miss all 3 of them!

There are times that I wish that I had time to use my camera more. Well, I've been using my camera quite a bit lately. Unfortunately, it's been to send pictures to our contractor so he can see the problems. Or because Genine is at work, I'm sending her pictures so that she can approve of things that are being done.

The one good thing I'm sure of is this. Because I've been hanging around so they can get into the house, and because the place is trashed and because there is a huge dumpster in the driveway, I decided it was an opportune time to pull the paneling out of 2 of the rooms. Those 2 rooms have left the 70s. Which is awesome. What is amazing is that there was a full length mirror hanging in one of the paneled rooms when we bought the house. Well I guess that mirror has been there for a long time. Under the paneling was 2 layers of paint. The mirror was painted around when the 2nd layer of paint went down.

Triathlon: Great bike on Sunday with Genine. We really dug in at the end of the ride and did better than we expected.

Monday night, we went to the pool. My main set was 10x50m on 1 min. Then 5x100m on 2 min. I also did some butterfly and free kicking with fins. It was a good swim.

Tuesday night, 3 mile run with Genine. Good to get out and run it was a nice night.

It's amazing how the workouts help me relax. I've been stressed out over this renovation project and after the workout I feel great... until we start talking about the project again. Ha!

Grateful for Today

After a day filled of construction frustrations, Matt & I took advantage of today's sunny 60 something degree weather and got out for a nice bike ride. We got in almost 33miles and enjoyed every minute of it! What a treat for a Sunday in November. The other fun part is that is was the most challenging ride we have done in months. (although that's not saying much considering how pooped we've been recently!) We got in a few intervals and a couple decent hills. It felt good to be able to get out there and feel well rested and have some energy. It is amazing to me how debilitating fatigue can be. I've been so used to feeling like Dawn of the Dead. Sleep is a beautiful thing! I have 1 more week of total insanity at work and then it's back to the normal holiday crazy. Give me strength...almost there!

The renovation

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea as to what's up.

Before:


New Roof New upstairs windows.


The back porch before. But the new roof is on. Old windows in the dormer.


Back porch framed out to become a dining room. New upstairs windows.


All the windows in the house will be replaced the front door too. The awnings will be gone and the entire house will have new vinyl siding. It will look like new.

swimming

I went to masters swimming last night. It's been awhile since I've done a swim workout that's actually been a workout. I feel like it's been a solid 4-6 weeks "off". Well the workout went much better than I had expected. I got into a groove and had some speed. I finished my 100m "races" on 1:37 for all 3. Way better than I expected and I didn't feel that I was going 100%.
This morning I was reminded of how swimming is a full body workout. I had some tight back and hip muscles. Fortunately I woke up with enough time to do 20 minutes of stretching. I prefer feeling like this in the morning compared to doing nothing and still having aches and pains.

I realize the pushups and pullups kind of disappeared. I keep trying pullups and my left bicep keeps telling me to take it easy. So I'll continue to do some every day but not following that plan at all.
Pushups I think I can handle again. So I'll start that plan... again.

November... time flies.

Still on track with the nutrition. Still have this lingering cold. Still wearing the boot at night for my foot.

I get into my car Tuesday morning and there is frost on the windshield for the first time this year and the car stinks. It’s going to be a nice day so I leave the sun roof open a crack to let the car air out. After work it’s better. I go buy groceries, open up the hatch to load them in…. bam! There’s the stink. We forgot to get our bike shoes out of the car after riding in the rain on Saturday. Yuck!

It’s an beautiful night to run but I have too much to do. I text Todd to find out if we are running in the morning, we are. 4:45 wakeup then.

The contractor called me today and wanted to know when he can get access to the house again, that along with a million questions. I tell him I will email him all the answers tonight. So now I sit and compose an email for about 2 hours with descriptions and pictures to answer all of his questions. He will call me in the morning to discuss everything. (this call never happened)

5-6 hours of sleep and it’s Wednesday morning and I’m out the door to go running. Left foot is not getting better or worse. My plan is to ice and ibuprofen for a week to see if that makes a difference.

Our run was only 4 miles and it wasn’t speedy. Not a big deal, makes it easier to talk when you are running slowly… Did I mention it was 38 degrees? Todd shows up wearing shorts and a T-shirt. He misread his thermometer. He read the indoor temp thinking it was the outdoor. Fortunately he had a running jacket and gloves he had left in the car.

I enjoyed the run. Those of you that haven’t tried running in cold weather, you need to give it a try. After the first mile or so, it’s really very nice. (unless it’s windy).

We had hoped to go into the city to watch the marathon this past Sunday. That didn’t work out, but we did watch on TV. The winner averaged a 4:55 min/mile over 26.2 miles. I now need to get back to the track to find out if I can even go that fast for ¼ mile.

Kevin has run this 2 years in a row now. If his lottery luck continues 13 more times, he will be an automatic entry because he will have completed it 15 times. Ha ha.

I looked up the qualifying time I need to run a half marathon once I hit 40 in June. 1:30:00. That’s a 6:52 min/mile pace…. Typically, I'd say anything is possible, but that is quick!

My next option is this. After you’ve been denied 3 years in a row, you get in. I’m fairly certain I’ve applied in both 2008 and 2009. So I should be able to run in 2011. I’m going to have to dig through old email to verify that I registered both years.

If not, I will join NYRR and attempt to run 9 NYRR races in 2010. I’m already thinking I should race at least once a month, maybe twice, January-March. Just so I keep focused on adding run speed during my workouts. Most of these will be 5K or 5 milers. There is the NYC half marathon March 21^st, I’m kind of looking at that to be my long run race for the spring.

Lastly, I passed up free Knicks/Pacers tickets for tonight’s game so that I could go to masters swimming. Had they been Yankee Tickets, obviously I would be in the Bronx tonight. I’m still surprised I passed on them tho’.

Matt's nutrition, the next level

They are tearing out the windows in the house as I type this. Within the first 5 minutes of them being here I am already concerned. The guy measures the window space he just cleared. Goes to the selection of windows delivered yesterday and says “There’s no match. Closest thing is off by an inch and a half. Let me call the boss.” I already know what is going to happen next. He’s going to come back and say. “No problem, it will work.” I was close, he said “Nah, it’s alright.” Ah yes, that gives me confidence.

So nutrition. I had mentioned in an earlier post that I had read the Thrive diet written by a vegan Ironman triathlete. The book has inspired me to add more variety to my diet as well as adding supplements. So many people at this point would be thinking, you shouldn’t be taking vitamins, just eat better! Which is ideal, but not easy to do, and they aren’t vitamins. At least I don’t think so, this is where I’m curious what Craig and Tamara think about what I’ve chosen.

The first product is Gary Null’s “Red Stuff” (don’t be scared off by the technical name). This product is a fruit mix. Cranberries, apples, cherries, red raspberries, peaches, pears, papayas, mangos, watermelon, red currant, nectarines, pink grapefruit, blood orange, pomegranates, pineapples, lemons, limes, tangerines, apricots.

The second product is “Enriching Greens”. Alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass, carrot, spirulina algae, probiotic culture, kelp cranberry, rosehips, bilberry, soy lecithin, Dandelion, Beet, Eleuthero, bromelain (from pineapple), artichoke, soybean, tomato, Milk Thistle, ginkgo biloba, grape seed.

The third I have yet to add is going to be sea vegetables of some sort. I haven’t found one I like yet. Thinking Kelp, Chlorella, seaweed stuff.

The concept here is that it’s somewhat of instant variety to your diet. I’m certain I don’t eat everything on that list on a monthly basis. Some might question why would you need to eat all that stuff regularly? Well that’s just it. Here is the concept I’m working off of as I try to take my nutrition to the next level.

If your body is missing nutrition of any sort, your brain is triggered into having cravings. It seems to me that some people are more tuned into what these cravings actually require to be satisfied. (anyone that has been pregnant might be able to tell me if that statement has any validity at all). Well, I feel that I haven’t a clue about what I need to eat when I have a craving, I just feel hungry and I eat randomly. The result can be eating many extra calories as you are searching for satisfaction. How many times do you eat a snack which is filling but you are left still not satisfied, so you eat more or find something else to eat?
Well I feel that by using fitday.com I definitely dialed in some level of cravings at the macro-nutrient level. (Carb/Fat/Protein). If I get hungry at an odd time, I can look and see if my eating has been unbalanced and make sure I eat the right thing to balance. The result of figuring that out helped me go from 205-175 pounds.

Well I’ve been stuck at the 175-180 range for at least a year now. So I’m hoping this might take it to the next level. This is an attempt to satisfy all of my micronutrient needs and other essential proteins and fats which the body cannot create. My thinking is that if I satisfy my nutrition needs at this micro level. Maybe I will be able to function at the calorie intake that will put me closer to weighing 165 pounds.
That 165 is not a goal number. I’m trying very hard not to get on a scale. I should be able to look at myself and decide if there is room to improve. That is the “scale” I’m planning on using. Once I feel that I’m there, then maybe I’ll hop on just to see what that number happens to be. Then the scale might be useful again to keep me from going back up? I guess I’ll decide on that if/when I get there.

Comments, suggestions?

Spirit of Morgantown

Got an email from them today. They are definitely responding to the problems reported.

* New swim exit next to transition area (just 30 meters from the TA entrance)
* New swim course (keeping well north of the lock)
* New bike courses on smooth roads (totally new routes and roads)
* New single lap 13.1 mile run course for the half iron
* New earlier start times with the half iron going first at 7:00am


Not that it matters for me. I believe it's scheduled to be the day after the Tango.

Home Projects

I guess our house is going to go through some changes in a big hurry. My contractor calls me today and starts asking me questions that only Genine can answer. Of course Genine is swamped at work but I really have no other choice than to pass along the call to her. Genine calls me on her way home and tells me there will probably be 10 or more people at our house on Thursday. They are going to replace all the windows. Tear apart the back porch and start framing in the new walls and do some of the siding up on the dormers. Needless to say it's been busy. Just trying to think through all the decisions and then prepare the place for having all this work done. It feels like it's happening too fast but I guess we prefer that to never hearing from the guy and nothing being done.

On the fitness side of things, my lungs still aren't clear but Genine and I managed a 3 mile run Monday night. First mile was ugly Once I warmed up I felt like I could go for awhile. Fortunately we called it at 3 miles, I can definitely say my cardio is way ahead of my muscular conditioning right now. I'm fine with that. I think that says I've successfully de-trained. (although it wasn't completely planned).

Eating plan is still very much on track. I need to write about that soon. I'm curious about what Craig and Tamara would say about my attempt to take my nutrition to the next level. It's something I think they've worked on before. More on that later tho'. It's late.

Weekend Warrior

That seems to be what I have become recently. It's Christmas at Bloomingdale's. Added to that is a store visit from our CEO, Director of Stores and President of Stores every other week until mid November. Ugh! I am trying my best to battle my insomnia and prepare myself to withstand the numerous 12-14hour days on a continuing basis. It is not easy. By the end of the week it's like night of the living dead! I swear I used to be able to keep up with this schedule....when did I get too old for this job?! Anyway...I'm counting the days until Nov. 13th, when the worst will be over and I will just have the "normal" holiday retail rush to contend with.

Until then, I am relishing my weekend workouts even though I feel slow and sluggish. I have been able to get to IntenSati the past two Saturdays....aahhh....so good. Last weekend I also got in a spinning class and a short run. Not a single workout this past week. :::sigh::: But, today Matt and I went out for a bike ride. The weather was just glorious!! The sun was shining and the leaves were in peak color. We just did our short 12.5 mile loop as it was Matt's first workout in over a week due to his lung infection/coughing. He felt good at the end of the ride, so that was good news for his recovery. I feel badly that he has been out of commission for so long. Hopefully he will be back up and running soon!

We are planning to get the bike trainers set up in the basement this week. I am hoping that by having the trainer and treadmill ready to go, I can squeeze in some short 30-45min workouts in during the week while work is still crazy. Other than that, I am focusing on maintaining healthy eating and trying to figure out how to manage my insomnia. Sleep is so critical. I am trying valerian root tonight for the first time. I really want to avoid having to take any prescription sleep meds if possible. I also have some meditation cd's that Tiffany gave me to listen to when I wake up in the night. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll let you know how it works. Any other natural sleep suggestions that anyone knows of are welcome!

Snapshots

Here is something I've been waiting to write about for awhile.

About a month ago I received an email from a pro triathlete, Laurel Wassner. She had seen the pictures I had taken of her at Uberman and when the designers of an ad campaign asked her for some action shots, my shots were among the pictures she submitted. She put me in contact with the ad agency so that I could send them the higher resolution images to try in the layout. This is when I found out that it was going to be a Nike ad.

Obviously I was very excited about all of this. This is not something that happens every day. So of course I had started to type up a post for the blog about it. Then I went to Laurel’s blog and realized she hadn’t let the cat out of the bag about the ads yet. So then I modified it to be very generic and posted it… for all of 15 minutes before I deleted it. I figured I’d just wait and see if it really happens before saying anything.

Well I’m still jumping the gun here. It’s not official but I figured now that Laurel has posted about the campaign I’ll also post, because not only is it Nike. It’s LIVESTRONG! How cool is that? It just kind of falls into place very nicely with what we are all about.

Hopefully I didn’t jinx myself by posting this early but it’s exciting. Heck, I always thought it was fun to see my pictures hijacked from my Flickr site just to show up on athlete’s facebook pictures, blogs and websites. This takes that feeling to a whole new level.

Oddly enough, not a week later, one of our friends sends us an email asking us to send a high resolution picture that Genine took of her at the Black Bear Triathlon in 2008. Turns out that Coach Don Fink is writing a new book and would like to use that image in his book. We’ve already signed the release forms for that picture but the book isn’t going to be released for another 12 months or so.

Fun right?
Once again proving that the internet is a cool place. Laurel would have never seen these pictures if not for flickr. Not to mention the fact she could just send an email to contact me from the same site. Then when the ad agency needed the pictures. I didn't have to dig through negatives or FedEx anything. I just created a set on flickr and sent them the link.

Great abs workout.

Cough for 7-10 days straight. Make sure you string enough reps together that it really hurts.

Hopefully I'm at the end of this. I haven't felt feverish for the last couple days and coughing seems to have become effective.

My left foot seems to be tracking better the last few days when I walk. Maybe that will fall into place as well.

Our new roof is finished and it's been raining quite a bit today. I haven't noticed any leaks yet. One less thing to worry about now.

Pretty boring stuff. That's all I've got.

Why?

There is a thread on Trifuel right now that asks "So what's your most irritating question people ask you about triathlon". The overwhelming response appears to be when people just ask "Why". I think people get upset when asked this question, because the person asking is basically saying to you that they think triathlon is a waste of time.

Of course as I was reading this, I couldn't help but think about the fact that my answer to "Why" is different than most people racing. The Fundraising for Dr Guinan's research is "Why" for Genine and I, and our "mission" has been brought back into focus this week.

My cousin Katie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has already started the chemotherapy. She's married and has 4 young children.

Those of you that have gone through this with someone close, can appreciate how you feel totally helpless. You know you aren't going to wake up one day and think up a solution to this problem. It is out of your control. Fortunately there are things you can do to help that are in your control.

1) Register to be a Bone Marrow Donor. Typically all that is required is a mouth swab. Other times the registry is held along with a blood drive. Everyone should be on the list.

2)Donate Platelets. You can do this every 3 days but no more than 24 times a year. Start by checking with your local Red Cross. Next check with your local hospital's oncology ward.

3) Give Blood. Find a blood drive near me.

My never ending chest cold suddenly doesn't seem like such a big problem. I will get over it. Then I'll get back to training. You know Why.

Running class #1

SO I started my beginners running class last Thursday w New York Road runners. It was cool, figuratively and literally. The weather stunk, dark cold and rainy. Everyone showed up (20 of us gals, no men). We met at a local public school, did a basic warm-up routine in the gym then headed out to Central park (boat basin) to do our first workout: 1 minute run, 2 minutes walk, 7X.   Easy breezy.

I swore to myself that I would run at a faster pace than my regular shuffle mode. After all the purpose of this class is to get me to the 10minute mile goal. We run as a pack with the coach at the front leading and shouting "run!" or "walk!" The people who get to the front of the pack have to loop (turn around and run to the back of the pack) to maintain the pack pace. I was always somewhere in the middle, running behind the same ladies who were having a great conversation about asking for a raise, though by the end of the class I was in the front row. I guess eavesdropping is a byproduct of running in a pack. The same gazelles kept passing the rest of us and looping back. The pace was good, not too strenuous, I felt a nice warm up feeling but then we only ran for 1 minute intervals.  Tonight we go up to 2 minute intervals.

Things that I learned:

1. you hit the ground heel first. Not toes, not mid sole, but heel. For me it's a big adjustment. I always jog leaning forward, to let gravity pull me forward and thus land on my toes. To be able to strike heel first I had to lean back, straighten my spine. I did discover that my knees thanked me later and I was not hobbling home  as I usually do after running (but then again only 1 minute intervals- the last long run I did was 1 hour long so it's a huge difference in workout and in the pounding of the knees)

2. you hold your hands as if you're grabbing butterfly wings. Arms bent 90 degrees, relaxed, middle finger and thumb touching (ohmmmm) thinking about my hands forced me to relax my arms which I never think about when I run since all I can usually think about is my aching knee (see #1).

3. Wear a hat with a visor when it rains.  I had one but noticed my classmates had to squint through the whole run. It also absorbed the sweat so I found myself not having to wipe my brow every ten seconds. Why didn'tI think of it sooner?

4. bring an extra pair of DRY socks when it rains (for the freezing subway ride home)

5. wear Gloves.  I thought I would eventually take them off but I never did. Glad I had them.

The biggest discovery was the roadrunner website http://www.runningcoach.com/
(Does it count as a discovery if your teacher tells you about it?)

It's filled with great tips AND the workouts for each class along with the homeworks. I am sure there's bound to be something of interest for everyone. Even the Ironfolks!

More later!