One more cup of coffee before we go...

New York Times has an article today called It's Time to Make a Coffee Run, proving what distance runners (at least this one) has known all along... the benefits of caffeine and exercise...

* Caffeine is one of the few legal performance enhancers not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency

* Nothing new that caffeine improves performance... but scientists believe the reason for the power-output post-coffee is that the muscles release calcium stored in muscle, which helps speed and endurance. Also, caffeine impacts the brain's sensation of exhaustion

*The effect of performance improvement is estimated at between 5-25% (the low range for average performance expected for the masses, and a controlled labratory setting.

Not sure if I'll be able to find a Starbucks to get my SBUX staple (grande in a venti cup with cold soymilk) before my Paris marathon, but I'll definitely be able to find a cute place to get my pre-race cup'o'jo

3 weeks to Paris!

I just came back from my last long run... 22 miles!  Must have been because I forgot to turn on my alarm clock this morning and got a little bit of a late start that I was inspired to run fast...  

Today I ran about 5 minutes faster than my 22-miler two weeks ago. 

 As usual, I finished at a much faster pace than I started... but I'm making progress in narrowing the gap and running more "steady."  My first 6 miles was at an 8:56 pace, and the last 5 at 8:24 (0r 8:30 pace for the last 10 miles).  Basically, that is only ~32 seconds in variation of my pace.  

When I got back from my run, I had all these great ideas to apply some CFA quantitative methods concepts to training:  My average pace was 8:41, or about 26 seconds/mile slower than my goal marathon race-pace (around 8:15/mile).  

Next, I thought, how about calculating the standard deviation of pace (between each loop and the total average pace)?  I was halfway through calculating the sum of squared deviations from the mean, when I got distracted by major "salt face" in my eyes and stopped to go take a shower.  

"Salt face", by the way, is the remaining white salt crystals that linger on your skin after the sweat dries a little.  I tend to get major accumulation on my cheeks (under my sunglasses), and on my shoulders.  But then again, salt on your shoulders isn't really called "salt face," but who is getting technical?

More to come later... but what a run today.  :)

Post-Marathon Siesta in Barcelona!

I'm honestly not sure if this is a photo or a drawing.


After the Paris Marathon on April 5th, I'll work one day at company headquarters and then take 3 vacation days.  We have that Friday off for Good Friday (the only Capital Markets holiday that is not also a Federal Banking holiday), so I get an extra day before the weekend.  

Today I bought a flight for Barcelona for a ridiculously cheap price.  My plan is to bring my backpack (for backpacking, not school books), stay in a cheap hostel in a cool location, explore on my own a city I've never been to but have heard is amazing.  

I am incredibly grateful to get to stay in a nice hotel in Paris, but you have a totally different kind of adventure when you backpack like a college student on a budget.  And I can't wait!   

8 weeks until Paris Marathon!

I did my second 20-mile run this morning.  I can't say it was easy or didn't hurt.  The emphasis for my long runs has basically been to finish stronger and faster than I started, and I've consistently been running negative splits (meaning that if I ran 4 loops, each one was faster than the previous.)  

The benefit to doing this is that it teaches me to run strong when I am tired.  Today I tried to imagine what it will feel like in the race, where I will most certainly be tired and hurting much worse.  I imagined what it feels like to run totally fresh, and thought about "fresh" posture and stride, and tried to make my body move the way it moves in the first few miles when I step outside my door.  I also reminded myself to acknowledge the pain, but keep on running, because it is supposed to hurt- that means I'm doing it right!  Also, it doesn't hurt any worse to run faster (or at least to maintain my pace) when I'm tired as to slow my pace into a shuffle, but I'll finish the run sooner.  

Pacing is definitely an art form.  One of the reasons I am able to finish so strong is that I probably start out a little too relaxed.  In the marathon, my biggest challenge will be finding the right pace.  Though they place you automatically with a pace group, they are only in 15 minute increments, so I am with the 3:30 group, which is faster than I want to start the race. However, I have the benefit of my Philly 1/2 marathon experience where I was forced to rely on my own internal pace and ended up with the best race of my life.  During Paris, I'll be able to "check in" every 5K to the time clock.  There will be no way for me to gage my miles, but I know that my 5K splits should be right around 25 minutes each. 

The run today was inspiring for another reason too... the gorgeous weather.  I left my jacket, gloves, headband, and tights at home and ran with my sleeves pushed up my arms, wishing I'd worn shorts and a t-shirt, not capris.  I saw more people running in Central Park yesterday and today than I see in 2 weeks of cold weather.  It is hard not to lift your knees a little higher and drop your shoulders a little lower when you run past collegiate cross country runners (as in, cross paths with, or are passed by, but never pass), who glide by in an effortless pack of perfect running form.  I saw dads huffing behind baby joggers, and men double-take when a very fit new mother pushed a double-jogger past them up a hill as if it weighed nothing.  A few brave runners who attempted the dirt paths were easily identifiable by marked legs completely tattooed with splashed mud. 

20 Mile run tomorrow...

Tomorrow I have my first 20 mile run in preparation for the Paris Marathon.  I'm "racing" the Manhattan 1/2 Marathon (the first in the NYRR Grand Prix 5-borough race series), with a nice little 6 mile warm up and a mile or so cool-down.

The plan is to leave my apartment at 7:00 sharp and run 1 loop of Central Park in the opposite direction as the race course.  The start is close to Columbus Circle, my park portal and I've arranged to meet my friend Kristin right near the start.  She will pace me for the 13 miles (at close to my goal marathon pace), and then I'll jog the final mile home. 

Er... make that hot chocolate

I had a 15 mile run this morning to ponder the meaning of life.  My big epiphany was that 20 degrees is, well, a brisk day to be running.  A mug of hot chocolate waiting for me back at home is the only reason I made it through miles 3-15 at all.

The forecast this weekend is for snow, so I wanted to make sure I got my long run in before the weather turned really challenging.  The last 5 miles or so, the snow began sticking on the bridal path, though the roads were just wet.  They were big soft flakes anyway, which is nice because they don't hurt your eyes if you forgot a brimmed hat or sunglasses.

Anyway, my chocolate milk was mixed in a mug instead of a glass, and thrown in the microwave for 1:20.  Delicious.  

Go forth now and recover, muscles. 

Chocolate milk... better than gatorade

During my last marathon training cycle, with 1-2 miles left in every long run, I found myself fantasizing about a tall glass of chocolate milk.  Unfortunately, I seemed to have neither milk nor chocolate on hand during those summer training months.

But this time around, I'm all set.  Heading out the door now for my Parisian-bound 15 mile run, with all the supplies I need when I get back for my lait au chocolate.

Even Runners World cites a study that found chocolate milk to be as effective as Gatorade as a recovery drink.  The official reason is that combining proteins with carbs increases glycogen stores in muscles and reduces the amount of muscle damage from exercise.

Funny, and to think I crave it because it tastes good.  

Let's pretend it's summer and we're sipping cafe au lait in a Parisian cafe

Paris in the springtime

I'm running the Paris Marathon on April 5th.  Normally, that would be 26.2 miles, but since this is my first international marathon, we'll call it 42 kilometers instead.  

I'm still getting my exact training schedule together, which I'll post later.  My goal is 3:35.  After Philly half-marathon (1:37:35, or 7:27 per mile pace) I feel great about this goal!

This morning I ran an easy 12 miles (2 big loops around the park), which is my first "official" marathon training run.  I ran both loops in 51 minutes each, exactly 8:30 per mile pace.  Had anyone asked me my pace while running, I would have thought about 9:30 or slower based on effort, and I wasn't really even paying attention to even splits.  

Paris, here I come (Paris, j'arrive!)