Happy Monday!
I have a feeling it’s going to be a great week.
But I may be biased, because I’m only working three full days, then I head out in the late afternoon on Thursday for a long weekend in Charlotte, NC, with my favorite bride-to-be.
That’s a few days away, though, so let’s talk about right now.
This weekend was one of those “best weekends ever” — the kind you look back on throughout the year and compare to other weekends.
I got to spend time with good friends.
(Thanks for the photo, Tina!)
I got to meet new friends.
Thanks for planning brunch, Christy!
While Saturday’s Mini 10K wasn’t my strongest race to date, it was probably the one where I learned the most. Thanks to Coach Cane and Mrs. Coach Cane, I took a lot away from this running experience.
And thank you to everyone who left such amazing, inspiring comments about the race. It was a tough one, due to both the humidity and my inability to keep up with my desired pace. But I think we can all agree that each race is a learning experience, and I’m going to be a stronger runner and tougher marathoner thanks largely in part to the races that don’t go as planned.
You know what else I did this weekend? Ate a ton of good food.
No, I don’t know if I added enough toppings. Maybe I should have gone back for more cookie dough bites. It’s hard to say.
I couldn’t let Emily & co. leave NYC without getting a taste of 16 Handles. It’s not like they had to twist my arm to go there.
After drinking a glass bottle of wine, watching “Gossip Girl,” playing Apples to Apples for a while then eating more food, we were all exhausted by 11 pm on Saturday.
What? That makes us cool. Not lame.
Emily and boyfriend left super early yesterday, and while I was tempted to start my day at 6:30 am, I convinced myself to go back to bed. Enter 9:30 am — a much more respectable wakeup time — and I was ready for my shakeout run.
Coach Cane advised that I run 3–4 miles yesterday morning. “You will probably be exhausted after the race and won’t want to do more than that.”
“Oh really, Coach Cane?” I thought to myself. “You don’t know me. I never just want to run 3–4 miles. I always want to run double digit miles. Bring it on. Make me work hard. Game on. I’m hardcore. I love runningggggggg!”
Fun fact: Coach Cane knows more about running than Ali does.
One mile into my jaunt along the river and I was ready to call it quits. Turns out, I was tired after the race.
I may not have PR’d on Saturday, but yesterday it was clear that I still worked hard during that 10K. My legs were a little sore, but mostly they were just tired. They wanted a massage. They wanted rest. They wanted foam rolling.
So I ran four miles.
I took a break during mile three to look at puppies.
The rest of my day was spent cleaning, doing laundry and checking out the new extended part of the High Line Park (pictures to come later — my camera is currently playing this fun game where I say “upload” and it says “no”).
Sushi for dinner while watching the Tony Awards made for the perfect evening to wrap up a pretty fantastic weekend.
I was running behind this morning, so rather than put together something wonderfully creative to wear, I went with an old favorite:
Now I’m off to show Monday how much I love it.
Congratulations to all of the runners and racers this weekend. Whether you set a new PR for yourself, conquered a new distance or managed to smile at the start and finish (very important, if you ask me), you did something great and should be proud.
Pats on the back all around.
SOMETHING I’D LIKE TO KNOW: What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a race? I got a lot of help regarding pacing and my form this weekend, but the best thing I took away was that each race has its own goal. The goal doesn’t always need to be to PR.
Also, as usual, tell me your weekend highlights. Best thing you did? Perhaps you took a little trip, or maybe you made a batch of chocolate chip cookies that you plan on sending me.
0 Responses
Ali I’m curious how you seem to stay so motivated? I’m so jealous – between my dog, a malfunctioning home security system, and a long day at work, my desire to work out was in. the. pits. you always seem to bound out of bed to do what you need to do and I’m so impressed!
It’s not always easy! I’ll do a post on this soon, though!
What a great weekend! I relaxed, went out with friends, ran in some lovely spring-like weather, and watched WAY too much Dexter! lol
The best lesson I’ve learned from a race is to run my own race. No matter what pace I’m “supposed to be running” or what others around me or friends are doing, I have to run based on how I feel. I feel best when I start a race at a slower than goal pace. I have learned that it is important for me to follow the strategy that works best for me.
so jealous of your 16 handles.
they need to deliver!!!!!
They do deliver!!!
I went home and surprised my mom for her birthday! It was so great.
Love the outfit!
The best thing I learned about running a race (so far!) is to take it all in and enjoy the moment. Even though it’s a race, don’t mentally race through it :-)…Might not be great advice for the fast pace “serious” racer, though, but for me it’s about finishing and having fun!
Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend! I love when friends come to visit and you can enjoy your favorite spots with them (like 16 candles).
Confession: I look at puppies in that dog park for way too long sometimes. They are just so entertaining and adorable 🙂 Hooray for such a great weekend! Even though the race wasn’t super awesome, I enjoyed being a part of it. And I actually didn’t mind the gloomy weather this weekend because it helped me relax. Which is never a bad thing!
This weekend was time to catch my breath. There has been a lot of travel, a lot of running around. The best part of my weekend was that I was able to sleep in until 10am on Sunday and still manage to take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. I didn’t know if I had it in me, but I focused, dug deep, and made it happen. It was my own special little PR 😉
Next weekend will be more impressive, I hope!
Also, a white button down and dark jeans is such a classic outfit, and even though it is simple I always feel great in it. You are totally rocking yours!
i love those weekends that are so jam-pack with good stuff that you’re still happy on a monday morning!
i’ve learned that nothing can compensate for poor training. yikes, that’s a toughie too.
I will pass along the best running advice I ever got from a running coach. “There is nothing wrong with walking during a race.” And true to form, my half marathon PR includes at least 3 30 second walk breaks. And my personal words of wisdom…”You are not going to finish in first place or last place, so why not enjoy the race!”
Sounds like an awesome weekend for sure! I was pretty focused (mmm more like obsessed) with doing the exercises and form adjustments to my running that the gait analysis guy told me to do 🙂 Every runner has an inner runner geek.
Best lesson I’ve learned from a race? Well, I’m not sure any race could ever measure up to crossing the finish line of a marathon with my mom…so probably that running is a gift that my family and God has given me, and no matter how fast or slow I am, I can never forget that.
Oh I know that East River dog park well!! One thing I learned during my last race was….get up quick if you fall……and fall I did, thanks a lot you jerk of a pot hole!!! I guess the other lesson would be to watch where I am going instead of watching the guy in the full cat leotard!
Um, wine + Gossip Girl + friends = best night ever in my book. Happy Monday! Skipping is definitely necessary I’d say.
I had a weekend trip to Nashville to visit my brother that involved lots of good food and some shopping! Speaking of my brother, the best thing I’ve learned in a race is to run at my own training pace and not to try to keep up with him, because I will be worn out in 2 miles!
Glad you had a great weekend despite a race that didn’t turn out quite like you wished. The truth is no matter how well training is going or how strong you are those races are sometimes just going to happen. One important thing I have learned is not to let it get to your head and be able to move on. You have to believe you are a great runner and WILL meet your goals. Doubt is one of your worst enemies. You are a strong runner, work hard, and have a great support system, I am sure you will do great in your marathon!
Nice meeting you briefly at brunch. Sorry we didn’t get to talk more.
oh yeah, running the day after a race is always somewhat of a disaster. You may not feel sore, but your legs are like nooooooooooo! That looks like a super fun weekend!
you look amazing! I wish I could have been at the race, but I was also in NC for a wedding. See you tomorrow!
I can attest to Dori’s awesome Inten-Sati class! It was tons of fun.
I had too many awesome things happen this weekend (check blog recap! … shameless plug), but I loved “meeting” you, Dori, and Megan from Runner’s Kitchen at different parts of the weekend. Hooray for blog friends!
After really messing up my ankle at my last race, I definitely learned the importance of warming up and stretching – especially on a chilly morning!
In my last marathon I learned that fighting through the walls is half the battle. I started out wayy to fast and almost quit at the half marathon point. But somehow I got it together and finished strong. I was sooo proud of finishing, regardless of my time (which was pretty good!) because I knew I had battled a lot during the race 🙂
I learned the importance of paying attention to race start times so I dont miss races and then wander around central park crying like a crack head…
This weekend I had a good friend make her first visit to my new apartment! And than yesterday my boyfriend and I went into Manhattan to run errands and eventually ended up having udon and tempura (a first for me!). It was so nice and relaxing! Oh! The idea of baking sounds great!! I just need it to cool down since my apartment does not have AC!! But if it stays cool- a friend gave me icing tint colors so I will need to bake!
Awesome weekend!! My favorite from this weekend? A tie – running 7 miles in the rain on Saturday (badass!) and seeing my cutie-pie 8-month old niece on Sunday. love her so much!!
I got to spend time with my mom.. we went shopping and were offered free mini makeovers at the Lancome make=up counter. It was a lot of fun and I so value all the time I get to spend with my mother! 🙂
I also made some delicious blueberry muffins! 🙂
Best thing I ever learned from a race (I haven’t done many) is not to start out too fast. I get caught up in the energy at a race a lot and want to go out really fast, then have trouble keeping up later on. I’ve been working on it!
I spent the weekend helping my best friend with wedding and moving stuff. She gets married in less than three weeks!!
My weekend entailed returning from a 7-day cruise in the Bahamas. I would kind of rather still be in the Bahamas…boo.
You’ll love Charlotte! Charlotte is only about an hour away from me here in Columbia, SC so I get up there from time to time. It’s a wonderful city; full of great food, great bars, a scenic downtown and plenty of fabulous shopping.
Wowsers, great weekend!
Cheers
the best thing i did this weekend was take a bolt bus to new york and spend the weekend with ali on the run. fact. don’t be surprised if i show up on your doorstep tomorrow for more UES fun. and 11pm is not lame, it’s cool, very very cool.
T minus 81 hours and counting! So excited for you to get down here!!!!
Weekend highlights: riding my bike both Sat and Sunday, also, lounging by the pool Sunday afternoon.
See you so soon!!
This really was a “best weekend ever” weekend. Coming back to the boring ‘burbs was pretty tough. I didn’t want the fun to end. I need to return ASAP. I didn’t even eat any 16 Handles. It seems criminal. Also, the boy I met lives on your block. Weird, but true.
not getting 16 handles was criminal. let’s go back now, I could totally go for some self-serve fro-yo with a mountain of decadent toppings.
My biggest lesson I’ve learned is not to start off with a sprint and weaving to get around people. I did that at my very first race, it was a 5K, and I had a tough time when it came to miles 2 and 3!
My weekend was awesome too. My BeFitNYC.org IntenSati class was a huge success! That was the best part.