Category Archives: 2015 NYC Marathon

Sunday Snaps #5 – Summer Streets

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IMG_3496.JPGIf you’re in New York in August, Summer Streets is a must-do. For three consecutive Saturdays in August, almost 7 miles of streets are open for people to run, bike, in-line skate, walk, and just enjoy. The route starts on 72nd Street and Park Avenue and heads south to the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. There are a lot of activities and even water stops along the way. My favorite stretch of Summer Streets is on Park Avenue South north of Union Square and south of Grand Central. The streets are wide and the restaurants with outdoor seating have the best people watching views.

IMG_3495.JPGOur marathon team has enjoyed Summer Streets each of the 4 years I’ve been on the team. I have memories of getting sick from the heat on my first Summer Streets but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it each year since. Yesterday, we kicked off our long run through Summer Streets with a run through Central Park’s lower loop then starting at 72nd Street all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge and back up. We ran over 14 miles yesterday on what was a glorious day with less humid weather in NYC. This was one of my favorite long runs in a while.

IMG_3489.JPGOn our way back, we stopped to Instagram for free juice. While out for a run on Saturday mornings, post a picture to Instagram, tag #juicepress and #willrunforjuice, and stop into one of the Juice Press locations to receive a free juice. In case you were wondering, I picked watermelon juice. It is incredibly refreshing after a run!

Thank you NYC for a wonderful run and summer weekend! Enjoy some of the pictures from our long run – most photos below are credited to my teammate, Tovy.

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Now it’s your turn – share with me your favorite running moment from the weekend!

My NYC Marathon plans

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IMG_3438.JPGIt’s a little over 111 days until the NYC Marathon and I’m finally going to tell you about my plans for the race. Coming off of the disappointing London Marathon, I wasn’t ready to go full force back into fall marathon training even though I had entries to both Berlin and NYC. As soon as I knew I was running London this year, I knew I was going to defer my Berlin entry since it didn’t make a lot of financial sense for us to travel to Europe twice in one year. However, I didn’t want to miss NYC but I didn’t really want to train for it either. I’m not ready mentally for another excruciating training cycle with the pressures of the race looming over me. I need this time to remember why I love running.

IMG_3413.JPGI knew though I wanted to stay involved with Athletes to End Alzheimer’s (ATEA) and couldn’t imagine a NYC Marathon season without the group. I also have interest in coaching (my RRCA coaching certification class is in two weekends) so I volunteered to help Coach Ali and Brian with the team. The team is so special to me and I’m excited help everyone focus on their training for 26.2 instead of my own. Also, my cousin, Derek is training for his first marathon with the team, so please help me support him and the Alzheimer’s Association.

IMG_3412.JPGI still very much want to run the NYC Marathon in November, but without the pressure. I really enjoy this time where I’m helping with the team and getting my runs in either with the group or on my time. My personal goal for this year’s NYC Marathon is to be in good enough shape to run the race, but not necessarily race the race. I want to proudly support the purple singlet without the pressure of a time goal. I’ll reevaluate my fitness level as it gets closer to November 1st but I am planning on being in Staten Island with the team for the start, support all the runners, and soak in the excitement.

IMG_3416.JPGSince the beginning of June, I’ve kept up on my runs and cross training. I join the team on Tuesday, Thursday, and the weekend runs when I can. I run Tuesday morning speed workouts with GCTri and run my own easy runs the other days. I typically run my weekend long runs with ATEA while helping Brian and Ali. Yesterday, I led my first long run and it was a blast. No one got lost, so that was a plus! I am really looking forward to sharing my training experience with the ATEA team this season.

IMG_3418.JPGLast night, we finally watched Still Alice and it was heartbreaking to watch Julianne Moore’s Alzheimer’s disease progress. It brought back many memories of my grandmother and is a reminder of why Athletes to End Alzheimer’s and the Alzheimer’s Association will always have a special place in my heart. I am proud to be a part of this great organization, team, and look forward to an incredible 2015 NYC Marathon season with the group.

If you’re interested in supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, you can help Derek in his fundraising. We appreciate the support for my grandmother (his aunt), to help find a cure for this horrible disease, to support the services for those suffering from the disease, and to help raise awareness.