The Jon Stewart Run

So I ate an incredible amount of food at Colleen and Jay's vegan brunch yesterday. It was OOC(out of control). I had already run 7 speedy miles the day before with Casi, but I just felt that a "food guilt run" was in order last night. So around 5pm I decided to drive to the boardwalk in Long Branch and run 4 miles.

One mile in and I am huffing and puffing. I am donning my headphones, my beyond- masculine Trifosi sunglasses and my black running hat. I am not looking too pretty, but running isn't a pretty sport.

I am very observant by nature, always looking at the people around me. So I am running past Le Avenue and Serena(or whatever those restaurants are on the boardwalk) and who do I lock eyes with but my favorite guy on tv - JON STEWART!!!

Now remember I had on sunglasses, so he may not realize(or admit) that there was a connection...that we both held our gaze.....that we were, at that moment.....locked on one another..... but I felt it and I will never back down on my version of what went down.

So instead of being a complete stalker and turning around maybe a 1/4 mile down the boards and heading back  to see him and lock eyes once again, I continued to run(super fast by the way) down to the end of the boardwalk and then back to the where we met. But alas, he was GONE.

Several of my friends have seen him around my hometown and in the surrounding areas, so there is a possibility that I could see him again(preferably with my hair down and done, and maybe some lipstick on). Until then, this is the only view I was able to take a picture of last night on the boards. No pic of Jon and I, but there's always tomorrow!

Asbury Park Half Marathon

This year's AP half was an "uneventful event" for me. I didn't get to see my running pals before or after the race for some pre and post race pics, which bites. I told my husband and son to stay home b/c my son is just getting over being sick and I thought rest was best. So I had no family to cheer me on throughout the course. Pity party, pity party!

The "expo" in Convention Hall wasn't all that great. I was a bit dizzy after the race and just needed FOOD, and I get in the expo only to find Jersey Mike's subs, water and gatorade. Thanks Jersey Mike's for donating subs, that is awesome, but for a vegetarian like me, a turkey sub isn't gonna make the cut! Where are the bagels? Apples? Bananas?

Like I said, I was a bit dizzy and my eyes couldn't adjust to the lighting(or lack thereof) in the expo after running with the sun in my face for over 2 hours, but I didn't see any food but the subs. And the woman who checks for your yellow wristband before entering the expo(without it you need to pay $10 to get in) was NOT HAPPY when I said I left my wristband in the car. Hello lady! Can't you see I just ran this race? I am wearing my race bib and Tilly medal and I have encrusted sweat all over my face and neck and I don't smell too pretty....now just let me in the expo before I pass out!

I grabbed a water, looked around at the vendor tables for a freebie granola bar/cereal bar/energy bar -SOMETHING-but to no avail.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I got to the race at 8:13...it started at 8:30. YIKES I AM NEVER THIS LATE TO A RACE! I ran to the bathroom line, somehow got in and out and to the back of the pack for the start with a minute to spare.

I parked in front of Asbury Lanes, which is looking pretty sad from the outside.

                                                           Here I am after the race!

Here's my bib and medal. Kinda hard to take a pic of yourself!

Overall the weather was AWESOME for running and I somehow clocked in at an average pace of

9 minute 43 second miles, finishing the race in 2 hours, 6 min and 49 seconds according to my Garmin.

I seriously have no idea how I ran that fast(this is fast for me, the fastest half I have ever done). I didn't train this fast, I didn't get to this race telling myself I was going to kick butt, and I didn't do anything different before the race. I ate my Luigi's pizza the night before and had my Luna bar on race morning, just like I always do. Well I am NOT complaining, I am just shocked that I cut 5 minutes off my best race time, which was last year's AP Half.

Thanks to Casi for keeping me running every weekend. She ran this race with her son, which makes me teary-eyed. That's so cool, I can't wait to do that with my guy one day! It was so cool to see my other racing pals on the course and screaming and waving at each other, and to see my friends' families at different points of the race cheering and taking pics.

Now to focus on the Long Branch half which is like 2 weeks away, and then.....PHILLY FULL!

Running in the HEAT

So it was only 75 degrees according to my car's thermostat, although the bank on the way home said 79. I wanted to get 3-4 miles in, just maintence before the half this weekend. By mile 2.5 my head started to throb. Just a little, but still, it was there, that throb in the forehead that I became all too familiar with in all my summer runs last year(and the year before that...).
I am not sure why this happens(I mean besides the obvious - it's HOT out there and I am exercising in it) and I wish I knew if other runners get the "throb" and what they do about it.
I looked in the mirror about 25 minutes after the run and my face was beet red! My face normally gets a bit red after a long run, but nothing like this.
Yes I drank my water before, during and after the run, and I even had 3 sports beans mid-way(just because, not like I really needed them in the middle of a 4 mile run) and still the throb found it's way to my forehead.
I feel fine now, hours later, and it didn't become a headache, soooo, does this ever happen to any of you? And what do you do about it?
With the Asbury Park half quickly approaching, and the Long Branch half two weeks later, I am a bit scared of what the weather could entail during these races.  This should be interesting!

Running Faster, and Without Headphones

So lately I have been running without my headphones(I brought my music out with me on EVERY run, and that was just the way it was) and I've been trying to increase my speed. The trees are in full bloom around here and taking in the sights and sounds around me just seemed like a good idea. I've realized, though, that the music does help me go longer.  With the music I can get in that extra mile, but without it, I am spent.

I read a great book(over 500 pages - now that's a feat in itself for me!) and I thought about it during two of my last runs. The Art of Fielding is the book by the way, and it was great. Two of the main characters are really into baseball(they play college ball) and it's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle for them. It consumes them, and literally makes them who they are, changes their personality, or better yet, ingrains their personality traits even more into their brains, even the traits they may wish they didn't have.

Anyway, these two characters take practice to a whole new level, and everytime I wanted to run slower or for less time, I would tell myself, "Shwartz and Henry wouldn't just give up! Keep running, and go faster...because you know they would go til they puked, and you are nowhere near puking right now!" and that would be my reminder to myself that I could go on, I wasn't at the end. Funny how I've made these "characters" into real people, as though they are somehow a part of my life.

I have taken off a couple seconds from each mile, which is nice, and today's 9 miles didn't seem to "fatigue" me like it usually does...so that's a good sign as well.

Getting back to my book, there's an excerpt that I can't get out of my head, so I figured I would share it with all of you:
You told me once that a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love. And you did that with more dedication than most, that work of building a soul - not for your own benefit but for the benefit of those who knew you.

I like that. I think someone needs to say that about me someday.  :) Happy running! Hope to see some of you at the Asbury Park marathon this coming weekend. I will be doing 13.1 miles, and I can't wait!