runningandthecity

We are close to Spring guys, really, I don’t see or feel it but many of my friends are posting countdowns on facebook every day, so it must be a thing.

Yesterday, March 1st, snowed quite a bit in NYC. This was me:

The shock of still getting snow in March, went back fast to the three month long winter disaffection:

Well.

We’re close to the end of this CRAP weather. Apparently. Who knows. They say there’s more snow tomorrow/this week/next weekend/til the end of times. It might just never stop snowing anymore. I have no idea.

What I DO know is that, somehow, I did FANTASTIC in the worst winter we (I) had. Last year, I sat it out and just whined through it. This time around, I attacked. It’s cold: I am running. It’s colder: I am running more or harder. It’s ridiculously cold: I am doing speedwork you @_#$($#%)$*(@) winter!!!!! Best training method ever, I swear.

Like this day last week, CHECK this out:

It was 3 degrees, feels like of MINUS FREAKING FIVE (-16 and -20 in celsius) and we did 8x400s and strides. That sounds insane right? Well, yes, it was. NY1 (our local news channel if you’re not in NYC!) was there to show how crazy some people are to be out there… that’s us (I am the orange ball of fire with a black vest)

But that’s when you HAVE TO go out (then you can cry the rest of the day). I have to say, I didn’t feel particularly awful. Anything under 25 feels horrendous for me, whether is 20, or 10 or -10, it all just sucks. WHATEVER.

But IT GOT DONE. I am quite proud of my last three months. Here’s a recap of 2015, so far.

January

Was a great month. I was mostly trying to decide if I could run through the Winter. Every day, every cold day, I was testing the water and seeing how many more days I would keep running. Last year I gave up quite early and I was determined to push through. I did. I did 103 miles, I did a few interval sessions and a few long runs (does 9 or 12 miles count?). Even though I am not the resolution type, little by little I discovered weekly goals that worked for me:

• at least 25 miles a week,
• at least one speed session per week and
• at least one session of plyometrics a week.

So far, so good. I am so happy that I was able to push through this (ROUGH) winter. Total Miles: 103.

February

February was the turnaround of the last (almost) two years of lulling around. I did 110 miles. I did speedwork every week, and I did my drills every week. I did 800s and 400s as well as a few hard tempos. I did race a 4 Miler that was a hot mess:  I didn’t dress properly and was overheating and I really had no intention to push. A complete real hot mess. But oh well. There’s no 100% perfect month, right? The best thing: I gave up on my guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon and committed to a Half PR, there I said it, in 2015. It’ll happen in the fall, but the training has started and NYC Half and Brooklyn will be first. It needs to get done. 1:37:35, you’re going down. Total Miles: 110.

March

With one day in… y it started like a lion, snow and all! A good 5K followed by 5.5 miles after quite comfortably. Here’s to not stopping for anything this year.