As a New Yorker, it is an unspoken rule to ignore celebrities and not get excited when they are spotted. We don’t have time for that, obviously, and God forbid we act like tourists (worse would only be stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to stare up at buildings or at a map, riding the horse and carriage in Central Park or wearing some sort of fanny pack).
But there are still a few people that leave you muttering “holy SHIT” when you see them, like when Paul McCartney walks into your running store (with his wife) for some new shoes. PAUL MCCARTNEY? I MEAN… It was ridiculous, and over the course of a few minutes I learned Sir Paul usually runs on the treadmill for 20 minutes or so, likes a black shoe and has a wide foot. He ended up leaving empty-handed as his wife was a little ornery (and too skinny, but anyways…), but it was an exciting couple of minutes in which I tried my best to not pee myself pretend he was a normal person and not a living legend.
So that kind of made my week, along with “officially” graduating from the NYU Dietetic Internship on Friday and putting in some solid training miles. Let’s talk about those miles…
Monday – rest, 50 minutes yoga & stretching
Tuesday – 10.25 miles, 3 @ tempo pace
I thought the tempo miles would be a piece of cake, but they turned out to be another reminder that I’m still getting back into workouts after a little injury setback.
Wednesday – 8 miles, easy
Thursday – 7.5 miles easy, 5 x 30 second strides
Betsy and I met up for an easy run, and had so much to chat about and catch up on I barely remember the route we ran the miles flew by so quickly. After we parted ways I did a few strides, which helped get some of the junk left in the legs out from Tuesday’s workout.
Friday – 15 miles + crazy Coach John workout
Coach John thinks I may be a bit “stale” (like a donut?), so he gave me a workout to do during my long run that he called “mid-late run surges” and read like a really weird math problem:
- from 6 miles on: 1, 3, 5, 1, 7, 3, 1
- 1 minute rest after the 1 minute pick-ups, 2 minutes rest after 3, 5 and 7 minute pick-ups
- 1 & 3 minutes @ between 10K-HM pace (85-90% effort)
- 5 & 7 minutes @ between HM-Marathon pace (75-80% effort)
I’m going to have to get you to write that one down…
and hooray for finally getting my Philly Marathon shirt in the mail!
I did the run on Friday since I have a little more time in the mornings compared to Saturday and Sundays, and looped around the bridle to the West Side Highway for the repeats. I was flying downtown and past Chelsea Piers, hitting the pick-ups, and thinking how awesome the workout was going. Then came the turnaround point and an insanely cold, ridiculous headwind all the way back up to the park. I tried not to focus on the fact that I couldn’t feel my face and finish the workout, but it was pretty hard and I was happy to get back to the bridle path and finish the run with a few easy miles.
Saturday – 6 miles super easy
Sunday – 8 miles, 4 x 30 second strides
Started at about 6:00 a.m. in order to get some studying in before work, and had the park mostly to myself. The rain had just ended and the sun was coming out, and it was just a perfect morning for a run. The birds chirping happily in CP reminded me that spring is just around the corner (well, here’s hoping)!
Total: 55 miles
Question: Any exciting celebrity sightings? Matt Damon filmed a movie down the street from me a few years ago, which was pretty cool too. Ever do a workout like mine during a long run?
