Swan Squawking

Spoiler alert: My review of "Brittany Runs a Marathon"

So last month, I was invited to see a free preview of Brittany Runs a Marathon, a movie I had high expectations for. The people behind the movie reached out to runners, bloggers, and social media influencers to get the word out. I had a lot of thoughts about the movie, but I wanted to wait to squawk about it until the film came out, as talking about what I thought will involve spoilers. I would give it 3 stars for this feel-good film and would highly recommend Brittany Runs a Marathon. But I did have a few issues with it. 

Anyhow, without further ado, here are my thoughts of the film. Again, please stop reading if you are worried about hearing spoilers regarding the movie!

What I liked about the movie:

• That they showed what it's like to start running when you have never done it before. Those scenes rang true, like going to a running club event and being in the back of the pack, not sure if you are going to finish. Her relationship with Seth, a fellow new runner, was great. They also showed that it takes time to get to progress. 
• I also liked that Brittany had actual worries about how to pay for her running habit and a gym membership. That helped set up one of the more interesting parts of the movie -- her housesitting job where she meets Jem, her love interest in the film. 
• Several scenes really rang true to me with her weight loss journey. Like when she goes to the fast food restaurant and spots Catherine seeing her from outside, or when she dug into trash for the cheese fries after throwing them out.
• I liked when she told her annoying roommate off and stood up for herself. I also liked that this film had a very diverse cast.
• Seeing scenes from a marathon I ran -- the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon -- was exciting. 
• Catherine, the snooty neighbor who turns out to be a good friend, was a good character and had more depth than I expected.
• I liked part of the fact that Brittany wasn't really likeable a lot of the time. I found her fake accent annoying, not funny. I could relate to how upset she was when she got injured and didn't do the race. I was expecting that they would have her hobble across the finish line, and I thought it was good they didn't. And while she went way too far when yelling at the fat woman with the handsome husband when she was visiting her sister and brother-in-law, I could understand how she felt.
• Most importantly, the movie really shows the power of running, and how it can change lives. I am living proof of that.

What I didn't like about the movie:

• My biggest issue with the film is that while her goal is to run a marathon, this is more of a movie about running than it is about the marathon. Especially the NYC Marathon. They didn't really show long runs, or gels, or what it takes to get from half-marathon distance to doing the full race. I thought that was a missed opportunity. They just went from "Brittany gets injured and is upset" to one year later where she is doing the marathon.
• The race itself seemed so rushed. She had no self-doubt or feelings of exhaustion or overexcitement or much of anything until like Mile 22 or so? I just did not find that realistic. As somebody who has run 8 marathons, I can say you have all of those emotions, but we didn't really see that.
• And when she did feel hurt in the race, the way she talked to the volunteer -- in complete sentences and everything -- just came across as not real to me. My hip was bothering me during last year's NYC Marathon, and my best friend Squawker Jon walked with me for a while. I was not talking coherently, that's for sure. 
• Brittany also doesn't see any friends during the race until after that point in the race? Wait, what? Weren't they on First Ave or even in Brooklyn? I don't have a huge social circle but I even had friends in multiple areas during the marathon.  
• And geez, where the heck was the medal scene? How do you not show what getting that was like? 
• I get that for dramatic reasons, they would need to have the lottery drawing in June, not February, but you would think that they could have explained 9+1 as a way to get in.
• Also, other than the actual marathon bib, the race bibs were not the right size. Way too big.
• The scene that bothered me the most was the terrible way Brittany treated Catherine after she gave her the check to cover the fundraising goal. Not only was she positively awful, but it didn't make dramatic sense. You've been running with and hanging out with this person for many months, and you accuse her of pitying you? C'mon now. I could see her feeling overwhelmed over it, as if she owes her friend something she couldn't repay, but the pity thing makes no sense at that point. 

I still recommend the movie, despite these flaws. I was worried that there wouldn't be room in the media space for my own marathon journey. But I still think there is a spot for Mario, the Marathon, and Me, my own story!

My next adventure -- the Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon! Here's how to join me there!

Big news. After running the NYC Marathon in November (and writing on it in Subway Squawkers!) I have decided on my second marathon. It will also be my first marathon after turning 50 this year, and it's kind of a cool way to celebrate this milestone birthday (although my b-day is February 28.) I am running the Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon on Sunday, April 30. The race starts at Monmouth Park, ends in Long Branch, and the course covers many cool parts of the Jersey Shore. I will be writing online at Subway Squawkers about my training, and will have a longer post later this week about that. But in the meantime, I just wanted to share that I was running the race, and also share a discount code for my readers to join me down the shore. My readers and friends can get $5 off the marathon, half marathon, half marathon relay, wheelchair marathon, or wheelchair half marathon, courtesy of the race directors. Simply go to http://www.thenewjerseymarathon.com and enter this promo code: 17njmSubSquawkers -- hope to see you there!

Getting ready to run the Staten Island Half -- and conquer some demons

A year ago last weekend, I ran my second half marathon, the Staten Island Half. And my memories of that day are bittersweet, at best. So I'm hoping to erase some of those memories with my running the Staten Island Half again this year.

I had really high expectations for last year's race, after running my first half marathon six months earlier. With my first half, I was just happy to finish. For this one, I had wanted to complete in under three hours. And because the race ended in Richmond County Ballpark, I thought that this would be how the Brooklyn Half was, which I had volunteered at earlier this year. That race has a very cool post-race festival with food and drinks and music and fun afterwards. 

Also, because of the half marathon being on my home turf, so to speak, I thought I would see a slew of people I knew afterwards. And in particular, one person had promised to be there for me at the finish line.

Nothing turned out as planned that day. I got injured during the race -- my right hip and hamstring gave me severe pain -- and I ended up being sidelined for several months afterwards because of this, even having to go to a sports medicine specialist. Because of the injury, I staggered through the last few miles, and missed my 3 hour goal by 49 seconds. The Staten Island Half also had a bunch of the mile marker signs out of commission, which threw me off my game. (This was back before I had a Garmin watch.) And they ran out of energy gels and even water before the end. The ballpark was a ghost town by the time I finished, with the only familiar face there Squawker Jon. Also, the person who was supposed to be there for me afterwards wasn't able to be there. 

More importantly, getting hurt, and not living up to the goal I set for myself, really crushed me. I was feeling very sorry for myself afterwards. Until that day, as slow and fat as I was, I had always been successful in reaching whatever milestone or goal I wanted to hit with running. That day, I didn't. Plus I got hurt during the race, which had never happened before. Being in the medical tent after the race wasn't exactly fun. And I wasn't able to run for the next two months, which really upset me. I ended up having to walk, not run, the fall races I signed up for, and that bored me to tears.

As bad as I felt afterwards, though, that day taught me some lessons. One was to work on strength training, which I had neglected to do, and which caused me hip and hamstring problems. Since I started doing such training twice a week, I have been stronger physically, and those issues have mostly been alleviated. (I still have pain in my right periformis muscle, but only when sitting, not running.) I learned I couldn't take my health for granted.

It also toughened me up more mentally, something that I've had to work on for the marathon. It reminded me that I had to avoid situations which would inevitably disappoint me, and instead keep focused on my goal. Also, I know that I can run fine when I'm angry, but sadness totally gets me down, and I have to avoid being down in that way.

This year, I have high hopes for my Staten Island Half performance, especially since it's a preliminary test for the upcoming NYC Marathon. Here's hoping I have a much more fruitful race than last October!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marathon update: Things just got real

It's now only eight weeks until I run the TCS New York City Marathon. After the last few weeks of training, I'm confident I can, to paraphrase the late Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy, finish the damn thing. But will I be done before the sweeper vehicles show up? Will the roads still be open? Will it be nightfall when I finish? Will there still even be spectators around by the time I'm running? Those are some of the big questions I worry about.

I expect to be in the last wave of the marathon and in the last corral, which means I will probably start running close to 11 a.m. or so. Sunset that day is 4:47 p.m. And according to the marathon's rules:

Sweep buses will follow the marathon route at a 6 1/2-hour marathon pace, roughly 15 minutes per mile, after the final wave start. These buses will transport any entrant who wishes to drop out to the post-finish area.

After the sweep buses pass by, the city streets will reopen to traffic. Cross-street protection, medical assistance, aid stations, and other services will no longer be available. Runners on the course should move onto the sidewalks. The official end time of the race is 7:30 p.m.

Yikes! It looks like I will be running in the dark, which I need to mentally prepare for. And six and a half hours for the race closing up shop is much quicker than I had thought! I was thinking I would have eight hours. When I hit 20 miles for the first time in my life two weeks ago, I ran that in 5:58:04, a 17:54 per mile pace. According to McMillan Running's calculator, that pace over a full marathon would be just under eight hours. 

My running coach has emphasized over and over that I need to worry now about hitting the miles, not the speed. And that the speed will come with time. But nobody wants to run the marathon on the sidewalk, with everybody gone and no water.  

Fortunately, my speed is starting to improve. Last week, I also ran 20 miles, this time in 5:29:15 (16:28 per mile) -- an improvement. I also got a PR in the four-mile Celic Run last Saturday, and then a PR in my running club's weekly fun run yesterday.

This week, my coach wanted me to run at least 21 miles. I was also hoping that my speed would continue to get better.

And as the marathon date edges closer, I cannot take the chance that anything can screw up this day. I also don't want to take any unnecessary risks, for fear of getting hurt. I'm paranoid every time I see a dog that is going too far on their leash, that he could get loose and bite me. Or that I'll accidentally collide into somebody and get hurt.

In addition to making sure I'm in tip-top physical condition, I also need to be strong mentally as well, and I can't let unpleasant things distract me. I can't run well when I'm sad. Two years ago, just before I was driving to Asbury Park for a 5K, I read an extremely nasty, personal email from a Subway Squawkers reader who was irate that I criticized Derek Jeter's retirement tour. This guy denigrated my weight and looks in very disgusting terms. The email really shook me and threw me off my game. I had a terrible race that day because I was so upset to get such a hateful email simply for having a differing opinion. 

So I've had to recently make some hard choices to keep me tough mentally, and guard against anything messing with my day. I've never faced a challenge in my life as daunting as this race, and I'm not going to let anything screw it up. I owe it to myself to do the best I can.

On that note, I had two private goals in mind when I set out to do my long run today: to do a better per-mile time than I did last week, and to run 22 miles, a little shorter than the 23 miles I will hit at the peak of my training -- my longest distance before the marathon. I decided to run from my house to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and back, along Staten Island' east shore, by the local beaches.

After a slow first mile this morning, I noticed that I felt pretty strong, and was moving faster. I'm getting used to the long runs now, which amazes me, given that July 31 of this year was the first time I ever ran more than 13.1 miles at a time. 

I generally do a lot of thinking when running, especially during long runs. Today I thought a lot about two things on the run: today being the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and my father, who died nine years ago this weekend. I will write about my thoughts of 9/11 in my Subway Squawkers blog, But here are a few words about my father.

My dad was a real character -- good at talking to anybody! One of the best ways I can describe him as to point out that Joe DiMaggio gave him an autograph. Let me explain. DiMaggio was notorious for being prickly when it came to signing autographs. Even some Yankees at Old Timers' Days were reportedly unable to get him to sign for him. In the 1990s, my parents were in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport from visiting my brother, and my mother spotted Joltin' Joe. My father went up to him, talked about seeing him play in a game in the 1930s, and shared the memory. Then my dad walked away. DiMaggio called him back and offered the autograph!

My father wasn't manipulative or anything; he was just good at talking to people and making a connection. He was the polar opposite of my mother, who is private and introverted.

Depending upon the situation, I can be either way. But I find myself channeling my dad more and more when running. Like talking people at businesses to let me use their bathroom during long runs, or getting them to give me water for my water bottle. I had to do the latter several times today.

I also remember the challenges my dad faced in life. He grew up in the Great Depression and left his New Jersey home as a teenager to be a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Then he served in the Pacific in World War II as a paratrooper. The very first time he was in an airplane, he jumped out of it! 

He became a police officer relatively late -- at age 33. My dad served 17 years as a patrolman before finally becoming a sergeant. That must have been really hard as well, especially raising four children on a patrolman's salary. But he kept at and eventually became a police captain.

My dad met, and then married my mom, shortly after becoming a cop. And in November 1955, just 10 months after getting married, they had a baby, my sister Marjorie. Unfortunately, she had a heart condition and died just 12 days later. Imagine at the time you're getting your nursery together, planning a funeral instead. My mom was only 23 then. Neither of my parents ever talked about it much, but it must have been devastating. (And me nearly dying when I was 6 from encephalitis must have been tough to deal with as well.)

So remembering what courage my father showed in life has inspired me when things seem rough. He had much tougher things to deal with than I did, but he got through them and built a great life. 

Anyhow, I powered through the run today and felt pretty good for most of the race. My stomach didn't have a great reaction at Mile 18 to a diet Powerade I drank, but I didn't quit. And when I reached 20 miles, I was excited to see that my time was 5:03:48 -- almost 26 minutes better than last week and 55 minutes better than two weeks ago! Even Mile 21 was pretty good.

The last mile was terrible, though. I had to will myself to finish it, and found myself giving a pep talk out loud to get it done. I couldn't have run a second more after the 22 miles. My final time: 5:35:42, putting me at a 15:15 per mile pace. That's much closer to where I want to be on November 6 than I could have hoped for!

After I finished, I went to Starbucks, had a peach lemonade, and tried to relax. (See photo at right.) I was a little out of it, though. When I left the cafe, a man tried to talk me up about my France 8K shirt, and was asking me all sorts of questions about that course. I talked to him for a bit, but I finally had to end the conversation. It was too many questions, and my head was spinning! I was like, "Look, I just ran 22 miles. This is too much thinking for me now!"

Tomorrow is a rest day, and then it's time for next week's adventure.  

Can I run 20 miles in one day? Without music? Talk about a tough task!

As many of you know, I'm running the NYC Marathon 10 weeks from today. Pretty daunting task for somebody who looked like this three years ago (r.), and even like this (below left) just one year ago. I may be within striking distance of my goal weight, as you can see in the below right photo, but this marathon stuff is a little scary! Especially for somebody who is still a rube when it comes to the running world!

Anyhow, my running coach has given me a schedule to follow for literally every single day from May to November, from heavy mileage to speed work to rest days. Each week, I have to do a long run as per the marathon training. I just ran 17 miles last Sunday for the first time in my life. Heck, I never ran more than 13.1 miles (the distance in a half marathon) until a month ago! I never ran over 40 miles in my life until this week. So the numbers are getting bigger and more and more frightening. I will need to hit 23 (!) miles in early October before tapering before the marathon.

Anyhow, I was supposed to do 18 miles today.  But I had signed up for the New York Flyers' 20-Mile Three Bridges Training Run, so I figured I'd get my money's worth  ($20 for the race) and do the whole thing. (And yes, I discussed this with my coach beforehand!) The route covered part of the marathon course, including both the Pulaski Bridge and the 59th Street Bridge. And it would be a good test for me. While this wasn't a formal race, no streets would be closed, and I would be running on the sidewalk, it would still give me a taste of the marathon.

So I was supposed to be at Columbus Circle at Jackrabbit Sports at 6:20 a.m. today. The slowest starters, the 12-minute-per-mile ones, were starting at 6:30 a.m. Granted, there are two chances I will do that pace when I actually run the marathon -- slim and none! But I thought I might at least have a fighting chance of at least being able to take advantage of the fluid stations for the race.

So much for that. I was exhausted from my day before, which included running and visiting two farmers' markets (Did I mention that marathon training has wiped me out like nothing else I've ever done in my life?) so I didn't stir from the multiple alarms I set until 5:40 a.m. Which meant that I wasn't going to make it to the training run from Staten Island to the Upper West Side on time. After I got on the express bus this morning, I was literally the last person to check my bag and get my bib at Jackrabbit Sports. 

One of the things that running has taught me is to roll with the punches, and to have a Plan B. Not long ago, I would have been totally devastated about missing my starting time, and it would have ruined my day. Now, I calculate the numbers and figure that even if I had woken up at 4ish and been on the 5 a.m. express bus instead of the 6 a.m. one, chances are that I would have missed the fluid stations anyway. At least I had a place to leave my bag at 7:30 a.m. and a map on my phone.

Right after I checked my bag and went to use the restroom before heading out to run, I realized that my iPod was not working; it was out of power. So this meant I would need to use my iPhone if I wanted to hear music. But my phone charger was in the bag I checked. When I went back to Jackrabbit to get it, I saw that the store was locked up. Yikes! This meant a music-free day for me. That's because since I had the course mapped out on my phone, I wanted to make sure the device still had power by the end of my run. Also, if I needed an ambulance at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to reach 911!

Music is extremely important me when running, especially because I'm too slow to run with anybody else (I can name on one hand how many times in my life I've ever run with anybody else and still have multiple fingers!) Heck, I am already planning my marathon playlist. So going sans tunes for this race was going to be tough. I hadn't gone without music for a long race since I ran the Cherry Tree 10-Miler in February (the race I ran in single-degree temperatures where it was so cold, the earbuds wouldn't stay in!) 

I didn't have any choice today, though. Safety first. So I started my run without music, starting in Central Park by myself. I never saw a single person who had signed up for this at any point in the training run! I ran the whole thing myself. When I started, I was supposed to turn at 72nd Street to get to Riverside Park. But I got confused and ended up turning at 79th Street (the 72nd Street turnoff seemed way too soon!) so I ended up adding extra mileage before even really getting going!

But I chalked it up to it being one of those days. I was feeling okay -- I had run by the Hudson River a number of times before, so I knew the course -- until I got to Chelsea Piers. This was an hour in and I had stopped to use the restroom, get some more water, and eat one of those GU gels. The gel gave me an upset stomach, which is a frequent reaction I've been having to these things. (I sill need to figure out the best ways of nourishment before the marathon.)

So by the time I was heading towards lower Manhattan, I was feeling a little weak, with the heat on this sunny morning -- the sun seemed pretty unrelenting all day -- and hungry. Thank goodness for a Wafel and Dinges stand. I stopped and had a San Pellegrino blood orange soda and some of the free Waffles and DInges spekuloos cookies/crackers. That kept me going to the Brooklyn Bridge.

On the route there, I couldn't help but notice how many people are sleeping in the parks overnight these days. From the many people at Columbus Circle, to all of the people still sprawled out in Hudson River Park at 9 a.m., there is a big problem. (And yes, the city has gone downhill since Bill deBlasio took over! I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Mike Bloomberg!) Some of the people in the parks looked young and strung out. Others were older people who were toting their lives' possessions with them. The whole thing was very sobering.

As for the Brooklyn Bridge, I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I've lived in NYC for 16 years now. And I used to drive over that bridge  on the way to the office when I worked at the New York Daily News. But until today, I never ran across the bridge. And, truth be told, I did not do a whole lot of running when crossing today. There were sooooo many tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge, it was hard to move!

A few observations: Selfie sticks are evil and tourists need to learn to TAKE PHOTOS QUICKLY! I will be polite, within reason, but when people spend five minutes blocking foot traffic while they try to take the perfect shot, I want to throw their smartphones in the East River. This is New York. Move quickly, people!

I also noticed that the first half of the bridge, which was a big uphill climb, was much more crowded than the second half. Which made me wonder -- do people only walk halfway across the bridge, and then turn around before reaching Brooklyn? Sheesh.  

After I finally got across the passageway, I ran through some interesting Brooklyn neighborhoods, from DUMBO and VInegar Hill to Williamsburg and Greenpoint. I passed by everything from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to public housing to some really high-end apartment buildings under construction. Some of the route I knew fairly well, like Williamsburg; other parts were literally the first time in my life that I had been in the area! That added to the sense of adventure on my journey. Would I be able to run 20 miles in neighborhoods I didn't know and get to the end without getting lost? That was the question.

I stopped a few times to get a snack or something to drink. This meant my day was even longer, but I don't think I'll have to worry about waiting in line at the bodega at the marathon; water and gels will be provided. I also stopped to use the restroom at the Franklin Guesthouse boutique hotel in Greenpoint. Heck, it looks like an outhouse on their logo! I've learned in my fitness journey that when I need to use a restroom at a fancy place like that (or, for example, like Fushimi, a Japanese restaurant in Bay Ridge) the trick is to stride purposefully and act like I belong there!

Also, over the last few months, I have tried to train my mind to stop the ANTS -- automatic negative thoughts -- that have infested my brain at times when running. Instead, I thought about what I would write in this blog entry, and how excited I was going to be when this journey was complete.

I took a few walk breaks, because the heat was getting to me. Finally, about 14 miles in,  I made it to the Pulaski Bridge, which would get me into Queens. By the way, I'm afraid of heights, which made all of this bridge running a little frightening. But I got through it by focusing on how good I would feel mentally when this was over!

I didn't spend much time in Queens before I was going to have to cross the 59th Street Bridge, aka the Queensboro Bridge, aka the Ed Koch Bridge. And that looked really frightening from the ground! So no, I was not "feeling groovy," to quote the Simon and Garfunkel song, about crossing it. (An aside on the name: why a bridge to an outer borough is named for the most Manhattan-centric mayor we've ever had is beyond me. But I digress!)  

Around this time, my Garmin watch started flashing a low-battery message. And I'm thinking to myself, "If I'm going to finish 20 miles, this better be tracking it so I have proof!" 

I've heard that the 59th Street Bridge is eerily quiet during the marathon, without the crowds. Well, it was really noisy today, with all of the cars! And it seemed to take forever to run across. But it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But I saw the Roosevelt Island tram pass by, and it looked way too scary to take. Maybe one day I won't feel that way.

By the time I crossed this bridge, I had about 16 miles in. So I had to get in another four miles before finishing. I decided to run up 1st Avenue, something I'll be doing during the marathon (this area is known for being a wall of sound during the race, but I just heard the usual city cacophony) and then made it to Central Park to finish up. Before I hit the park, I stopped at a 7-11 for an energy drink and then focused on getting the last few miles done.

Something I noticed: the park has so many pedicabs now. What's up with that? They cost between $3 and $4 a MINUTE! Chances are, you're going to want to see at least 1/2 hour's worth of the park. Maybe a full hour. Do people have that much money to burn these days? I don't get it. 

At this point, I technically could have run 18 miles, because that's all I was initially scheduled for, and called it a day, but I really wanted to get the full 20 miles in. So I was killing time running back and forth in Central Park; I didn't want to run too far north, though, and have to run more than 20.  And my watch was blinking the low battery message over and over, and I wasn't sure what was going to run out of power first: me or my Garmin!

FInally, I muddled through these last few miles, and finished my 20 miles right in front of Jackrabbit Sports and picked up my bag (needless to say, I was the last person to come back for their stuff!) Yes, I actually plodded my slow body through 20 miles! This is the first time in my life I've ever run double digits starting in 2!

Yes, I had to walk some of it. And I'm still painfully slow. (It's no wonder I joke that Slowpoke from Pokemon Go is my spirit animal. Although I think Slowpoke could probably outrun me!)

And even though I used a ton of Body Glide, I still have chafing everywhere. I'm sooooo exhausted and can't wait to get a good night's rest. And I've been eating like a pig since I got home tonight.

But even though I look like death warmed over in my post-race photo on the right, I'm happy, too. I'm happy I set out what I wanted to do. And I'm happy to see that each week, slowly but surely, I'm getting closer to my marathon goal. 

I still need to work on my speed and endurance over the next ten weeks. But Squawker Jon, my blogging partner, said today that while he has had confidence that I would be able to finish the marathon, today was the first day he could really visualize me doing so. 

I still have a lot to do to get ready over the next 10 weeks. But I want to appreciate the journey on the way to my first marathon. Today was a huge step in doing so. 

 

Note to New York Road Runners: You may want to rethink that staggered start thing...

I ran today in the New York Road Runners' City Parks Foundation Run for the Parks 4-mile race with Jon Lewin, aka Squawker Jon, my Subway Squawkers blogging partner. I had a PR for this distance -- 47:28, 11:52 per mile. When I ran this same race last year, I finished it in 53:45 (13: a mile). Two years ago this month, during the very first time I ran this course, I finished in 55:33 (13:53 a mile). I'm still a turtle, but I am making progress! Yay! I really enjoyed the run itself, but not the intro to it.

This was the first race in which NYRR implemented its new staggered start procedure, to alleviate bottlenecks during the start of races. Theoretically, this sounded like it would be a good thing. In practice, though, it was a hot mess, at least for those of us in the back of the pack.

According to NYRR's rules, corrals close 10 minutes before the race. But in previous races, once the opening horn was sounded, you would get moving within a minute or two, keeping you refreshed from your warmup. It would take you five to ten minutes or so to cross the starting line. Today, those of us in the back of the race (Corral L) just stood in the cold and didn't get to move at all for the first 11 minutes. I heard the starting horn blow to release corrals about four to five times, but then it stopped sounding, for some unknown reason. Finally, the mass of people started moving, extremely slowly. And we eventually crossed the starting line, with no starting horn, at 21 minutes and 40 seconds in. Jon was in Corral J and they crossed a few minutes before.

Even though I had done a full warmup before the race, I was standing there doing nothing except freezing my tuchis off for over 20 minutes, and not running for over 30 minutes after my warmup. And for those of us in the back of the pack, there was the same bottleneck of people that there always is, which has actually gotten a little worse since NYRR started with the bib letters for corrals instead of the numbered ones.

It also looks like NYRR has now consolidated in the last corral everybody from 11:30 per mile or so runners to slower runners to walkers going 15, 16, 17 minutes a mile and more (the people who finished in last place today did it in just under 21 1/2 minutes per mile.) That is a pretty huge range of speeds, which doesn't even take into account the faster runners who are running late (no pun intended!) and end up in our group to start the race, because they didn't get to their corral before the race started.

So because of those speed differentials, you have a lot of chaos at the starting line, and beyond, with that variety of speeds for those of us at the back of the pack. While the staggered start procedures for the people at the front of the race may have had a better experience today, crossing the starting line wasn't one bit better for those of us behind them. 

And frankly, the length of time it took for us to get going made me feel like we were second-class citizens, and not as valued as the runners in front. I have to think that if the time waiting around was as long for the faster runners as it was for us, there would be a huge outcry.

Now I'm worried that things will take even longer in future races. The line only started moving today for us after they eschewed the separate starting horns. So Is it going to be 30 or even 40 minutes to cross the starting line next time? If that becomes the norm, I'm not going to jump into the corral until my letter starts moving, and I have to think I won't be the only one doing that. 

NYRR has changed many things for the better over the last year, from the number procedures to even the quality of plastic bags for bag check. This new staggered start procedure isn't an improvement, at least for those of us in the back of the pack. I hope they take all of their members into consideration when evaluating this new policy, not just the fast ones. 

Who will win at the Oscars? My running club's pool may have a clue

As I've said before, I am a persistent runner, but I'm neither a talented nor a fast one. So I will never be a star in my running club. However, I do have pretty a good skill set when it comes to running things like fantasy football leagues, NCAA bracket picks, and the like. And I love the competition!

So when I suggested that we do an Oscar pool, I was able to get other people in my running club on board. We have $130 in the pool ($10 a person), winner take all. The picks in the top 12 Oscar categories break down this way.

I'm very curious to see if this will mirror what actually happens at the Academy Awards tomorrow night. P.S. Oscar night is also my birthday night!

Best Picture
"Spotlight": 5
"The Revenant": 5
"The Big Short": 3


Best Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant": 12
Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish GIrl": 1

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Brie Larson, "Room": 11
Cate Blanchett, "Carol": 2

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sylvester Stallone, "Creed": 7
Christian Bale, "The Big Short": 3
Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies": 2
Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight": 1

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl": 6
Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs": 3
Rooney Mara, "Carol": 2
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight": 1
Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight": 1

Best Directing
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant": 8
Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight": 2
George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road": 2
Adam McKay, "The Big Short": 1

Best Animated Feature Film
"Inside Out": 11
"Anomalisa": 1
"Boy and the World": 1

Best Documentary (Feature)
"Amy": 10
"What Happened, Miss Simone?": 3

Best Foreign Language Film
"Son of Saul": 8
"Mustang": 3
"A War": 1
"Theeb": 1

Best Music (Original Song)
"Til It Happens to You" from "The Hunting Ground": 7
"Earned It" from "Fifty Shades of Grey": 4
"Writing's on the Wall" from "Spectre": 1
"Simple Song #3" from "Youth": 1

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, "The Big Short": 11
Drew Goddard, "The Martian": 1
Emma Donoghue, "Room": 1

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight": 9
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley, "Inside Out": 2
Matt Charman and Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "Bridge of Spies": 1
Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff and S. Leigh Savidge, "Straight Outta Compton": 1

Tiebreaker: Name the movie that will win the most Oscars, and the number of Oscars it will win
"The Revenant": 1 pick for seven wins, 3 for five wins, 1 with unlisted wins
"Mad Max: Fury Road": 1 pick for six wins, 1 for five wins, 2 for four wins
"Spotlight": 2 for four wins
"The Martian": 1 for five wins
"The Big Short": 1 for five wins

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How I was a frozen mess in a 10-mile (!) race, and had to fight off ANTs – but still finished

If I'm actually going to finish the New York Marathon in November in one piece, I have to keep on challenging myself, both mentally and physically. To that end, a few weeks ago I signed up to run the Prospect Park Track Club's Cherry Tree 10-Mile race. In February. Which happened to be on the coldest day in New York City since 1994. (Thats the risk you take when you sign up for a race in February!) How cold is it in New York this weekend? So cold that they cancelled the annual Central Park Ice Festival because of the low temperatures! So cold that Mayor Bill deBlasio warned all New Yorkers to stay indoors. They said it reached -1 in Central Park today. Now that's cold!

So what did I do? I could have bailed this morning –- many people did. But instead I ran three loops around Brooklyn's Prospect Park and finished this race. And I survived, although I was an icy mess – instead of a hot mess – afterwards.  I sweat like Whitney Houston did at a concert whenever I run, and this time, the sweat froze and left big chunks of ice in my hair. No joke. And that's only part of the side effects of this race. (More on the rest in a second.)

As I wrote the other day, the only thing I have resembling a superpower is what my running coach*  calls my "consistent persistence."  I have neither skill nor ability at running or athletics. What I do have is relentlessness.  Remember that scene from "An Officer and a Gentleman, where a beaten-down Richard Gere is all "I ain't gonna quit?" I can definitely relate to that sentiment!

I could have easily quit after one or two loops in the race. In fact, my running coach suggested both those things as an option for me. But I felt that if I were going to be able to go the distance in November, I needed to get the miles in on my legs and test them (this was the longest distance I had run at once since last fall's Staten Island Half-Marathon.) And I also needed to continue to work on my mental toughness by surviving this.

This morning, I dressed accordingly for the cold weather for this event. Two pairs of running pants. Two pairs of socks. Four moisture-wicking shirts. Two pairs of gloves. A woolen hat. A scarf. A buff under my hat and around my neck. All that, and it was still very cold out! My body was mostly okay, but I really needed some sort of ski mask -– technical name is balaclava -- around my face. Because I could feel the cold and the wind pretty badly across my face during the race. Harsh!

To top it all off, I realized very early on that I couldn't listen to music during the race. My ears were so cold that my earphones kept on falling out! Now, this was a HUGE deal for me. Music is what gets me through tough times in running and brings me sheer joy. I have playlists and specific songs to help me push through – everything from David Bowie's "Heroes" to Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams "W.T.F. (Where They From)." I even had a theme song picked for today's race: T.I's "Bring Em Out," a hip-hop song I heard in my spinning class the other day.

I only got to hear about one verse of the song before one earbud fell out. Then the other one.  Oy. And no matter what I did, they wouldn't stay in. So I had to be alone with my thoughts during the race.

And that is a scary place, indeed.

As a world-class brooder and ruminator, I was worried that I would be attacked by ANTs – as in automatic negative thoughts. I am usually able to fight through any negative thoughts when I'm running by putting on motivating music. But what was I going to do without music? How could I distract my brain enough from the cold, without my favorite songs?

Instead, I had to listen to my breath (I realize I sound like a pervert crank caller, with all the heavy breathing I did while running today) and just think about how good it was going to feel when I finished. And how I will have one-upped Squawker Jon. I joked earlier today about how when I completed my race, I was going to call myself the Badass of Subway Squawkers. (Jon is faster than me, but he's never run more than a 10K.) But if I didn't finish, I wouldn't feel right about that! So I had to keep going, and push those ANTs off me.

I was mostly alone during the three loops. I did see my fellow running club member -- Josh right after I started (he was doing a 13-mile long run in the opposite direction on his own today.) And then about three or so miles in, I saw him again. He shouted "Eye of the Tiger" to me, which did motivate me. But it also reminded me that I didn't have my music. (Why I felt the need to tell him that is beyond me. I think I was already getting loopy!)

After the first loop, my coach, who I saw on the sidelines, asked me how I was feeling. I said I wanted to finish – I actually did feel pretty good, physically. I was a little warm, even -- I ended giving him the buffs, which were covered in sweat. (I was going to give him the scarf to hold onto, but he said to keep it on. Smart thinking.)

Now that I knew what to expect in the park, the second loop went by very quickly. But the third loop was a complete nightmare.  When I got to Mile 8 or so, I really wanted to quit. But I couldn't, because by the time I would have reached to the finish line (and my ride), I would have had to complete the distance, anyway. Also, my phone had run out of power at this point, so I had no way to reach out to others where I was, anyway. I just needed to finish.

My face felt much colder in the last lap, and I started seriously worrying about frostbite. (At least that is a plausible ANT!) I kept on touching my face with my gloves to try to keep it warm. Especially my nose. I like my nose, and I don't want it to fall off from frostbite!

The last two miles were a slog – especially the last mile. I had to take a bunch of walk breaks, and keep up the positive self-talk, reminding myself that the race would be over soon. Finally, it was. I finished in under two hours and 15 minutes. It was 2:12:24, to be exact (13:14 a mile). Not my best time, but I'll take it. The point was to finish, and I did that, even with these brutal conditions.

But I felt terrible after the race -– completely exhausted. And cranky. I could sense that I was very loopy mentally for about 30-45 minutes afterwards (that is a guess as to how long, because I was, well, loopy!) I was slurring my words bigtime, sounding like I was on a bender. I was also feeling very weak, and very clumsy, unable to even do simple things like take off my gloves. When I got changed into dry clothes after the race, I was struggling to get out of my sports bra, as I was too weak to undo the clasps! I also noted that my skin was very red.

And I talked to two people on the phone afterwards – Josh and Jon – and I knew I was sounding confused and weird with them. (At least more confused and weird than I normally do, that is!)

Last summer, I saw Josh in the park when he had done an extremely long run, and seemed very loopy. Now I felt the same thing, even though it was about 80 degrees different in temperature!

It turns out that I most likely had a mild case of hypothermia, as my friend Michael suggested might be the case after seeing me (he said he had been through that himself!) When I got home, I looked up the symptoms, which include slurred speech, confused thinking, and clumsiness.  Yep.

Fortunately, when I was stumbling and bumbling after the race, I saw Michael as well as my friend Yolande, from my running club. Thank goodness! Michael got me another hat to wear, while I tried to warm up, and Yolande brought me hot chocolate and a bagel, and got in touch with Gus, my ride. (My phone was out of power at this point, and my charger was in the car.) Then I was able to meet up with Gus and my running coach and head towards home. Gus smartly suggested that I change into the dry, clean clothing I brought (my clothes were soaked in sweat.) And I was feeling much better after using the Dunkin' Donuts bathroom to clean up (even if the stall itself could have used a good cleaning!)

Anyhow, I finally got home after my adventure and felt pretty good after I showered and put my feet up. I was pleased that I was able to survive this challenge. And sorry, Jon, I am the badass of Subway Squawkers. Unless you step it up now!

* Note: My running coach's name is known to everybody in my running club. But since he's anti-Internet, he doesn't want his name anywhere online!  

 

My only superpower, and how it helps me with fitness

As friends in both real life and Facebook know, I have been on a fitness and weight loss journey over the past few years. I am closing in on 70 pounds lost, and I have run over 70 road races since I started focusing on getting fit.

So a bunch of people have asked me what my secret is. There are a variety of things that have gotten me to this point, but the biggest one is what my running coach calls my "consistent persistence." I have basically channeled what at times can be a real character flaw of mine -- my relentlessness -- into a positive.

Put it this way: "Let It Go" is never going to be my theme song. I'm pretty intense in going after what I really want -- something that can be overwhelming at times. Combine that with being a very passionate, intense person, and it's like a superpower of sorts that can be used for good or for evil. I know that this relentlessness can be really annoying to others at times. I know I can be a real pain in the you-know-what. But it can also help me get things done. 

This consistent persistence manifests itself in sticking to my fitness schedule for the first time ever. And it has made me sacrifice short-term fun for my long-term goals.

I'll give you an example of what I mean. Tonight, I went after work to go pick up a race bib -- I'm running a 10-mile race on Sunday in Brooklyn. I had also gone for a cocktail beforehand, and I was relaxed and ready to go home and curl up and watch TV, instead of heading to the gym. I was on the B train, ready to switch to the R train in Brooklyn and then take a bus back to Staten Island, when I thought to myself: "You need to take this train to the gym if you want to reach your fitness and weight loss goals."

Now, missing one day of fitness wouldn't have killed me. But I had already taken a day off on Wednesday. I try to exercise every day, so when life happens, I am okay with missing a day or two a week. But I felt like skipping another day would delay me reaching my goals. Since fitness is a new habit for me, It would be very easy to fall into bad habits again. I felt like I had the proverbial angel and devil on each shoulder advising me, and tonight the angel won out!

So I decided to stay on track, and went to a spinning class, and then did strength training for an hour. When I was just about to finish up, I felt great -- like I was getting one step closer to getting thinner and more fit. Then one of the trainers at my gym started talking to me.

Thanks to a childhood of being a klutz and a terrible athlete, I could feel myself flinching inside when he started talking. "Is he going to tell me I'm doing everything wrong?" I thought. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. He praised me for working so hard, and offered to help me the next time I was at the gym if I wanted to learn different machines. Whew.

I didn't get home until after 10 p.m. tonight, but I felt like I made real progress on my journey. One of the things I've had to learn is that there is no quick fix when it comes to losing weight and getting in shape. It takes gym visit after gym visit, and good meal choice after good meal choice. And each sacrifice I make gets me one step closer to my goals. It's hard to stay focused on dieting and exercise when there is so much still to be done to get to the end of this journey. But I feel like doing the right things will pay off, even when I just wanted to relax tonight. It had better!

In my life: Remembering John Lennon

This December 8 marks the 29th anniversary of John Lennon's senseless murder. And every time this tragic anniversary rolls around, I get sad - and angry - once again.

Even though I was still in grade school when Lennon was assassinated, I was devastated at his death. I was a huge Beatles fan since the fourth grade, when my Catholic school teacher showed us a documentary about the band. I became enchanted by the Beatles after that film, and peppered my mother and my two older brothers with questions about the group. The first album I ever bought was "Abbey Road,"and I acted out the lyrics of "A Day in the Life" for a school project, to the befuddlement of my classmates.

My favorite Beatle was John, of course. I was fascinated with the music, the lyrics, the gutsy solo career choices, and the intelligent, intriguing person behind it. But what also won me over were the glasses.

Earlier that same year, I had found out I would need to wear eyeglasses, something I wasn't crazy about, to put it mildly. But Lennon also had terrible eyesight, and he made those round National Health spectacles the most famous in the world. Although he went sans eyeglasses in the early years, and wore contacts toward the end of his life, so many of the iconic images we remember of Lennon - like the insert to the White  Album - feature him with the glasses. 

I also was fascinated - this was in 1977 - with how one of the most famous men in the world could just seem to disappear from the music scene like that. And how nobody knew at the time what he was up to. It made me want to be a journalist, and to write about him. I vowed one day to interview John and Yoko about what they had been doing during that time. Didn't quite work out that way, but that was my original plan.

Three years later, Lennon had resurfaced, releasing his new album "Double Fantasy" and talking about his househusband years. I loved the new album - even the Yoko tunes - and listened to it a lot. And yes, I was playing it on the evening of December 8, 1980, a few hours before he was killed.

That night, I was sitting in my brother Patrick's room, listening to John's new music and reading an interview with Lennon and Yoko Ono about the album, and about their lives. But what I remember most about that evening was my brother's remark about the album cover art. He noted that the back cover, which showed John and Yoko standing outside the Dakota, was great because it didn't have any big significance behind it. Instead of all the intricate "Sgt. Pepper"-type art, the "Double Fantasy" pic was just a simple shot of John and Yoko.

Of course, just a few hours later, that area depicted in the photo would have a lot more meaning behind it, as both the scene of a crime, and a scene of a shrine.

I missed hearing the news live - I had a ten o'clock bedtime - but my brother heard about Lennon's death via Howard Cosell on the Monday Night Football broadcast. He stayed up all night, listening to Lennon's music.

So did my blogging friend The Omnipotent Q of the Mighty Quinn Media Machine; he wrote in a very moving entry in his blog about how he heard the news live on WNEW radio and stayed up all night listening to Lennon's music on the station. Lots of other Lennon fans did the same thing, of course. But some of us, like myself, didn't hear the news until the next day.

I remember waking up that morning, heading down to the kitchen, and seeing my brother. He was wearing a red-checked shirt that morning at the breakfast table, while he read the newspapers. He looked worn-out - and very serious - when he told me the news about John Lennon. My brother, like most older brothers did, often teased his little sister. But this time, his voice was like Walter Cronkite's or something. Patrick was very somber as he told me that my idol was dead. I couldn't believe it - heck, I still can't believe it.

And when details came out about the murderer, it made even less sense to me. How could somebody ask for Lennon's autograph, get it, and then come back and shoot him? What kind of crazy person would do such a thing?

Even though I was the daughter of an inner-city New Jersey police officer, my parents had sheltered me from most of the gruesomeness and horror in the world. But they couldn't protect me from the news that my childhood hero had been assassinated. It shattered my innocence - and my view of the world.

Yankee catcher Thurman Munson had died in a plane crash the year before, and while that was also tragic, and sad, at least that was understandable to me. It was an accident,after all. But Lennon being  killed by a former fan was just inexplicable to my mind.

That Sunday, my brother and I went into Manhattan to participate in the ten minutes of silence event for Lennon in Central Park. I don't remember much about the memorial itself, other than how incredibly sad it was. And after the sadness of that week, I remember being so angry that such a thing could happen.

Here it is, 29 years later, and I still feel those same emotions when thinking about Lennon's death, as I imagine I will every December 8 - and October 9, his birthday - in my life. He would have been 69 this year if he hadn't been taken from us all way too soon.