Tag Archives: ING NYC Marathon 2012

Amazing Sushi with Amazing Friends

Posted on November 22, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

Our last night in New York, we decided to go to Nobu Fifty Seven in Midtown for some ridiculously good sushi.

When you dine here, you have the option to let the waiter create a dining experience for you. Ours picked some of the best and most popular items for us and brought them out to us course by course. I got pictures of everything, and I’ll try to provide names of as many as I can remember.

Beautiful setup and menu! Not to mention Lisa’s amazing nail color, which I still need to get!

Shishito peppers – nothing to write home about in my opinion….

Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno – melted in your mouth….amazing!!

Nobu tacos – tuna, lobster, and seafood ceviche – very good! SO fresh!

Lobster Shiitake Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing – super yummy!! Most expensive salad I’ve ever eaten!!

Everything here was just ridiculous. Tempura shrimp, New Style Salmon Sashimi, and I think the Rock Shrimp Tempura with creamy spicy sauce (the big bowl in the middle.) The new style sashimi, if I remember correctly, is where a fine mist of hot oil gets sprayed lightly over the sashimi to give it a tiny bit of cooking. My apologies if the description isn’t perfect, but whatever it was, it was amazing!!

Chilean Sea Bass – another fish that just melted, literally, in your mouth!

The most tender beef I think I have ever had, I didn’t need a knife, just chopsticks!! The Washu Beef Special. Highly recommended!!

Beautiful décor!

Here are some of the last pics of my trip.

Random nice guy!

Have you been to any of the Nobu locations? How did you like it? Are you a huge sushi or partially cooked fish fan? Let me know!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Healthy Eating

Tagged friends, ING NYC Marathon 2012, Nobu Fifty Seven, NYC, sushi

Southern Hospitality in the Big Apple

Posted on November 10, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

Ari’s east coast husband, Mac, made us reservations at Justin Timberlake’s restaurant, Southern Hospitality, in midtown for Sunday night. Even though we didn’t run a full marathon, we still had a long day and were ready for some good old southern comfort food.

I didn’t get a picture of the appetizer itself because it was so amazing that it was gone in like 30 seconds. I did, however, get a picture of its description on the menu:

Yes-Jalapeno Mac’n’cheese Spring Rolls. Thank God there were only two, and I shared them!!

Here was what I got for dinner:

Pulled pork BBQ, smoked brisket and sweet potato fried. A-ma-zing!!!

After dinner, we went to a lounge called Vintage.

They called this room behind me the “sex room.” Lol! I stayed by the entrance…

It was awesome to have so many people from our team show up to hang out! It was really chill and relaxed hanging out there. We called it a night around midnight, and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our big day on Monday. Stay tuned for more from NYC coming soon!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged comfort food, ING NYC Marathon 2012, NYC, Southern Hospitality, Vintage

The City Never Sleeps….but I Never Stay Out past midnight!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

After our amazing flash mob marathon on Sunday, Team Chances headed over to a homeless shelter on 49th St to help them out for a bit. We wanted to give back to a city that we love since we were already out there and they definitely needed help.

Ari and I on the left, Tracie and Brad Rogers on the right.

The The shelter we volunteered at was located at a high school. When we got there, there were some people outside, and a ton of people inside helping to sort clothes and move cases of water where they were needed.

I It didn’t feel at all appropriate to take pictures inside, so this is all you’re going to get from here.

The goal of our team was to gather information about single men on the third floor with intentions to arrange a stay for them at a neighboring local shelter in order to free up the high school so school could be resumed by Wednesday.

We numbered the beds in the hallway and wrote down certain tidbits of information, and whether or not the person had affiliation with another shelter in the area. I offered my services as a pharmacist, but as expected, they really didn’t have a need for me. The people really need volunteers willing to actually DO things to help, not just donate items. They have plenty of food and necessities (at least at that time they did.)

It was definitely a humbling experience, and I am so glad I did it!

After volunteering, Bob and Sue and I had lunch at a place right down the road from the high school.

I had a smoked salmon wrap and low carb Monster, along with a few bites of hummus that Sue shared. SO yummy!!

After lunch, I headed back to the hotel to rest up for the night. We had dinner reservations at Southern Hospitality, Justin Timberlake’s restaurant, and plans for drinks (“drinks” consisted of like 3 diet cokes, a cup of coffee, and two or three sugar free Red Bulls for me….somehow I still managed to fall asleep that night!!) right afterwards. Evidently, JT didn’t get the memo that I was coming. If he had, I’m sure he would’ve been there….

I will be blogging about the rest of the day probably this weekend, I brought a mad case of strep/sinusitis or something along those lines back to AZ with me from NYC. I am still feeling pretty bad, and really just wanted to get a little bit more posted about my trip, since it was so amazing!

Have a great rest of your week! It’s almost Friday!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged Hurricane Sandy, ING NYC Marathon 2012, runners volunteering in NYC, Staten Island, volunteering

Flash Mob Marathon

Posted on November 4, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

Have you ever witnessed a flash mob? It’s when out of nowhere, people just all of the sudden bust out a dance routine in the middle of a public place. Like in “Friends with Benefits,” ya know? So today in Central Park, all of the sudden there was a marathon going on. You get 41,000 runner together from all over the world, and that’s what you get! Just like I said before-You can take away our marathon, but you can’t take away our spirit.

We were planning on doing a long run as a team, and went over to the park around 9am. We knew there would be a lot of people running, but we had no idea it would be like this!

I mean, seriously!? I wish all of you could’ve been there! The pictures aren’t even doing it justice, because the atmosphere was electric! There were spectators thanking us for running, holding up signs, and passing out water. Thousands of runners converged on Central Park to have their own marathon, and we got to be a part of it. What an amazing experience!

Ari and I ran with the team around CP, and to 96th St on the west side, and then down to the Hudson river to run along the path there.

Then, we have the goose that runs this town, evidently. This animal was fearless! He stayed put right in the middle of the path, and wouldn’t budge when people walked up to him (or her.) Then, he/she would honk when you left, as if to say “yeah, that’s what I thought! I RUN this path!!”

Then, Shauna and I ran back to the park, and finished up the loop.

SO much energy and support! Definitely an amazing experience!

People filled the bleachers at the finish line, and were screaming and cheering at the runners crossing the “finish line.”

Needless to say, this was an amazing experience! We didn’t get out marathon, but as you can see, our spirit lives on!!

Here is a summary and GPS map of the run:

Yes, CP is most definitely hilly! Hills are your friend, right coach Susan!???

More on today’s events tomorrow. I am crashing from my caffeine overload tonight at Vintage. We went out to dinner, and out to a lounge and had a blast! Off to bed for me!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged Central Park, Chances for Children, Flash Mob Marathon, ING NYC Marathon 2012, running, Team Chances NYC

Everyday that starts with a run is a great day!

Posted on November 3, 2012 by pugmamastace| 2 Comments

This morning, Team Chances rallied together, had a team meeting, and headed over to Central Park for a short fun-run to get the team back into good spirits.

Boy did it ever! Ari and I did about 3.5 miles at a 9:11 pace. I told her that’s what happens when we aren’t Garmin-stalking the whole run. We run at a pace that feels good, and don’t even notice when we’re kicking ass!

We got to run by what would’ve been mile 25, mile 26, and the finish line. They still had the bleachers up and everything.

You can take the marathon from the runner, but you can’t take away their spirit!

The area near mile 26 was so cool! It had flags from different countries along each side of the road. People that came from other countries to run the marathon were posing and taking pictures by their flags. What a cool sight to see all of these runners still wanting to get out here and do what they love even in the midst of the tragedy and their disappointment about the race being canceled.

After our run, we went out to breakfast at Applejack’s. I had an egg white omelet with spinach, feta and mushroom. A-maz-ing!! Plus, some potatoes and coffee that hit the spot.

After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to get warmer clothes, and went to the expo.

As soon as we stepped foot inside the building, you could feel the somber mood. It was like unspoken grieving was happening. It was weird. Normally I LOVE LOVE LOVE expos, but this wasn’t the same.

Ari and I didn’t expect to get these, but we did:

It was so bittersweet. Too cool to get my own NYC Marathon bib, but it’s just a dream now that never ended up happening. I think we are going to wear them on our long run tomorrow.

We also got our shirts with our race packet, I think I want to add my quote about not being able to take the spirit away from the runner to the shirt after I get back. I hate wearing a shirt of a race I didn’t do, but this one is different.

Tomorrow, we, as a team, are getting sandwiches (and other supplies that we would want for ourselves if we were in this same situation,) and taking them to Staten Island. I can’t wait for the opportunity to help out the people who are in need! Smile

More expo pics:

Damn right they are! So is having 7 of them….I should get a discount at the nail place….

After the expo, we walked around, and met up with Ari’s friend Mac. Steve and I got some shoes, we had a snack and Froyo, then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Pinkberry Chocolate Hazelnut with dark chocolate crunchy things and hazelnuts. Most amazing Froyo I think I’ve ever had. Like ever.

Here is Times Square on the way to dinner:

Here is the team at dinner:

After dinner, a group of us went to see Mama Mia. It was my second time seeing it, and it was just as fun the second time! After the final number, the cast did a few more songs, and everyone got up and started dancing! It makes me wanna dress up in disco clothes and go karaoke some Dancing Queen!!

I lieu of karaoke, we did some kick lines in the lobby of the hotel:

I <3 the Big Apple!

Bring on the long run tomorrow! It’s for the city, those who need help, and the runners that are coming together to make a difference Smile

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged Central Park, Expo, ING NYC Marathon 2012, long run, Mama Mia, NYC

When Life Gives You Lemons….

Posted on November 2, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

We had an amazing trip out here to NYC with the team today. We got to our hotel at about 4pm or so. The news that the 2012 Ing New York City Marathon was cancelled started to spread like crazy about an hour later. We were getting ready to go to the expo when we saw the news report.

I halfway expected the marathon to be cancelled from the get go. I just figured if they were going to cancel it, they would’ve done so before everyone got here. I am not complaining because I love NYC, and am so pumped to be here. I am just sad because I have spend the better part of 20 weeks preparing for this huge day and life changing experience, and now my heart is broken.

Ok, there is my selfish rant, because I am human, and I can’t help but be disappointed. Honestly, there really are people here without homes to go back to, with lost loved ones, and in a much worse situation than any of us are. In the midst of the disappointment, this whole situation is easily put into perspective by thinking about the people that really need help. I am on vacation, and plan on having a ton of fun in the city. Team Chances, however, will also be giving some of our vacation time to help the people of this devastated city.

Coach Loken is researching volunteering opportunities, and will give us our options tomorrow morning before out team run. We are still running the last part of what would be the finish of the marathon as a team, which I think is really cool. On Sunday, Loken is also teaming up with a local friend and taking us on an awesome long run through the city. I am definitely looking forward to that!

Here are some fun pictures from today:

We had dinner at an Irish Pub, and saw Jersey Boys on Broadway. Awesome show!!! We’re going to make the most of our trip to the Big Apple, and try make a difference while we’re at it. I don’t know about you, ladies, but I think I feel some shopping coming on….gotta help support the economy, as well, right!!??

Does anyone have any suggestions for “must-see” places here in NYC? Also, I am still running a full marathon. Any suggestions of a good one to run instead of NY??

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged Giving back, ING NYC Marathon 2012, Jersey Boys, NYC, Sandy, Team Chances NYC

Grateful

Posted on October 31, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude right now for some reason. Maybe it’s because I had a fantastic day at work yesterday. Possibly, it’s the fact that I am now on vacation for a week and getting ready to run the most amazing marathon in the world! (Keeping the people of NYC and surrounding areas affected by the storm in my prayers as we speak). It could be because my stress level has plummeted from about an 11 out of 10 down to a measly 3 or 4 in the past couple of days. One reason being the relief I felt after taking Ali to the vet with concern that she might’ve suffered a stroke. When it rains, it pours, ya know?

Two nights ago, Ali started walking unsteadily and leaning to the right all of the sudden. She was also tilting her head to the right, and wouldn’t stop. She seemed confused and disoriented, and wondered aimlessly outside when I took her out to go to the bathroom. I freaked out, and took her to the vet the next day. Turns out, she wasn’t having a stroke, it was just a really bad ear infection that was screwing up her equilibrium. WHAT a relief!

They say God will never give you more than you can handle. I have learned that He will never give you more than HE can handle. I really had to try and let go of control of the situations that have been causing stress in my life, and trust that God would work it out for me. When I finally did (as much as I could), everything turned out as it was supposed to. I don’t think I’ll ever totally alleviate anxiety in my life by trying to let go and let God, but I am definitely working on it.

I am grateful for the people in my life. I am surrounded by some really amazing friends and family. My friends have helped me to learn more about myself, what I deserve out of life, and how happy truly good friendships can make me. My friends have helped to carry me through some really tough times lately. I’m not sure where I would be without them. I am so blessed!

Team Chances and coach Loken were put into my life for a reason. It is pretty clear now that this whole marathon training program has been perfect for keeping me busy, healthy, giving me purpose, and meeting even more amazing people. Words can’t express how much I value the friendships I have made. I have been told by my teammates that this marathon is life changing. I say bring it on! Smile Now we can all run it for the City of New York and the people there that are trying to bounce back from this major storm that has wrecked their city. This is not just for Team Chances and CFC anymore.

This marathon also symbolizes my year-long journey from my first 5K to my first full marathon. One of the coolest things about when this race falls is that it is on the weekend of my Runniversary! One year ago this weekend, I ran my first 5K in exactly 30:00. Since then, I have run two 5K’s (and PR’d!), a 4.2 miler, 10K, a 12K, and two half marathons(another PR!). Never in my life would I have predicted I’d be running a full marathon. Ever. God sure does amazing things!

Nicole paced me to my 5K PR of 27:48!

Skirt Chaser with Kristine

Women’s 5K, Mesa Turkey Trot 10K, Diva’s Half Marathon (1st 13.1)

AFC Half Marathon in San Diego-worst race ever! (weather) Still PR’d!!

Next up:

Check out this post for some pretty cool stuff about the NYCM. It gets me pumped up every time I look at it!

2:23 would be a great goal for me! For my next half marathon…. Winking smile

Bring it on New York!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged Ali the Pug, Blessed, Chances for Children, cute dog, friends, Grateful, ING NYC Marathon 2012, Team Chances NYC

NYC Marathon Training Week 15 (yes, I screwed up the weeks)

Posted on October 3, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

So I am now 75% through with my first full marathon training cycle!! Wow, it has gone by SO fast! Last week was a blur. I worked a lot, and couldn’t wait for my friend Mindy to come in town for the weekend. I managed to get in 32 miles of training, though, despite the craziness. Somehow, in my week-to-week recaps, I messed up a week or two, and was two weeks ahead. I went back and counted, and we are actually in week 15 of training out of 20.

Here’s how it went down:

Monday 9/24: 7 miles in 1:11 - It was all about quality, not quantity on this run tonight. Ran through the hills of Ahwatukee Foothills with 383 feet of elevation gain. It felt pretty good! Good to be back to it after a weekend of work and trying to prevent a full blown cold from taking over (luckily, I was successful!)

Tuesday 9/25: 4.79 miles in 53 minutes – I went on a fun run with Karen this morning, and did some off-roading. Had 10 on the agenda to make up for this weekend, but foot and shins would not allow such back-to-back runs to happen. So we just did 4.8….had fun, though!

Wednesday 9/26: 2 miles in 27 minutes-this included walking down the hill for recovery-Today, I did 4 (brutal) hill repeats, with 360 feet of elevation gain. My ars was definitely hurting! Good workout, though! Going for 5 next time!

Saturday 9/29: 18 miles in 3:13-The run overall was good! I started getting really tired abound mile 14-15, and had to take a decent break at mile 16. I still finished, though, and am so happy to have a new PDR!! Ran this one with Ari. Click on her link to check out her recap of this run.

32 miles in one week is a record high for me, yay!! 32 days until the marathon. Funny how that works, huh? Here’s to 5 more weeks of training and continuing to accomplish things I never even thought about doing two years ago Smile

Happy Trails!!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged ING NYC Marathon 2012, Marathon training, running, running hills

NYC Marathon Training Week 14 Recap

Posted on September 17, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

What an amazing week!! I ran my longest run to date with Ari and Nicole, and got a new bike!

Isn’t she a beauty!? I haven’t named her yet, but don’t worry, I’ll let you know when I do Smile .

Here’s how the week went down:

Tuesday 9/11:

I ran 10 miles in 1:39 through Ahwatukee. What an awesome run in some awesome weather! Here were my splits:

I feel so much more capable of running well with even the small cool down we have had here in Phoenix so far. It feels so amazing to be able to finish runs strong!

I also got my bike Tuesday, and rode 8 miles that evening. I have learned that running up hills is way more fun than biking up them!!

I took Wednesday and Thursday off to recover from my 10-miler, and rest for Friday.

Friday 9/14:

I was nervous for this run. Very nervous. My longest run to date before this was 14 miles. The last time I attempted 15, I stopped at 13.5 on San Juan Rd. I was not exactly super confident going into today’s attempt at 17 miles. I met up with Ari and Nicole at 4:30am to conquer this bad boy.

We started off really slow, and maintained a pace in the 11’s for the first several miles. Ari even said she thought we were running at our “I’m scared of this run” pace, haha!

My shins were really bothering me through about mile 6 or 7, and I was really worried it wouldn’t get any better. Luckily, it slowly improved, and we slowly increased our pace; especially after our turn-around at mile 9.25.

We really carried each other emotionally throughout the course of the morning. What amazing friends to have and to run crazy distances with!

Here were the splits from my Garmin:

Looks like I had a small oopsie at mile 14. No biggie, though, you get the point.

I still can’t imagine 26.2, but it seems much more attainable after doing 17!

Check out Ari’s Recap of our 17 (point-zero-three) for a much more detailed version of our Friday run.

Saturday 9/15:

I decided to take my bike up to Scottsdale and ride along the Arizona canal to support my awesome teammates. I clearly remember how I felt at miles 14, 15, 16 and 17, and wanted to be there with cold water, fuel, and encouragement. By mile 15, I was SO hungry! All I had was Gu, so I took one, and one mile later, took another. Next time, I am bringing something more sustainable to eat in case I feel that hungry again. So I brought cold water, Gu Roctane sports drink, and Luna crunchy granola bars. I ended up riding out and back for a total of just over 10 miles. After everyone got back, we went to Le Grande Orange for breakfast. It was so yummy!!

I chilled out and rested my bones on Sunday. I was going to do a trail run, but decided to move it to Monday when my 4-6 mile run is actually scheduled.

This week, we have another nice cut back week, and a long run of only 10 miles on the schedule for Saturday.

Thanks for continuing to follow my training! If you still want to donate to Chances for Children, you can do so by clicking on the link above on the left side of my page. Thanks so much to those that have already donated! 45 days until the NYC Marathon!!!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Running

Tagged 17 miles, ING NYC Marathon 2012, long run, Marathon training, running injuries, training

What training Week are we on now??

Posted on September 7, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

So evidently, we are in week 12 of training. Holy cow! How has the time escaped me! I just realized that I haven’t done a training week recap since week 8. I will just highlight some of the main workouts that have happened since then.

Week 9

Tuesday 8/14: 6 miles in 1:03:36. Awesome first 3.5-4, but really got overheated and started struggling after that.

Thursday 8/16: 4X400 meters at mile goal pace, then 1 mile at half marathon goal pace. Splits:

Sunday 8/19: AFC Half Marathon in 2:27:55-see this post for a full recap.

Took a rest day or two for sure after the half!!

Week 10

Wednesday 8/22: 8 X 1 minute on/off intervals. Splits: 7:48, 8:18, 7:25, 7:27, 7:25, 7:11, 7:35, 7:05. Good run!

Thursday 8/23: 5.71 miles in 59:00. Not too bad of a run today. It was a little hot, but nowhere near as bad as it usually is at 11am. Would’ve finished 6, but was already late to my meeting. Really enjoyed my run!

Saturday 8/25: 14:01 miles in 2:30! New PDR (personal distance record) with Ari today on the canal. I was surprised how good I felt considering we ran a half marathon last weekend, and I was going on 4-4.5 hours of terrible sleep! What a great long run! It felt really good to finish!

Week 11

Tuesday 8/28: 6.26 miles in 1:06. First night run in a long time. Still really hot, but much better without the sun! Knee was bothering me, so I decided to stop at 6.25 when I got to my car. This run did have some hill action with 243 ft elevation gain. I pushed myself on the hills more than usual!

I skipped track and my 3 mile recovery run this week. Coach Loken agreed that since I was having knee pain, laying off was the smartest thing to do. I do not want to injure myself before New York! Ari might have to pull me in a wagon if I do Winking smile .

Saturday 9/1: 13.52 miles in 2:28 on San Juan Rd with 814 ft of elevation gain. The first half was awesome! The second half, I totally hit a wall and ran/walked from there, and ended up not getting to my 15 miles….I hit my time limit, though, so coach said I was done. I need to work on two things: #1. Not starting out so darn fast, even though I already feel like I am running slow….#2. The mental aspect. I have too much negative self-talk in my head. Susan is awesome, though, and told me some good books to read, and gave me some pointers.

So that’s what’s been happening in the training world for me, I have a lot of work to do on the mental aspect of racing. Coach Loken also told me that I needed to start my long runs off more slowly….wow, and I thought I was already really slow! She said she was told the same thing when she was training for her first marathon, and she was like “slower?? I have to go slower??” I don’t feel so bad since she said that. She also said I have definitely been coming along, and that she wasn’t just saying that to make me feel better; that I really have come along in my training. Woo hoo!! That means SO much, especially after a bad long run.

I am currently reading Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald.

Coach Loken suggested I read Running Within, but it only comes in real book form, not Kindle form.

I will be going to Barnes and Noble to get it for sure. For now, though, this book is pretty interesting!

There is one more book she suggested called Mind Gym:

Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

Has anyone read any of these three books? Can you give me feedback on them? Are there any other books you have read on mental aspects of running and endurance athletes? I am willing to read anything that will help. Leave me some love Smile

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in Books, General, Running

Tagged ING NYC Marathon 2012, Marathon training, running, running at night, running hills, running in heat, running injuries, Susan Loken

Tag Archives: ING NYC Marathon 2012

Amazing Sushi with Amazing Friends

Southern Hospitality in the Big Apple

The City Never Sleeps….but I Never Stay Out past midnight!

Flash Mob Marathon

Everyday that starts with a run is a great day!

When Life Gives You Lemons….

Grateful

NYC Marathon Training Week 15 (yes, I screwed up the weeks)

NYC Marathon Training Week 14 Recap

What training Week are we on now??

Daily Mile Tracker

My Blog HIstory

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