Running in a Monsoon & Dodging Tourists. Why, What Did You Do with Your Weekend?

With just a few more weeks until the big event, I thought I had put all my training "firsts" behind me, but these last two weeks have surprised me.

• Running in a Monsoon: Many of you will remember that the weekend of the 13th-14th was rainy to say the least, and biblical in actuality. Sunday, the rain let up a bit at around 9am so I decided to try a 9-miler. Our workouts are so focused on hill workouts and speed intervals that we almost never get to just enjoy a long run, so as I ran, I played tourist, looking at scenery, enjoying street art, marveling at the tai chi taking place under the FDR. I hit my turnaround point at South Ferry and the sky just opened up. Four and a half miles in the rain can make anyway feel like a badass to say the least, and a jackass (for not checking the hourly forecast) in actuality.
• Clipping In: For the last few months I've had a shiny silver pair of cycling shoes and fancy new pedals collecting dust on the floor of my closet, but this week, I actually had the pedals installed and took the bike for a spin. The feeling of being locked into this lightweight mode of transportation while careening through New York City streets is nothing short of terrifying at first, but being in the park and being able to ride almost twice as fast usual is euphoric. And then you forget to unclip at a stoplight, almost fall over, and like that you're right back to earth.
• Outdoor Brick: Saturday was our first group outdoor Brick workout (bike + run) and it was supposed to go: Run (10 minutes) Bike (1:45) Run (30). Unless you live downtown like I do in which case it became Bike (30) Run (10) Bike (1:45) Run (30) Bike (30) Crash (zzzz)
• Biking to New Jersey: Despite the long brick on Saturday, despite the fact that she had run a half marathon and I had run about 7 miles along the course, my Wildflower teammate and I decided to attempt a bike ride to New Jersey over the George Washington Bridge and into Palisades Park. We made it through the gauntlet that is the West Side Highway path and Riverside Park, dodging small children, weekend warrior bikers, and wayward scooters. "On your left" became a mantra. We made it over the bridge and thought we made it to Palisades Park not once but twice! The first time was a parking lot, the second, the park itself... but the road was closed due to fallen trees. We ended up riding for about 10 miles along "River Road" which is significantly less peaceful than it sounds and would be more aptly named "River Highway." We ended up taking a ferry back to Manhattan!

I may be bruised, confused, and exhausted, but at least I have some great stories to show for it.