[60] Hanging Up My Tiara



[Temporarily, I swear!]

The 2012 Disney Princess Half-Marathon will be my last run of the race for the time being. In 2013, I would like to achieve runDisney's Coast-to-Coast Challenge by running the Tinkerbell Half at Disneyland, California (January) and the Wine & Dine Half at WDW, Orlando (October).

With the NYRR 3x33 Challenge open, I cannot afford to pass up on my chance to knock out all six of the Five Boro races (+ one length of Manhattan).

No sooner did I complete this year's Princess 1/2, my close gal pal from college, Meredith, asked me to run it again in 2012 in celebration of her 30th birthday. Pass up on a chance to see a near and dear long-time friends (and most likely most of my running pals) including Meghan, Susie, Lenna, Rusty & Allyson, and possibly Raquel and  Keri) at the Mouse House? Even my Mom's going to roll in and run the Royal Family 5K (and, yes, I will be jogging it with her)! Not going to happen. For a while I was kicking around the idea of dropping the P1/2 for the inaugural T1/2, but my winter half marathon schedule is too tight.

[2012 Style: Cajun Princess]

Now before people get all huffy about why I picked Tiana-- the only princess whose movie I haven't seen-- allow me to explain. I am an Orange and Blue Bleeding, fiercely loyal, Florida Gator. six years of my life belonged to The Swamp, and it's one of several places I call home.

Princess T hails from the swamps of New Orleans, Louisiana (unfortunately, home to rival school LSU, but we'll look past that for now). Plus, one of her friends is an alligator which I would imagine would be one who tried eating Captain Hook in Peter Pan if they were in Never Neverland.

During the Princess Half, I enjoyed some music from the film's soundtrack, very cajun spicy, totally N'awlins. I'm spicy and sassy, so why not? I also love waterlilies and lotus flowers, and one of the Chinese characters I use to write my name is "hasu" (lotus).  I am in love with this limited edition giclee print, so I made it my desktop on my Mac. At work, I'm keeping the motivation going with this adorable photo of Princess Tiana at her debut (love the smile of her and the little girl and the Jungle Queen chugging by in the background. God, I miss home).

[Belle of the Ball]

Next is the question of costuming. If this is to be my last Princess Half for some time, I am tempted to go out with a bang. Based on this year's experience, I know that I may be chilly for a grand total of ten minutes during the race (and perhaps the 40 minutes in the corrals), but that's it. Plenty of fit mamas were tricked out in full costume or running aliases. Depending on my fitness level come winter vacation (and availability of my master seamstress, better known as Mom), I could roll in with something incredible.

Looking at the layered gown, if I can master something akin to the cute ruffled skirts (bottom of page) by lululemon athletica, then I'd be happy. I just don't think I'll be able to find appropriate fabric, unless I buy some large technical shirts and go scissor happy on them. Hmm... actually, that sounds rather plausable. Conversely, I could try to try to match some technical pieces like this ARD Tank by ASICS or this Swift Zip Skirt by Athleta with crafted accessories. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled the next time I hit up a race expo (most like the ING NYC Marathon at the Javits Center in November) and raid the sale racks. The race takes place in late February, but any Floridian will tell you it's already summertime by then!

I am curious to see which Princess my pals pick and if any of them plan on dressing the part, too!

I'm tired of kissin' frogs and ready to catch my Prince!

[59] Compatibility Issues

I knew putting all my run tracking eggs into a single technological basket would eventually come to bite me in the back. Since the purchase of my Nike+ SportWatch GPS, it has not only been my primary run tracking device, but time piece as well. Between the time I ran the Queens Half Marathon and the top of September, Nike decided to perform some upgrades to the Nike Running site and their software applications. Normally, upgrading is always a good thing, unless there is a sudden loss of communication between related devices.

Naturally, my technological black thumb returns! After two removals and reinstalls of Nike+ Connect (one for PC and the other for Mac), plus the soft reset of my watch, there is nothing I can do aside from:

1. Take it back to the authorized retailer where I purchased it and request an exchange.
2. Request a replacement which will take 4-6 weeks.
3. Request an advance exchange (new device within 7-10 days, and 30 to mail back current item).

Giving the situation thought, I elected for option three as I don't want to belabor the wonderful people over at Westchester Road Runner with something that has absolutely nothing to do with them. The only hitch is that I am moving to Georgia within 7-10 days, so I have to wait until closer to my departure date to ensure delivery.

The most disappointing part is that they cannot-- or will not (I'm not sure)-- retrieve the data from the watch and manually upload it to my Nike+ profile. As a result, I lose three runs and a heartbeat workout due to their inability to remedy the software conflits. Honestly, I find this admission by Nike Running extremely disappointing, and I feel simply exchanging the device isn't sufficient. I have been a loyal Nike+ runner for nearly two years, and I have invested and supported the brand by not jumping ship to RunKeeper like many other runners I know. My fierce brand loyalty has resulted in friends and family following suit, so I feel that Nike should be doing more, or risk losing their corner on the running market.

[Running in Limbo]

1. 09/09/11: [ 2.0 Mi | 27:39.69 | 13'43" | 220 Cal ]
2. 09/10/11: [ Heartbeat Workout: Elliptical | 22:56 | 209 Cal | 154BPM ]
3. 09/12/11: [ 3.65Mi | 56:53.73 | 15'35" | 420 Cal | 130 BPM ]
4. 09/14/11: [ 2.0 Mi | 26:48.13 | 13'16" | 204 Cal | 131 BPM ]

The e-mail exchange with Customer Service went well, but it does not diminish my disappointment with the entire situation. In order to proceed with the exchange, I am required to contact customer service and provide them with additional information. As I am not the one with the issue here, I should not be the one bending over backwards to set the situation straight. I am certain that they are innandated with dissatisfied runners currently, but that is part of their responsibility as a customer care representative. Hopefully, I can negotiate an exchange quickly. However, for the time being, my critical runs will be logged with either the Nike+GPS app on my iPhone or my tried and true Nike+ SportBand (which I am glad I didn't part with).

 

No, no we are not. :(



[58] Road Work Ahead

Must find this in Japan!

Sometimes, life hands you detours. Mine has unfortunately lasted longer than I originally intended, spanning nearly two months. Please forgive my transgressions. My creative muse went on vacation mid-July, and after the broiling heat of the Queens' Half-Marathon (complete with visit of Lady Gaga), my winged shoes took flight as well. I went to Japan and back, and only last week did I lace up for the first time in nearly six weeks. Hitting wall after wall and continuing across a weight-loss plateau, my frustration has me a little bristly around the edges.

One wall was knocked down today: the professional one. The last few months, I've been contemplating a career move, but the constant uncertainty came to a head this morning after my final Japanese test. En route back to Westchester, I cried as I sang along with Adele and the radio while heading north of the Hutchinson River Parkway. During the final testing stage, I was informed that it would take 24-28 hours before a final decision would come my way, but around 5:30PM... the call came: passed languaged test and a job offer.

I could have easily logged a couple of miles there and then, had I not been in flipflops and surrounded by students. I would have preferred frolicking around the soccer pitch, but the boys' varsity team was in the midst of a game. I felt a wall melt away today, so here I am. Looking at the ruins of my hard work.

Half-Marathon Hiatus
On July 30th, I ran the Queens Half in sweltering heat and humidity. On August 28th, the Bronx Half was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene (but NYRR thankfully is awarded credit).  On October 9th, I am registered for the Staten Island Half, but I will be in Atlanta for training. SI was to be my last half for 2011, so I am finished running halves for this year. I partially find this to be a relief. I think a portion of the running wall I hit has to do with my training schedule, and being overambitious with my scheduling and running goals. I learned the hard way with Queens, that despite my Floridian upbringing, I am not meant to run 13.1 miles consecutively in a short window of time in the height of summer. Ever.

Reviewing my initial training calendar, I had planned on taking a break from half-marathon training between the SI 1/2 and my Japanese proficiency examination in early December. I feel I am not quite ready to start focusing on speed work necessary for a 5K PR,  nor am I willing to sacrifice endurance and mileage by focusing on short runs. Looking over my Nike Coaching options, I selected the Intermediate I 10K Program

Training Dates: 09/14/11-12/06/11
Total Mileage: 260.3 Miles

[ get started ] 35 Miles
* week 1: 2+4+4 = 10Mi
* week 2: 6+2+4+5 = 17Mi
* week 3: 7+2+5+6 = 18Mi

[ keep it going ] 65 Miles
* week 4: 7+2+5+6 = 18Mi
* week 5: 8+2+6+6 = 22Mi
* week 6: 8+2+2+7+6 = 25Mi

[ halfway done ] 81.1 Miles
* week 7: 2+7.1+3+4+8 =  24.1Mi
* week 8: 9+3+7+3+6 = 28Mi
* week 9:  10+3+7+3+6 = 29Mi

[ bring it home ] 52 Miles
* week 10: 9+3+7+7 = 26Mi
* week 11: 10+3+6+7 = 26Mi

[ finish strong ] 27.2 Miles
* week 12: 6+3+5+5 = 19Mi
* week 13: 2+6.2 = 8.2Mi

Writing all the mileage onto my Princess Calendar made me a little antsy. Half of my anticipated mileage, weeks three through eight, overlap with my scheduled training in Atlanta. With sitting through nine hours of classes daily, Monday through Friday, I am going to want to stretch my legs and burn off some stress between test preparation and late night study sessions. Plus, I am going to need to fit into a uniform by the top of November, and I'd like to order something in a *gasp* size six.

Doing the Math
Bottom line is that I will need to manage logging miles while balancing classes and meals. While residing in the HQ dormitory, I will be without a kitchen and many of the tools I currently use, so I will need to stay creative about meals and scheduling. Without access to a TV/DVD player, all my fitness videos are useless. I'll have my laptop, so the yoga mat is coming with me. Working on my posture is a necessity, and not just when I am running either.

The training pay will be adequate, but to avoid over-spending (and overeating), I am heavily considering taking up a home delivery food service like The Biggest Loser Meal Plan or Nutrisystem. My primary concern at this juncture is access to cooking and cold storage. Tea, coffee, and water are covered, so depending on what appliances are available, one of these could be a reasonable (and time-saving) option. I don't want to rely on snack bars, and transportation (and time for any activities) off-campus will be rather limited.

The key factor overall is the scheduling of the class blocks. With eight or nine hours of classes daily, running is going to either be a up-at-dawn pre-coffee jump start or slam it in before dinner and evening study sessions escape. Hopefully the information I will be provided shortly will outline any regulations with regard to free time and use of headquarters campus outside of class time. Considering a massive reward if I am able to adhere to my plan and make time for running... besides the pay off of going shopping for new clothes!