Am I back? Good question, can't quite tell yet but I think I am close. Did a beautiful run today, thanks to tour guide Brad...across the Brooklyn Bridge with a short visit on the island before heading back over the Manhattan Bridge. There is something so magical about running on the waterfront under the bridges with no one out but a few other happy, chatty runners. I am really trying to work on my hill running, all I can hear is Tony's voice in my head as my heart rate spikes.

There is nothing like a long Saturday morning run to clear away the anxieties of life. After a few miles, my work & fantasy life just melted away.

Distance: 10.5 with group plus 2 on my own = 12.5
State of Mind: An overwhelming feeling of clarity

Went to LL tonight for my usual Thursday night session. Was hoping Alison was teaching, but she was unfortunately absent. Lucky enough, her substitute Sherri, was a refreshing new voice to my practice. No amazing feats tonight, but I did almost lose control of myself during shavasana.

Distance: Leaps & bounds
State of Mind: Liking change, sometimes

Reach the Beach is in my horizon. More to come.
http://www.rtbrelay.com/

Made it out to my first Wednesday night run in a while, it has been a long time since I ran two days in a row. The cold still has not let up & the group seemed to be moving at a good clip, but all in all, it was a very relaxing run. It is nice to run with such strong, sweet girls.

Distance: 5.25
State of Mind: Cold, strong & happy

Last night I found out that Michael Ring (thanks Michael) posted links to anyone who mentioned the Cherry Tree race in their blog. Now all of my secrets are out, for the world to read...comment on...and help direct me on.

Distance: n/a
State of Mind: Very very very scared

What a cold night, almost missed the group due to non-existent C trains...but don't worry non-Brooklyn-ites, there are plenty of E trains running. All my bitching aside, I was able to run down to the meeting spot, which is good news since I am trying to increase my mileage. Small group today, was hoping we wouldn't do hills but somehow Coach Tony read right into that fear & had us do long, slow hills. He expected us to do 10, but after 5 cut that down to 7 or 8...which was nice. Ran with Jessica & Lindsay, was able to voice my day of challenges while getting a good workout...not such a bad use of time.

Afterwards, Brad, Helen & I headed to Pieter's bday party at the Gate. Nice group of peeps, especially nice since they were dressed like normals...not sweaty, stinky runners.

Distance: 3.5 miles warmup, 7x600? hills, 1 mile warmdown
State of Mind: God oh God, let the warmth of the world strike down in NYC

Ran Cherry Tree this morning. A few weeks ago I decided it would be smart to stick to the 3-person relay instead of push myself in the 10-miler. The race turned out to be really fun, with a large PPTC presence. And Nick actually made it out to see me run, which is a rarity...although I am very thankful for his support.

I ran the first leg, in around 22:25, while Ami held strong during the second leg & Sarah blasted us through to the finish. My goals, not the team goals, were to 1) try to be in the top 3 all female relay teams 2) beat Brad 3) beat as many PPTC relayers as possible.

Not too sure if we accomplished any of those goals. Regardless, it was great to see so many friends out enjoying the day.

Distance: 3.something for the race; probably a total of more like 7 with the warmups/warmdowns
State of Mind: Wish I could have ran the 10-miler, but happy to be on my way back

Took it easy today, since I have the big Cherry Tree relay race tomorrow. Met up with a smaller group... just Sarah, JP, Brad, Haig & Michael...we ended up doing a loop on the outside of the park. I felt old & rusty today, probably because I haven't run since Tuesday. Hoping that my goal of trying to cut my miles down until I am 100% injury free is working. But what a beautiful day to not do a long run, it was like one of those days that looks ideal until you step out & are confronted with frigid temps & aggressive winds. Perfect for running.

Distance: 6 miles
State of Mind: Can't wait till I feel like a well oiled machine

Another wonderful yoga routine at Laughing Lotus with Alison tonight. At first, it felt completely different then I got into my routine & felt amazing.

Distance: Who cares
State of Mind: Wishing I could clear my mind, why is my life so distracting

Just when I thought the winter had broken...I suffered through yet another cold speed workout. But thankfully I have gear to get me through it, unlike Mr. sock puppet. Since I am still working my way back to health, I decided to run down to 15th & PPW, which is about 2 miles from my house. We ended up doing an extra long warm up, followed by 7x500(I think) with about a 30 second break. Each one just a little bit faster. On the warm down, all I could do was keep going as I slowly made my way home.

Good news is that I ran strong tonight, almost like the old me. Seriously?

Distance: 8.5-9 miles
State of Mind: Relieved to feel so good.

After planning to do a 20 miler on my road bike with Krishna, my plans got turned upset down when Krishna got sick & I realized that one of my bike tires had blown. Lacking in any technical bike skills, I decided to go to a Level II, 1.5 hour yoga class at Prospect Park Yoga Center on Union Street to get my zen on. Not my favorite studio, but I enjoyed a very nice practice albeit a packed class & not-so-down-to-earth teacher.

Working on cross training & only running 2-3 days a week.

Distance: 2 miles on bike & a ton more flexibility
State of Mind: More of a stretch than anything. Too bad.

What a pleasant day at Prospect Park. Just a few us showed up to enjoy the morning after Valentines Day, but thankfully my knee & foot held up fine. Slowly making my way back to a non-injured runner. What a relief.

Distance: 5 miles
State of Mind: Strong but not too strong.