getting myself lost and almost hit (a few times)

So while out on my jaunt today I thought I knew where I was going, well I had a rough idea of where I was going to go. Unfortunately I took the wrong bridge to cross the tracks and I ended up far away from where I wanted to be and I ended up in a neighborhood called Van Nest. I mean it wasn't actually such a bad neighborhood, looks like mine, although that isn't too hard, all the houses around here look roughly the same. Also while on my run I need to run by many intersections, and of course since I am in NYC there are a lot of cabs, but these aren't the yellow cabs of Manhattan no these are car service cabs...and these cars FLY, I am talking 40+ on these little side streets and more then once on my run today a few of them flew to the end of road where more then likely they were going to pause and then run the intersection, but I was there to almost get hit and have them stop short...stupid drivers.
So While on my run today I thought I would try out my new Nike + thingy that tracks your time and distance and pace and you can upload it to the website and join the largest running community blah blah blah...the only thing is you need to buy these shoes and I honestly do not like running in Nike's, or I was told I should run in Nike or whatever. Anyways I think I might try because I just put the sensor thing in my shoe and now my ankle hurts, and I think this thing is cool to track all those things and I can see how I am doing on my runs and what not.
My other thing I have been fighting with is whether or not to sign up for this half-marathon, I mean it is 13 or so miles...you know ONLY 13 or so miles, but still its a goal and I think I can achieve this goal. I signed up for one before and was all ready to run that one, and I ran and ran and ran and got myself all ready, then we had to move that day...stupid moving.

race number one...Race to the Finish...ugh

So the first of my races (3rd ever) I must say this was the WORST. I am not a professional runner, I am not an amateur runner, I am still a beginner, but the other two races I have run have not been as bad. This race as you will see in the picture was straight for a little over 2 miles, seriously, I am enjoying running, but I would like a turn, or a little bit of a hill or a little bit of a downhill??? PLEASE!!! I digress, I finished the race NOT LAST! and I felt good afterwards. I must say, running races for a team was never my forte but running for myself has been great and now I have a time (yes it was 42:10) to go from, so I can improve from there, run some more races and when registration for the Hartford Marathon opens up, I will be registering! I know a 5K at 3.1 miles is a little different then a Marathon at 26.3 miles or whatever, I think if i have a year to train, I think I can do it! I believe in myself, and I am going to sign up and do it! Way to go me!

still running

SO this running kick is taking off, funny I know, kick...taking off HA I KILL ME! Anyways, I have been slowly increasing these runs hopefully getting to a 10K level, if not some 5k races, although it is getting colder so they will be some cold races, especially since there are few weekends left and most of the races take place at 8 in the morning! Not to keen on the getting up so early on a Saturday but oh well a lot of people do it and make it worth-wile. When I was running before I only did 2 races and they were signed up for another one which was a half-marathon. I think it is that whole adrenalin things that I get going, it just starts you want to go and go. The only thing I don't care about yet are my times, and I am sure that again will come, but right now, when I don't need a certain time to qualify for anything I don't especially care. I don't even care that my first ever race I came in 11th in my age group, which there were 11 other men in my age group...which tells you something, but you know, I run for myself and I don't have a team I am running for. Someday I will run that marathon...someday, maybe not next year, maybe not the year after, well hopefully the year after...maybe even next year...Hartford Marathon here I come.

back to running...and hurting...

So here I am and it's October and I need to wile my time away, but alas I don't know how to. I could get dressed and go to the gym, but really is the gym the best place to go? I mean someone once told me they couldn't stand a treadmill or people that run on it, and really it makes sense. The treadmill is one of these pieces of exercise equipment that someone in Alaska invented. Someone that really just wanted to run in place, like we always did in gym class. Anyway I really don't like the treadmill and I want to ask people on them, hey where are you going? Seriously, if you are going to run, why not run outside, at least there is air, a destination, and sometimes an occasional spectator (see April's blog about running in my neighborhood.) Well so I decided two days ago to start running again, and I embarked on a journey, got my route and went expecting to run about half of it, throw up in the middle and walk home a shorter way. I actually ran the whole way, and man did my legs hurt after. Now when I say run I mean a weird pseudo-run where I a jogging. So the next day I stretched and went out again, this time hopping to run just a tad more, and I did. I ended up running 3 miles, and it was a nice 3 miles, I really wanted too run a little more but knew I needed to stop, damn adrenalin. Soon maybe I will find a 5K again and start doing some of those even though my time will be slow I will finish them and then work on some speed!