Race #6

Name: Japan Run

Date/Time: Sunday, May 13 at 8am

Location: Central Park

Length: 4.0 miles

Bib Number: 7325

Official Time: 50:12

Average Time per Mile: 12:33

Well...I made it and even 2 seconds per mile faster than yesterday.  That in itself is a small miracle considering how painful it was for me to run those first three miles. The first mile was ok, but I knew it was going to be a long race when I hit that mile marker just after my 12 min timer expired on the iPhone.  Knowing the second mile is the most flat on the course, I attempted to pick up my pace, but was only able to maintain it with my timer going off again just prior to the mile marker.  I braced myself for a very long and hilly third mile.  It lived up to my expectations.  I'd say I likely hit that mile marker at somewhere around 13 minutes.  I really wanted to improve on my mile time from yesterday, but at that point I wasn't sure it was going to be possible.  Fortunately, God answered my prayers to help me get to the end of the race and my body finally kicked into gear.  I picked up my pace considerably in Mile 4.  Maybe I just needed to get warmed up.  There were portions of that mile where I was truly amazed that I could be moving so quickly at that point.  I couldn't have been happier or more relieved when I saw the turn to the finish.  I also actually saw my co-worker, Jennifer, just prior to the finish.  I believe she must have been doing her +1 volunteer experience.  She gave me an encouraging high five before my last few strides to the finish.  My friend, Reba, had waited for me at the finish so it was nice to see another familiar face there after such an exhausting race.  Overall, I learned a valuable lesson for myself today - back to back race days are not for me!  Not only was I sore, but I was exhausted from getting up at 6:30am on back to back days.  The getting up early might have been the worst part actually.  I did not want to get out of bed this morning....at all!!  It did help that it seemed cooler today.  The weather was officially 63 degrees, but the sun was hiding behind clouds or something because it did not feel very hot at all.  There was actually a bit of a breeze at various points on the course.

Check back next week to see how the Brooklyn Half Marathon goes for me.  I know I can survive the race, but I hope to maintain a consistent pace.  Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for me on this one!!  I'm mostly looking forward to moving one race closer to the end.  Stay tuned... 


Andrea :)

Race #5

Name: UAE Healthy Kidney

Date/Time: Saturday, May 12 at 8am

Location: Central Park

Length: 6.2 miles

Bib Number: 10065

Official Time: 1:18:05

Average Time per Mile: 12:35

Looking tired, but ready to run :)

This was my first race of the year where I really felt the sun beating down on me.  Fortunately, I remembered to put sunscreen on my face prior to leaving my apartment!  The official temperature was 55 degrees, but it felt much hotter out there!  It was just a relief to hit a patch of pavement that was shaded!! Regardless of the weather, I survived the run.  I decided prior to the race that I was going to run in honor of a couple of people I know that have faced (Edna Bates) and still face (Ben Bugbee) kidney issues.  This alone helped power me through a few stretches of the course!  I know how difficult it was and still is for them to deal with everything they face as a result of their kidney issues.  I didn't officially raise funds for the cause, but I did make a personal donation and would encourage you to do the same.  The link to donate to the National Kidney Foundation is here. 

I felt pretty good as I started the race.  My goal was to run under 12 minute miles.  According to my iPhone timing method, I managed to be just under 12 minutes at each of the first three mile markers.  My official 5k split was 37:20 so I think my timing was pretty accurate.  The first half of the course is also particularly more challenging because that is where all the hills lie so I was pretty pleased with myself as I hit that 5k marker.  I'm not sure what happened after that though.  Maybe I was dehydrated or maybe I had just exhausted myself on the first half of the course, but I noticed a bit of a drop in pace even though I was still trying my best to hit the mile markers at 12 minutes.  At mile marker 4, I was about 15-20 seconds over 12 minutes.  Miles 5 and 6 were closer to 13 minute miles.  I was pretty tired when I crossed the finish to the open arms of my very encouraging friend, Amanda!  I didn't think too much about my time at that point, but as I reflect on it now I am hoping that my slower pace was due to my lack of running this week because of the rainy weather and a work trip.  I will have to be better about that this week.  I will have to walk a fine line between preparing myself and not overdoing it as I have the Brooklyn Half coming up next Saturday.  I am confident I will finish that race, but I was hoping to clock consistent 12 minute miles for it.  That race will be on a much more flat course, but my timing issues in this race don't make that goal look too promising at this point.  Either way, finishing a race is still finishing a race and I am happy to have run for such a great reason today.

Happy to have another race under my belt!!

Here's hoping I make it through all four miles at Race #6 tomorrow!  Stay tuned...


Andrea :)

Competitiveness = Love

Chris and I had never been bowling together until recently.  We are very competitive so we have taken our turn at competing in many various sports.  It all began about three months into our relationship when we were set to make a trip to Pittsburgh for me to meet some of his close college friends.  We were meeting the group at a Dave and Buster's.  Chris and I had discussed for weeks beforehand the terms and conditions for a basketball game we intended to play there.  We both had every intention of holding nothing back for this game.  I am happy to announce that I won...2 out of 3.  I was challenged to best of five at that point, but decided to stop while I was ahead.  Since then we have played mini-golf (twice...I lost both times), a real game of basketball (loser again, but I had just run roughly 3 miles prior to the game so you have to take that into account), tennis (loser by all stretches of the imagination...unfortunately), and another round of best of three at Dave and Buster's in Times Square (victorious...FINALLY!!).  But in all that time, no bowling...which might have been a good thing for me in the end.  Chris not only definitely beat me, but he also did particularly well in our second game...at least until the flashing disco lights came on in the bowling alley around the end of that game.  Here are a few pictures from our fun bowling night with some friends.

I think he got a spare on this bowl actually.

Game 1...Eddie wins, the rest of us are getting warmed up :)

Game 2...Chris destroys us all with his awesome score!

Game 3...Loan brings home a victory for the ladies :)

Group shot at the end of the night :)

On the way home, Chris challenged me to another best of three at Dave and Buster's which is perfect because I'm definitely slated for a victory soon!!

*Side Note: I also learned the game of darts this same weekend.  Chris beat me in all three games we played, but it should be noted that I came just shy of closing in on a win in two of those games AND it was my first time EVER playing.  Just thought I'd throw that in for good measure!!

Andrea :)

Race #4

Name: Run As One

Date/Time: Sunday, April 29 at 8:30am

Location: Central Park

Length: 4.0 miles

Bib Number: 10611

Official Time: 46:17

Average Time per Mile: 11:35

Upon checking my official race time on Sunday afternoon I proclaimed, "I can't believe it!!  I SET A PR!!"  Chris was very happy to hear I did well, but I'm not sure he initially realized how shocked and amazed I was by this feat.  I knew I could do it (run under 12 minute miles), but I wasn't sure I would be able to do it so soon or by so much!!  Two things were critical in this accomplishment - the weather was almost perfect for a run (sunny, but 45 degrees with very little wind or humidity) and two of my friends slowed their pace significantly to encourage and motivate me to push myself to my full capacity.  I am very proud of myself for pushing through the pain to attempt to keep the pace they were setting for me.  Run as One was a truly fitting theme for this race :)

Chris has really perfected the pre-race pic :)

The race itself was the exact course I had run in Race #2 so I was familiar with it and might even go as far as to say comfortable with it as I had a good run that day as well.  The first mile we just trudged through at a steady pace.  When we hit the mile marker, Reba asked if I took note of our pace and I indicated I believed we ran that mile in just under 12 minutes.  Reba said we should try to pick up our pace on the next section of the course since it was mostly flat/downhill.  I managed to do that as we finished that mile in roughly 11 minutes.  Mile 3 is the most hilly and was my most difficult.  Reba and Amanda kept a good pace, but had to slow up and wait for me to catch up a few times. I was very glad they stuck it out and stayed with me because I know that I would have fallen significantly off pace at this point without their support.  The hills were a beast and I was exhausted especially knowing there was still a full mile left on the back end of those hills.  Reba stopped off for a restroom break at the end of mile 3 and in all the discussion, I totally missed the mile marker there.  Amanda continued to encourage me every step of the way that last mile...and I totally needed it!!  I was completely exhausted at that point.  I was so very relieved when we saw the turn for the home stretch.  I picked up my pace then and headed across the finish looking for Chris (who I was so thankful to see at the end of such a draining race) and vaguely noticing the time at 58 something.  I remembered us starting at 12 something so I knew I had done pretty well, but I was too worn out to try to do much figuring outside of that.  I knew I had run under 12 minute miles, but I had no idea it was that much under.  When I saw my official time, I really was surprised and then very excited because since Race #1 (recall the 13+ pace), it has been my goal to get down to a roughly 11:30 pace.  I know I will have to work to keep myself on track with this pace, but I believe I can do it.  The test will come over the course of my next few races when I don't have my friends running with me.

Thanks, again!! Couldn't have done it without you :)

I'm attempting to conquer back to back race days this coming weekend.  That will definitely be an adventure...stay tuned!

Andrea :)

She's HERE!!!

Brinley Kate Heflin finally made her appearance into this world!!  She was born today at 8:46pm.  She weighs 6 pounds and 12 ounces and is 19.5 inches long.  I wish I could be in Kentucky to welcome her with the rest of my family, but I will get my chance soon enough.  I absolutely can't wait to hold her in just a few short weeks!!  To keep up with this gorgeous little girl and my brother's new little family, check out his blog - All Because 2 People Fell in LOVE:  Brinley's Story. 

Dear Brinley -

I am so glad you are finally here.  Seems like we have all anxiously awaited your arrival for a VERY long time now.  We are so happy to have you in our lives.  I wish I could have been there to meet you today, but I will be visiting you soon.  I absolutely can't wait to hold you.  You are so little right now (and I hope you don't grow too much before I get a chance to see you), but I know you won't stay that way very long.  I am looking forward to being as much a part of your life as possible from so far away.  I never knew I would be so excited to be an aunt, but I am.  I love you so much already my beautiful little niece :)

Aunt Andrea

The Draft

The 2012 NFL Draft started off with a short, but somewhat inconvenient drizzly walk from our Park Ave offices to Radio City Music Hall.  Upon arrival, I located our meeting spot and began working on drying myself from the drizzle (in a dreaded suit nonetheless).  A group of co-workers and I waited and waited and waited for our 4pm meeting to begin.  Around 4:30pm or so we decided we might not be having that meeting after all. Turns out they met on a floor not indicated in our memo.  Interesting enough start to things, huh?  Needless to say, we found our leader and received our assignments.  Then, we went for some snacks.

Thought these little football cupcakes were so cute!

Right around 5pm, my bag distribution partner in crime and I found our station and began another round of waiting.  Sort of made me understand how the players feel back there in the green room.  Well, minus the whole excitement of potentially becoming a millionaire an NFL player part...haha!  I took a few pictures of the pre-Draft excitement while we waited.

NFL Network set pre-Draft....

They treated these hats like gold.  Too funny!!

I absolutely love passing out these fan bags every year!

FINALLY, we started giving out the free gift bags.  This is my favorite assignment of the whole year. So much my favorite that I have volunteered for the opportunity for all five Drafts that have occurred since my time at the NFL.  I love the enthusiasm and response of the fans to these bags.  This year, I was in a section of the orchestra where mostly media (who much to their chagrin, do NOT receive bags) and members of draftees families were seated.  This proved for an interesting experience.  We seemed to be forcing our gift bags on people more often than we were giving them until we got down to the last handful of bags; then, everyone came out of the woodwork looking for one.  As a five-year veteran, I can assure you that is always how it goes. After we emptied our bins, we grabbed some dinner and watched the first few picks of the draft on TV just like everyone at home.  Glamorous, right?  I did eventually head down to see some of the action myself.  I waited around to check out the Bengals first round pick.  Here are some pics from the closest I got to the action :)

Hope Dre does big things for us this year!!

This one is actually from Day 2...

Day 2 followed in a nearly identical fashion trading the rainy weather for quite chilly winds.  The biggest (and most exciting) difference was that my fabulous boyfriend was in the house on Day 2.  He and his cousin used my tickets for the night.  They had a great time.  I was able to hang out with them for much of the second and all of the third round.  I took a candid posed shot of them and of course a classic with Christopher!

Jelrey and Chris taking in Round 3 on Draft Day 2...

All I have to say is WHO DEY :)

Hope your team drafted well this year!!  Can't wait to see how they all the picks work out in the fall!!  The countdown to football season is ON...

Andrea :)

Indescribable

One night last week, I went for a run in preparation for one of my many races.  I had a particularly good run even though I didn't cover too many miles.  As I was heading back to my apartment, I hear Avalon's Indescribable on Pandora.  For some reason, the lyrics really spoke to me.  I even posted to Facebook about it, which I rarely do.  Anyway, I just wanted to share the lyrics with you.  This is a great song!

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea,

Creation's revealing Your majesty.

From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring,

Every creature unique in the song that it sings. All exclaiming...

(Chorus)

Indescribable, Uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.

You are amazing God.

All powerful, untameable,

Awestruck we fall to our knees and we humbly proclaim,

You are amazing God.

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go,

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light,

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night?

None can fathom...

(Chorus)

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light,

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night?

(Chorus)

Incomparable, Unchangeable,

You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same.

You are amazing God.

As I was listening, I looked up into the night sky only to see ZERO stars, but for some reason that was even more of a reassurance to me that God is in total control.  I've always been upset that you can't see stars in NYC (well, outside of on Broadway of course...haha).  Seriously though, it has always made me feel strange to look up into a totally blank sky.  According to Yahoo! Answers, it is due to light pollution...and there is definitely a lot of that in NYC, especially where I live.  I guess the good news for a traveller like me is that the stars (along with a lot of other great people and fun places) are available just a short bus/train/plane ride away for now.

Andrea :)