Spring Training

I haven't started my "official" marathon training yet, but I'm working on building a solid base so that I'll already be off to a good start in July. Part of my training includes doing New York Road Runner races on weekends. I've run four so far this year - two over this past weekend - which means that I'm almost halfway to the number I need to qualify for the 2013 marathon. I'm registered to run three more so far over the course of the summer. I view them as fun speed workouts. Most are between 4 and 6 miles long. If I run from my apartment to the starting line, which I did on Sunday, I can add an extra three miles to the race distance, and if I run home after the race I can add an extra six. This results in slower race times, but I don't mind. Though I don't love the cool spring we've had here in New York, it has been perfect running weather.

I've also really been enjoying my new gym. Chelsea Piers is between a five- and ten-minute jog from my apartment (depending on whether I have to stop at all the intersections or not) and it has all the facilities I could possibly want. My old gym was very crowded, and I had to ride a train 25 minutes to get to a shallow, cloudy pool that often had no available space for swimming anyway. They did a decent job of keeping things clean, but the locker room was hardly a joy to hang out in, and the machines or weights I wanted to use were often already occupied. Chelsea Piers is new and spotless. Not only does it have a pool with plenty of lanes (which, alas, are only 25 meters long, but at least the water is clean), it also has a regulation-sized indoor track, a sand volleyball court, a boxing ring, a huge indoor climbing gym, and a concessions area featuring juice and sushi bars. There are also a spa and two sun decks, though I have yet to visit them. It is airy and open and has views of the Hudson River. It's never very crowded, particularly in the mornings, which is when I've been going for the most part.

My complaints are few. One of the big ones is that most of the yoga classes I'm interested in are scheduled for crazy times like 10:00 A.M., which is hardly convenient for someone with a work schedule. Still, I like the variety of classes, and there's always the pool, the track, or stationary bikes to use if there isn't a class offered during a time I want to go. Below are some pictures of my new hang-out:

Rock wall. Now if only I could remember where I put my climbing harness and shoes. I unpacked them and stored them....somewhere.

Three out of the four sides of this pool have windows that look out on the Hudson and the harbor (which isn't that cool when your face is in the water, but it's nice to know they're out there). There's a hot tub in the corner for a post-workout soak if one is so inclined.

The track with the boxing ring and basketball courts in the background. The track is 400 meters long, but it has a smaller loop that is only 200 - great for intervals. 

Sand volleyball court. I never really liked volleyball and so didn't think I'd be using this court much, though the instructor of a training class I attended recently had us running through the sand holding heavy medicine balls above our heads...