Thank you for your wonderful responses last week to Marathon Training: Handling My Fear. It is helpful for me to know other people have the same struggles and can understand how I am feeling.

So, finally! My first race post injury is complete. I was supposed to run the Celebrate Israel Run 4 Mile race in June, but my hip was bothering me after brand new exercises in a new class shocked it into pain for a few days.

The 10K is my favorite race distance. My first 10K, the Joe Kleinerman 10K, was in December, 2009. I don’t know what I was thinking signing up for a race in 20 degree temperatures. I was freezing before it started! But I was also inspired at that time as I saw two older ladies, in their 60s,  next to me in the corral, discussing how they were running this race “just for fun” and not complaining about the cold. Once that race got going I warmed up and had a really fun time, finishing in a respectable 1:03:22, an average pace of 10:13 per mile — amazing for my very first 10K when I had only started running less than six months earlier, and amazing considering I struggled with serious knee pain toward the end.

The next 10K I tackled was about five months later in the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, greatly improving my time and finishing in 1:00:37. But a few weeks after that I ran the Women’s Mini 10K and crushed that PR was a time of 56:05. Yep. I went from 1:03:22 to 56:05 in six months.

I love this distance because it is the perfect amount of running; an hour, give or take.  It is short enough to push yourself, but long enough to warm up and get into a groove. It is a nice, round distance.

So now, let’s talk about the Boomer’s Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breathe 10K.

My training plan had 8 miles on the schedule. I ran two slow miles around my neighborhood on the way to Central Park and arrived at the corrals for the race, where I met up with my friend Z.

My main goal was to not bust out of the start at a fast pace like I tend to do, which (1) would be difficult to maintain and (2) would affect my hip. I wanted to start off around 10:30 with a goal of negative splits. Z had the same goal so we decided to stick together for as long as possible.

The race started and I felt awesome. Within the first minute, this photo of me and Z was taken:

And subsequently placed on the New York Road Runners homepage.  My hamming has paid off.

I felt so awesome during this first mile. I was thrilled to be racing again! I love the energy of all the people around me. Running is so much more fun during a race. I looked down at my Garmin and told Z we were running too fast! “I know!” she responded. We both slowed down.

You probably know I love my race music and I love making playlists. I have an uncanny ability, no matter how fast or slow I am running at a given race, to time my playlist so perfectly that I cross the finish during the very last song on my list. Whether I PR by 4 minutes or don’t PR at all our run my slowest time ever — I just time it right. I don’t know how I do this and I am sure my powers will soon fail me, but at this race I once again timed it that perfectly.

[I promise I was struggling at Mile 6. Also, I think I need a new race photog pose.]

Even better than the total playlist timing was the coincidental timing of the song I ran up the Harlem Hills on and the song that played as I ran down. Uprising by Muse could not have been more perfect for pushing me up those crazy and long hills, and  Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap couldn’t have been better for coasting down after. Both songs were PERFECT at these exact times. I couldn’t believe it worked out this way.

The rest of my playlist was just as awesome. Thanks again Gena for introducing me to DJ Cobra. Final Escapade made me think of GOB Bluth, and then that made me think “But where did the lighter fluid come from?” And then I laughed. During the race.

So after that downhill, I felt pretty great. At the downhill that came after the Harlem Hills downhill, as I sped up, I decided to stay up with my newly faster pace.

At one point during mile 5 I looked down and my Garmin said my pace was under 9:00. Not. Good. I slowed down. But I was still running fast. I felt great.

Until the next mile when the race became immensely difficult. My pace was too fast, the weather too hot, and I needed the running to stop. I slowed down, but it is so funny how relative running is. After I relaxed on the too-fast pace, I felt like I was crawling. In reality, I was still running under a 10 minute mile. It just felt slow in comparison.

I didn’t think I’d have a final push in me at the finish, but I did. Something about seeing the finish so close makes me forget my pain for a few seconds. I finished with a smile and was so happy — happy to be finished running and happy with my strong effort. Happy my hip did not hurt at all. Happy to be ending on Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby.

[Mid-air finish!]

Splits (I started my Garmin a little early):

1 – 10:04
2 – 10:22
3 – 10:06
4 – 10:15
5 – 9:15
6 – 9:30
6.33 – 9:01

Official time: 1:02:22
Average pace: 10:04

NOT BAD at all! After coming back from injury and having already run 2 miles before the race, I am thrilled! I beat my Joe Kleinerman 10K time even after recently dealing with my hip injury. And I achieved my goal of negative splits from first half to the second. My first race back post-injury was difficult but it was awesome. I am happy to be back.

—

In other news…

Check out my latest NBC New York: GO Healthy NY review:

Dori’s Quest: Indoor Cycling at Flywheel Sports

And this video from the BeFitNYC.org launch event to Make NYC Your Gym. Missy and I are interviewed (I am the one dripping in sweat in a colorful headband) and a quick scene from our IntenSati launch event class is shown:

Excellent news: My hip is back to normal. What happened last week was just irritation from a new workout, and I definitely did not re-ignite te injury. I am now pain-free. I feel amazing. I will not try any new workouts that I am not sure I can easily modify — at least not until after November 6.

So when I got this email, I could not help myself:

Yeah. After a quick approval from my sister-in-law (I cannot make big decisions on my own), I was on the website signing up to run the marathon for charity.

SoleMates is the charity running program for Girls on the Run. Girls on the Run is a life-changing, experiential learning program for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development. Our mission is to educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living. Please check out our website atwww.girlsontherunsolemates.org/.

To learn more about Girls on the Run SoleMates click here

A few factors that influenced my decision:

• If I can use my marathon experience for an incredible cause, why wouldn’t I?
• Speaking of the cause. . . I feel strongly about this one guys. Really strongly. Girls on the Run teaches young girls self-confidence through exercise. (1) How me is that, right! and (2) I get sad when I see how much pressure (even more than when I was younger) there is on these young girls to look a certain way. A way that is not healthy or even possible in most cases. I want so much for my future children to not have this sort of pressure, not feel the way I often feel. I want them to believe they are perfect and lead an active, healthy life.
• Not a scary fundraising commitment. I initially wanted to run with charities that required a $2,100 donation. While not impossible to raise, the number is daunting and caused some stress. I need to have as little stress as possible right now, especially since I am so busy. So now I can raise money and help a great cause without added pressure of not being able to meet my requirement.
• Weekly team training runs appealed to me. The really long runs scare me. I worry about feeling bored, wanting to give up, not knowing how to plan a good route. With a group run, I just have to show up and push through. I will be motivate by others doing the same thing.
• Free yoga sessions sound great too, although I did just buy a Living Social deal for this rooftop yoga studio. Stretching is always a good thing.
• And from the pictures I saw, there is race day support on the course. I would love to have other Girls on the Run people cheering for me! I will need all the cheering I can get when I run my first (and only) marathon.

So this is where you kids come in. I want you all to donate, but don’t think I won’t try and make it worth your while. Last year’s Dori’s Shiny Charity Auction was a huge success and so much fun, but more time consuming (I had to take a day off work!) than I can do right now.

So I am having a raffle! I am raffling an Exhale Spa 10-Class Pack of Core and Yoga Classes ($300-350 value).

At $35 for a single class in NYC (a little less in other locations), this is a really great deal.

Exhale 10-Class Pack Raffle Rules

$5 per entry – $10 = 2 entries; $15 = 3 entries; and on and on. The higher you bid, the more entries you get. I wanted this to be accessible to anyone, so as long as you’ve got $5 you have a shot!

Click here to donate and enter the raffle.

Please leave a comment to let me know you entered so I can separate people trying to win with those just donating without interest in the prize. I will announce the winner during next Tuesday’s post. Remember, it is $5 per entry. There is no limit to how many entries you can get.

[Photo: exhale spa]

Click here for Exhale Spa locations in NY, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, Texas, California and Turks & Caicos.

Thank you to exhale for donating the prize.

(1) Missy’s and my free IntenSati class for BeFitNYC.org Launch Week

THANK YOU to everyone who came to the BeFitNYC.org launch week event that Missy and I held this past Saturday. Our IntenSati class was a huge success and I am still so happy with how many people showed up — even with the 11th hour location change from Central Park to an indoor space because of the weather.

We selected the biggest studio in Simple Studios and the room was still packed. It got hot and sweaty, but the class was so much fun I don’t think we minded much! I’m not generally a big sweater; I walked to and from work on that 100 degree day in NYC last week, a little over a mile each way and did not sweat a drop. But in this class, I was completely soaked, the bottom of my ponytail was sopping wet, my face was shiny and I felt awesome. I’ve only done IntenSati once before (when Missy taught for the first time!), but I got so into this class! Our instructor Lindsay was extremely motivating and awesome, and I had the best time. I still find myself repeating the catchy affirmations to myself — which I believe is the point.

Enjoy our butts:

Here I am with Missy in our post-class glow (sweat).

I loved the class so much that I decided to go to a CoreSati and IntenSati class at Equinox with Missy next week to take class with its founder Patricia Moreno! I completely get why Missy and many other people love this class so much. I wish I had the courage to try it when the gym I used to belong to offered it a few years ago! I thought IntenSati meant “intense” (it doesn’t) so I was scared away.  This was before I became a hardcore awesome exerciser.

So the giveaway winners.

I’ve gotta be honest, I threw in my very own Physique 57 DVD because I know you all get wet for that class, so I was a little surprised more people didn’t RSVP just to say no to enter the contest. Oh well. Better odds for the winners and really, I am beyond thrilled by how smoothly the event went.

The winner of the Physique 57 Classic 57 Minute Full Body Workout and IntenSati Great Body, Great Life and other DVDs prize pack goes to Emily!

And the runners up  who won a free YogaVibes class — and I have to apologize, I had 3 classes to give away, not 5 like I initially thought —  are Sam, Grace and Amber.

Thank you so much for entering and thank you for helping make NYC your gym! This is not the end of my partnership with BeFitNYC.org so I hope to announce more exciting events soon.

(2) On to the next topic:

I tried a new class on Friday that temporarily destroyed me. In addition to physical bruising and torn skin, I thought I messed up my hip again. I spent Sunday crying and being angry at myself. I work so hard in the classes I know well — mostly Refine and Core Fusion, but I also know how to modify yoga, barre, strength, cardio and other similar classes — that in this situation, the exercises were all so new and different that I had no idea my hip would take it so badly. I did not think that I might destroy all the work I did for months over the course of ONE hour.

It did not hurt at all during the class, and I didn’t do the things that I know typically affect it, like turning my hip out. However, looking back, there was definitely flexion over 90 degrees as part of exercises like bear crawls, but the class was a boot camp and you kind of just have to go with it. It was intense and I didn’t really think much except how to push through in the moment. I didn’t think before or during the class about whether something so unfamiliar might be a bad idea. I was so excited to review the class for NBC New York, a brand new type of class for me — which, I must add, was the hardest workout of my life and actually very awesome for people who like ass-kicking boot camps — that I just didn’t think much about how my body would respond.

I was not being dumb by going to the class. I was not in any hip pain before or during. I just wish I thought more about my decision to try something I would not automatically know how to modify. I got a little too confident in my own abilities, when in reality I am just a girl who learned how to modify the things she does every day. I am not a fitness professional or expert (although I have been toying with this idea lately . . .) and therefore I do not have the knowledge to adjust to every possible fitness scenario. Lesson learned. While I am marathon training, I am going to stick to exercises I am comfortable with — and there are plenty of classes I can try that fit that formula — and not go for anything too out of the ordinary.

After the marathon, when I am not as concerned about my ability to run for 5 straight hours, I can revisit different types of workouts.

So I basically spent Sunday feeling depressed and beating myself up (I am trying to be less of a bitch to myself, but it is hard) because my hip was hurting more than it ever did when I was injured. I could barely walk and I could not even lift my leg to get into bed! I had to get in on my good side and then use both hands to hoist my other leg up onto the bed. I also could not put on a pair of pants. I was certain I destroyed my months of hard work, rest and healing that I went through to get my hip better. Up until last week, I was running again! Pain-free! And then suddenly I could barely even WALK. My hip was swollen. I was scared.  I was a wreck. I was sure the marathon was not happening. I was sure I would never even get to go back to Refine or Core Fusion. I iced and Tiger Balmed like it was my job.

I woke up on Monday feeling a LOT less pain. It still hurt, but I felt much more hopeful about my future. I made the (hard) smart decision to cancel the Core Fusion Cardio class I had spent all week looking forward to. The dramatic difference from Sunday to Monday made me suspect this was not a re-injury; rather, just a little inflammation from trying something different. And now, Tuesday morning, I feel almost completely better. The difference between Sunday and Tuesday is incredibly drastic. I am still going to take it easy this week, but I am confident now that I will be OK.

I think that because I have this hip injury, it reacts to the unknown by becoming inflamed. I think that is all that happened here. I do not think I permanently destroyed it. I do think that after some rest, I will be fine. Lesson learned — and thankfully this happened before marathon training and not during. This experience also serves as a reminder that I am not 100% better (and I might not ever be) and I need to continue to be cautious and modify exercises in my classes. Even if I think I can try something, right now, as I begin to train for the ING NYC Marathon, is not the time to experiment.

It helps to think of everything as a lesson.

(3) And lastly, I want to share some of my newest writing with you.

My guest post on the Real Business at Xerox blog with my time managing tips*

• #FocusFriday: Managing a Busy Schedule: Tips from a (sometimes overwhelmed) Blogger

• NBC New York GO Healthy NY: Dori’s Quest: Nalini Method, a Barre-Class Apart

• NBC New York GO Healthy NY: Dori’s Quest: Ki Power Vinyasa Intense and Effective

• And you might want to check The Fitnessista later today for a treat from me. Hint: It has to do with Core Fusion.

*Any time management tips taken from me are at your own risk. By reading this, you agree that negative outcomes cannot be blamed on Dori Heather Manela, including but not limited to: inability to get out of bed; neglecting responsibilities until the last possible second; weeks-old dishes toppling over the sink; clothing flung on all surfaces; a bedroom in complete and total disarray; flies; wrinkled clothing; a torn-apart bedroom because you can’t find anything, even after creating dedicated spaces for things — you won’t actually put your things in those spaces; inanimate objects taking over your bed so all you have for yourself is a tiny corner at the top; and, an overabundance of old books that have not yet made their way to the donation box at the library 20 blocks away, despite owning an old-lady shopping cart (which currently functions as a place to throw bras).