When you wait a month to write your race recap,the race becomes a lot less exciting.

When all the life changes happen in between the race and the day of the recap, the race becomes a lot less exciting.

When you remember your PR, the excitement returns.

I signed up for the Scotland Run 10K on a bit of a whim. I just started running again March after taking a break. I only ran one time after the Richmond Marathon, a difficult 8-miler a couple of weeks later, and then it got cold and as Andy told you all, I don’t do cold well.

The weather got warmer in March, so back to the running grind I went. Only this time, something was different.

I was much faster.

Like, MUCH faster. I was always a 10 minute mile runner on average. I’d be happy with a run if I finished in anything under 10 minute miles. A few times, I was able to push myself faster – like the Women’s Mini 10K in June 2010 and the 4 Mile Race to Deliver that November. Both those runs were extreme situations. During the first, I was pissed off and during the second, I was gunning for a PR. During both, I felt like death.

But now, I can run sub-9 minute miles and feel great the entire time.

I’m not entirely sure why this is.

My guess is that my newfound speed (relative, of course – I’m still not an actually FAST runner) comes from a combination of factors – the countless sprints and heart rate bursts at Refine Method, all the miles I logged during marathon training and the nice long rest I gave myself.

I signed up for a few 10ks – one in April, one in May, one in June and I plan to sign up for one in July when registration opens.  My goal was to work up to a PR in the June 10K – the Women’s Mini 10k, exactly two years after my last PR in that race.

Once I realized I was naturally faster, I thought maybe I should try to PR in the Scotland Run. The thing is, I didn’t run very often and I didn’t do any type of training or speedwork. But I also knew, based on my recent runs, that I had it in me.

The night before the race, I was debating if I’d even go or not. I realized it started at 62nd street on the west side. I was at Andy’s old apartment on 95th and 3rd, the complete opposite corner of the park. The thought of spending money on a cab, dealing with coat check, getting back home after didn’t seem appealing. I went to bed not sure if I’d do the race. I made a playlist just in case though.

I woke up still not sure if I’d go, but once I got out of bed it was clear I was racing. I got ready, applied my company’s brand new BB Cream for the first time (I sound like an ad, but I really wanted to test this out at a time I needed SPF but wouldn’t wear real makeup) and headed out. A guy who was clearly also going to the race got on the elevator at a lower floor, and I asked him if he wanted to share a cab with me. Then I banged him.

Just kidding.

We did share the cab though, which made my stress about paying to go to the race disappear. I checked my coat and made it to the start with time to spare. It was a gorgeous, sunny, cool day and once I was around all the other excited runners, I was really happy I made the trek to this race. I felt really, really good.

And we were off.

I completed the first mile in exactly 9:00. That was my slowest mile of the race.

I’m sure you can see where this is going. Especially since I already gave it away in the title.

I seriously felt amazing the entire time. The first mile flew by which is always a good sign, and when I feel good I run faster. Central Park’s hills were rough as always but I pushed through. My iPod Nano got into Shuffle mode a few weeks ago and I forgot to try and fix this before the race. It took me a few songs to realize they were out of order, and once I did I was a little upset because Jesse from Flywheel introduced me to a really fun, fast song during his spin class that I wanted to hear – Press It Up by Sean Paul. I never did get to hear it during this race. But the music was still awesome.

It was around mile 5 that things got tough and I was ready for the race to end, which is funny because that was my fastest full mile of the race. As soon as the last mile started, I got nauseous. Very nauseous. I was pushing my body hard and it was time to be done. But I always finish a  race strong, and this one was no exception. As much as I wanted to really sprint at the end, I did what I could knowing I had my PR.

Official NYRR time: 53:55

Official average pace: 8:42

To put this in perspective, I finished my first 10K in December 2009 in 1:03:22. And my 10K PR before this was 56:05. And I had just taken months off from running and didn’t train. I was beyond elated to finish this race and get my PR! I even walked back home after just to extend my happiness outside.

I also snapped this photo when I got back home to see how my BB Cream held up and also because I was very happy. The cream held up well during the race! I have chronic acne on my chin and you’d never know.

Back on topic.

This race made me crave a half marathon. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a convenient half anytime soon. They changed my beloved Queens Half Marathon (another surprise PR – I think I’m capable of more than I realize) to a 10K. I’m registered for the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in September (right by my new apartment and directly in front of my office) and the Richmond Half Marathon in November (I loved racing there so much last year, I can’t wait to get back) – and I WILL PR in one of those. If not both.

I just hope this newfound speediness doesn’t disappear as suddenly as it arrived.

I’m glad to be back in the racing game. I’ve said it before – I like racing more than I like running. Although now that I’m consistently getting splits in the 8s, I’m beginning to like running a whole lot more. Seeing improvement is the greatest form of motivation there is.

Job, unpacking and getting apartment stuff and organizing, finding time to work out and general laziness, I’ve fallen behind on my Scotland Run 10K race recap (Hint: Surprise PR that I in no way trained for). And about offering any sort of update about my move (Hint: Incredibly stressful and resulted in spending my first night in the apartment in tears).

That said, I absolutely love my new apartment and will leave you with these photos until I can get my shit together to write a proper blog post.

The view from my living room during sunset:

The view from my couch (floor-to-ceiling windows FTW). Watching people play tennis (and basketball at the same time, apparently) along with cricket and other things is like having a second TV, conveniently located right next to the first TV. The second TV actually distracts from the first one, and it never has commercials:

Same view but instead of sitting on my couch, I stood up to take it. The section between the tennis court and playground is side of the pool area. I can see more of it from my bedroom window. Andy hopes to use my dad’s hardcore binoculars to check out girls in bikinis there this summer:

The view from my morning run. I also have a little view of the Hudson River and Manhattan from my apartment, but it didn’t come out great so I’ll have to take it again another time:

Chili’s Bar and Grill is conveniently located just a few blocks from our new home. This pleases Andy very much, as evidenced here on his birthday:

My blog in 3D. Not related to my move, but cool nonetheless:

Hello Fitness Blog People. My name is Andy and I am the boyfriend of Dori. Perhaps you recognize me from the NYC and Richmond Marathons or Celebrating My Birthday, or from me being one of the 10 things Dori is liking in 2012.

I’ve been telling Dori that I’d like to write a guest post and seeing that we’re four days from moving in together, this seemed like the ideal time. Since everyone loves lists, I thought I’d give you 10 Random Things You Don’t Know About Dori. But first here’s a bunch of random things about me so you know who I am and all that.

I have known Dori for a year and 11 days, which is probably less time than most of you have been reading her blog. I am going to be 35 next Wednesday and Dori is taking me to my favorite restaurant – Chili’s! I am from Framingham, Mass. On a related note, I’m not one of those people from a suburb of Boston who just say they’re from Boston (instead of the specific town) nor do I know why everyone does that. [Ed. note: Yes, he is]

I sometimes slip into my sexy Dylan McKay whisper voice when I want to seduce Dori (Hey Bren, Hey Kel). I sometimes put on a fake British accent [Ed. note: Does not sound remotely British aside from the use of such words as crumpets] when I want to make Dori laugh. I don’t like chocolate or coffee. I like oatmeal cookies with no raisins and find myself addicted to Diet Snapple Peach Iced Tea. I think Saved by the Bell is overrated and Charles In Charge is underrated. I prefer pools to beaches and Chipotle to Qdoba. I could go on and on about myself … but this isn’t about me. So without further ado…

TEN RANDOM THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT DORI

1. She Watches/Tolerates Sports - I’ll just start with the most important thing since I work in sports and need to watch them for my job (or so I say). It started one innocent summer night when I said to her, “By the way, I spend every Sunday after Labor Day watching football from 1pm to 11pm. And it’ll probably go through the Super Bowl because I feel good about the Patriots this year.” Her response: “OK sounds fun.” Sure, this has something to do with her utter hatred of cold weather (spoiler alert) but it’s better than being cooped on the couch watching Lifetime movies all day. Who am I kidding? I love Lifetime movies. And since you asked, I’m still devastated by the Patriots losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. It sucked enough when it happened in 2007, especially living in NYC, but for it to happen again four years later is just not fair. At least it wasn’t the Jets.
2. She Reads Like A Mofo. But Not Magazines - This may have something to do with her being forced to watch football 10 hours every Sunday, but she buries herself in that Kindle for hours reading book after book. However, put a magazine in front of her and there’s no interest. Zero. And I am talking good girlie magazines I get for free from work like People, In Style, Entertainment Weekly. What girl doesn’t like reading People? Dori, that’s who.
3. Her Apartment Sucks - She’s referenced her 320 square foot paradise in numerous posts and it is quite the spectacle. You walk in, small bedroom with no closet to the left, small bathroom to the right, tiny kitchen in front of you, slightly less small closetless bedroom (technically a living room) off kitchen. That’s it. She’s lived there for six years. I’d say my apartment is roughly 65 percent of the reason she started dating me. Maybe 70. [Ed. note: 95]
4. She Puts Me In Prison - Ladies, I don’t know if you do this to your boyfriend but it is not fun. I’m lying on the couch. Dori is lying on the couch next to me. Dori then subtly positions her body so it’s at a 45-degree angle and her legs are crossing over mine. Then I try to get up to get water or go to the bathroom and I can’t move because Dori’s legs are preventing me from getting up. I call it putting me in prison. I don’t even think she knows she’s doing it. Then she laughs and apologizes so I can’t really get mad. But maybe if I put it in a post on her blog, she’ll stop doing it so much. [Ed. note: No]
5. She Won’t Sing Billy Joel - If I were on a desert island and could only have one CD, Billy Joel wouldn’t be my first choice (it’s probably be Pearl Jam or Neil Young). He wouldn’t be my second choice either (that’d be the underrated ‘Til the Medicine Takes by Widespread Panic). He’d probably be around my 25th choice. But that doesn’t stop me from singing Uptown Girl every time we go to one of our favorite UES hotspots, The Uptown Lounge. Of course, I alter the lyrics to reflect the moment. In other words, Dori will say something like, “We should get that pizza we like from Uptown Lounge.” And I’ll respond with, (in tune of Uptown Girl), “Uptown Lounge. We’re having dinner at the Uptown Lounge. Maybe we’ll have a burger and fries, or something else that rhymes with fries.” I’ve sung this song roughly 50 times in the past six months and she won’t bite. It’s addictive though – I bet you’re singing it to yourself right now. [Ed. note: She will sing Billy Joel, she will not sing Uptown Lounge]
6. She Loves Pajamas – I understand that everyone loves pajamas – they are a sign of being home and comfortable and all that. But nobody gets in their pajamas quicker than Dori. We’ll go out to dinner, return to my apartment and before I’ve even locked the door, she’s got her pajama pants on and regular clothes off. Like 3.6 seconds. It’s impressive. And she always has to make a comment like, “Ugh. I hate clothes.” Apparently, pajamas don’t count as clothes.
7. She Hates the Cold – Well, everyone hates the cold but Dori really hates the cold and uses the months between September and March to remind me of such every day. She also claims to “melt in the rain,” which is somewhat funny because if anything, you’d melt in the sun because it’s so hot. If anything, one would fall apart in the rain. I kind of like the rain, but only when I’m stuck at work because I don’t want anyone to enjoy the nice weather if I can’t.
8. She Loves Beverly Hills 90210 – I already mentioned my sultry Dylan McKay whisper/voice that makes her melt, but it’s more than just Luke Perry. She loves Steve’s blonde mullet and Donna’s bad boob job. She loves Brenda’s bitchiness and Brandon’s impenetrable hair. And frankly, I do too, which is why I current have 36 episodes backlogged on my DVR. But there’s more – since we started dating, we met Ian Ziering in person, talked to Tori Spelling on a Facebook chat and have befriended the great Lacey Chabert. Sure, she was on Party of Five but it’s still impressive.
9. She Loves Hoodies and Yoga Pants –This is her outfit of choice and frankly, I couldn’t be happier. I see way too many girls squeeze into some ridiculously uncomfortable pair of jeans to go out to brunch so the 20 people at the restaurant that she’ll never see again are impressed with how she looks. Not Dori. She could not care less – just throw on some yoga pants and a hoodie and she’s good to go. Though she does look good in yoga pants.
10. She Likes The Refine Method – As she’s written here a million times, she is a big fan of this workout. No matter how crappy she feels before, she always comes back with a big smile on her face. So a few months ago, I decided to give it a shot since it’s such a big part of her life. I’ll never make that mistake again. No offense to Brynn, who is the best fitness instructor in Manhattan but I couldn’t move my legs for three days after the workout and have no desire to do it again. But there’s Dori, going several times a week and kicking ass. Not that I’m completely lazy – Dori has now taken me to four spin classes which is much easier for me. I’ve also walked roughly 10,000 laps around the Reservoir since moving to NYC several years ago. [Ed. note:  Someone who does not run also signed up for a 3 mile race in May]

And there you have it – 10 Random Facts About Dori. And here’s one more – she’s a great girlfriend and an even better roommate (I hope). So if you happen to be in Jersey City and see an amazingly awesome couple walking around like they own the place, that’s probably not us. We’ll be home in pajamas watching a 90210 rerun.