26.2 FAIL

No, that doesn't mean I entered and DNFed a marathon without telling you all! It is referring to this:

Yep, that's my 26.2 sticker after a huge snowstorm. My once bright pink, shiny, STICKY sticker reminding me of my goals! Faded and peeled off like a weakling!

Well, I guess it's fitting that, with a new season approaching, bringing with it a whole slew of racing opportunities, I ought to get a new sticker.

Can I get one that says 3.1?

Ha ha!

NYC Marathon Recap: Post-Race

After crossing the finish line, I was thrilled to receive my 40th anniversary medal, mylar heat sheet, and goody bag.  What I was not happy to do was..just STOP.  Yep, with all the crowds backing up, we pretty much bottlenecked as soon as we stopped running.  There were announcements being made, "emergency vehicles" transporting injured runners, golf carts driving through, and we had to further squish to make way for them.  We were directed to the left in order to immediately get our UPS checked baggage back.  Good idea, but this left us no choice but to stand there in agony as our muscles cramped up and we couldn't walk it off.  It was also very difficult to eat or drink, because we were so packed in and we had to hold our (very heavy!) goody bags.

It pretty much felt like a bad dream, but I was still exhilarated from the race that I held it together and tried not to let panic get the best of me.  Now I understood what they meant when they said it would take approximately 30 minutes for runners to meet their waiting friends and family.  I quickly called mom, who was so surprised to hear from me! and Derek, whose phone had died (of course) but who had already met up with my folks.  Also spoke to Heather, who was heading to the meeting place.

When I finally got through the crowd, we had to walk up to 77th and exit the park, then walk south a bit to meet up with people.  I said goodbye to Maria and Louise, who I was going to meet for a quick celebratory bite to eat at Cassidy's on 55th between 5th and 6th.  To be honest, I was not really looking forward to dragging ass across town, especially since I needed to head back to Louise's on the east side and pick up my stuff before going back to my parents' house in Croton, but I did want to spend a little extra time with them and relish in our accomplishment!

I met up with my group and let them know where I was going.  My parents and Derek went back home (Derek had to do work), while Heather and Mike and I tried in vain to find a cab.  Nope!  After looking for 30 minutes, we finally decided on the subway.  We took the 1 to Columbus Circle, then transferred (after another 20 minute or so wait) to 47-50 Rockefeller Center.  Got out at 50th and 6th, and that was only a few short blocks away to the bar.  (By the way, during this entire debacle, I kept missing calls from Kristin.  I found out shortly that she had been at the finish and I didn't know it!  She ran into my folks, who told her I had just left.  Gave her the info for the meeting place and hoped she would be able to make it!

Now, I had mentioned before that I wasn't too keen on staying out for a long time.  But as soon as I entered the bar, it erupted in cheers and applause!  I couldn't believe it.  Turns out a lot of marathoners came here for their post-race celebration, and every time another runner came in, everyone gave it up for them. That really turned my mood around; the stress from traveling so long to get there was gone and I could enjoy myself!  And what do you know, 5 minutes after I entered...in came Kristin!  Yay!

I usually can't eat a great deal right after races, but I did have some of those delicious Emerald Roasted Almonds from the goody bag and part of an apple.  Also ordered the mushroom barley soup at Cassidy's with extra bread, which hit the spot -- it was delicious!

Also got the opportunity to meet some of Maria's family.  While we didn't stay for very long, it was the perfect amount of time to relax and refuel a bit before heading back to Louise's.  And, of course, we couldn't leave without getting a picture of the three of us!

After saying goodbye to Heather, Mike, and Kristin, I hopped in a cab (yay for cabs!) with Louise and Britt back to the east side.  Took a MUCH needed shower and changed while waiting for Jack to come pick me up.  We started watching the newscast from earlier in the day - guess it wasn't Paula or Ryan's day. :(

I really wanted more food (duh), so Mom, Jack, Derek and I went to Cappricio's - heaven!!!  I had my favorite meal of all time, of course: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. The entree looked like it could feed a family of four.

The rest of the night and the next day I just relaxed, mostly with my feet up...went for a walk by the river with Cody (puppy) the next day and just enjoyed being home.  Had another stress-free traveling experience on the way back.  All in all, a wonderful weekend, filled with family and friends!  Best time ever!

This week I am not going to run for at least a few days.  This is now day 3 of no running.  I think I am going to wait until Friday to attempt a very slow, easy jog.  My legs were crazy the other day but now are feeling good, it's just that my right foot kills around the arch - blast!  Going to try yoga today.

Of course I wouldn't be me without looking ahead to my next marathon...ok, I have to be honest: I am considering a May marathon!! (Maybe.)  I want to keep it at least semi-local, so my choices right now are the Cleveland Marathon (May 16), the Cincinnati Flying Pig (May 2), or Pittsburgh (also May 2).  Hmmm...will keep you posted, without a doubt!  But until then, will try to work on my times for shorter races. :)

NYC Marathon Recap: The Race

We set our alarms for 6 am (which felt like 7 am - yay!).  I had gotten a decent amount of sleep on Saturday night, which I was actually surprised about.  I also didn't have the alarm/getting up anxiety I usually do, because there were three of our phone alarms, plus alarms in the apartment to utilize.  We ate a little something (banana for me, half a powerbar for Louise & Maria) and took the rest to go.  We thoughtfully packed our clear UPS bags (the only bags allowed to be checked at the site) with stuff for after: advil, warm clothing, our official marathon shirts, water) as well as another bag filled with more food, gatorade, baby aspirin, body glide, and salt for before the race.  We were ready!

We got to the train and were slightly worried that the R was going to run on a weird schedule.  Luckily, it came within 5 minutes and we hopped on, soon joined at the other stops by more marathoners on the way downtown.  It was still dark out, and kind of dreamlike.  We got out at Whitehall Street and immediately got to South Ferry.  We used the bathroom, then popped a squat to wait a short while for the 8:00 ferry.  We got on quickly and soon started to eat more (english muffins with peanut butter, made by yours truly) and take some pictures!

We chatted with a couple of people running the race, mostly from other countries.  We got off the ferry after about 20 minutes, and then had to join the massive crowd waiting for the buses to shuttle us over to Fort Wadsworth.

Once on the bus, we overheard an 84-year old woman and her 76-year old male friend running what was something like their 30th marathon.  I thought, geez, if they can do it, so can we!

We got off the buses, and to be honest, this next part really sucked.  I won't go into much detail, because it's boring and there's no point, but it took forever to get where we needed to go and everyone around us seemed to be rushing one way or the other.  They called the first wave and so we felt like we were trying to swim upstream as a group of panicked runners starting hurrying back towards where we were coming from.  It didn't do much for my fear of crowds, and I was starting to worry because I had a bad headache that wasn't going away. The one good thing is that we just happened to be stopped by security at a random point, where yellow tape was put up on either side of a path, and the elites were escorted RIGHT past us!  We saw Ryan Hall and Brian Sell in the bunch.  Wow!

I took one extra-strength Tylenol, which definitely seemed to help.  Checked our bags right before they closed at 9:30 (we even saw a bunch of runners who seemed to have missed the bag check because they were dawdling!)  We ate even more (powerbar for me, bananas for them), used the porta potties again, and took our baby aspirin and salt.  Sipped on Gatorade and waited, people watching, and nervously chatting.

And then, they called our wave, but it was still a long time before we were actually invited into the corral.  We saw the elites start, then wave 1, then wave 2.  Finally, we were in!

We knew to reign it in at the beginning and to not pass anyone on the bridge.  But the rest...?  We decided to communicate when necessary, and be honest about how we felt.  We each had a 5:00 pace tattoo (Maria had a pace bracelet) because that was sorta our goal.  Let's see how it all went!!!

STATEN ISLAND

Mile 1 - 12:37

Mile 2 - 10:59

This bridge was exciting, and not at all grueling.  We were so hyper and happy!  The second mile was fast because it was all downhill....now into my hometown, Brooklyn!

BROOKLYN

Mile 3 - 11:11

Mile 4 - 10:39

Mile 5  and 6 - 21:56 (didn't see the mark for 5...ooops)

Mile 7 - 10:56

Mile 8 - 10:53

This section above is what I'll call the "how did THAT happen?" section, otherwise known as the crazy party, revved-up, going a bit too fast section.  We ran through Bay Ridge first, which was a bit uneventful off the bridge as our color, green, had to veer off East from everyone and we had no crowds for about a mile.  It's ok, it'll feel awesome later.  We conserved our speed a bit.  Then Bay Ridge Parkway was a great street, with people really showing neighborhood support, tissue boxes and paper towels out, etc.  Before we knew it we were at 4th avenue, where we met up with the other colors, and saw tons of crowds.  It was insane!  I was slapping people's hands left and right (well, just right I guess :) and people were shouting our names.  Good thing we decorated our shirts!  Maria saw some people from work in this section.  I looked for Judy and Lenny, my mom's friends, at 11th street, but didn't see them.  But then at Union Street I saw Derek, Maureen, Matt, and Sarah!  I gave Derek a big kiss, but didn't lose any time as you'll see from the mile markers.  Fast, fast, fast!  The energy kept up until we hit the Brooklyn Academy of Music, which was a crazy crowd too, and I saw Emily!

Mile 9 - 11:14

Mile 10 - 10:53

Mile 11: 11:17

Mile 12: 11:22

Then we made a right turn and I started to feel the effects of going out a wee bit too fast.  We had a big hill somewhere in there that killed my legs and my heart was pounding like crazy, though the crowds were still supportive.  They even offered us leftover Halloween candy (thanks, but no thanks!)  Still, I needed a bit of a respite from those crazy spectators.  I did get a bit of a break in South Williamsburg, and was then hungry for more cheering in a mile or two.  I knew I was going to see Trish and Allison somewhere in Williamsburg, but the course map didn't show where McCarren Park was (where I knew they'd be).  I knew it was somewhere soon...where is that damn park?  THERE IT IS!

Of course, I didn't actually take this photo, but someone was nice enough to do it for them, and they sent it to my phone!  Trish, to my surprise and excitement, grabbed my hand, hopped off the course, and ran a block with me in her high-heeled boots!  She asked how I was, and I said, "Good," which I guess was true even though I knew it might not be long until I was no longer feeling that great!  We chatted, still running, until the next water station (by the way, those stations were a MESS!  Navigating through them was insane!  I had to keep shouting to Maria and Louise that I was right behind them, or whatever, so we would know we hadn't lost each other.  Plus, there were cups literally EVERYWHERE and the ground was slippery from water and sticky from Gatorade. Gross!)  Said goodbye/I love you to Trish, and headed on over to the Pulaski Bridge and Queens!!!

QUEENS

Mile 13 (Halfway!!): 11:37

Mile 14: 11:47

Mile 15: 13:56

Mile 16: 12:09

We were actually ahead of our pace tattoo schedule for beating 5 hours!  I was getting really crazy with excitement.  This provided us with a cushion, should we need to use the bathroom, or, just, duh, needed to slow down after mile 20 or whatever.  The girls mentioned the bathroom at about mile 13 or 14, and we decided to stop at a great point (in Queens, almost to the Queensboro Bridge).  By the way, Queens was great and showed a lot of support.  I think I heard "Just Dance" by Lady GaGa in there somewhere!  Woohoo!  I didn't have to use the bathroom and in fact felt that if I, um, "adjusted" anything it might not feel right when I put it back on, so I decided to just use the opportunity to regroup and stretch for about 2 minutes.  It was greatly needed, as I was really stiff and my feet/legs were starting to hurt.  They jumped out, and off we went to the Queensboro Bridge and into Manhattan!!!!!!

MANHATTAN - FIRST AVENUE

Mile 17 - 12:06

Mile 18 - 11:16

Mile 19 - 12:11

This is where the going got tough.  The bridge was relentless, neverending, and pretty much felt all uphill (of course, until it started to go steeply downhill, a respite for our lungs and hearts but not for our quads!).  After running 14+ miles, the mile and a half of the Queensboro was just not welcome at all.

However, we knew that we were in for quite a scene when we came out at the other side.  We heard the cheering and screaming...and when we emerged, there we were!  First avenue in Manhattan.  Wow!

I quickly assessed the area and realized it was super crowded. No way was I gonna see Andrew and Kristin even if I tried.  Oh well.  Louise knew to look for Britt on their own corner, at 63rd street...yay!  Before I knew it we were in the mid 60s, when....I heard and saw Andrew, Kristin, and Wil!!!!!  It was great to see them and they realized that if they were to get a good place to stand it was to be a little further uptown from the bridge.  Yeah!

I was feeling a little bit like I was dragging, and then another surprise hit me!  Derek and Maureen on 89th!  Maria spotted them first, but what a sight for sore eyes.  Maria also saw some of her friends during this stretch.

Mile 17 brought about the Poland Spring hydration zone, complete with soaked sponges.  That felt pretty nice, especially because my hands were all sticky from Gatorade from previous stations and I looked forward to cleaning them off.  Louise jumped off the course a minute to see someone and then met back up with us.

The next couple of miles SUCKED.  That's all I can say!  First avenue, which I thought was going to be flat, instead proved to be a series of rolling hills.  Sometimes it would be a really nice relief, but at others I just wanted to scream.  And I was tiiiired and getting a little bit bored with the sameness of the avenue.  But, the crowd support was still pretty strong and I got a lot of people calling our names and saying "Go Team in Training!"  Mile 18 was the PowerBar Gel station.  I grabbed two - Raspberry cream (yum) without caffeine, and Double Latte with 2x caffeine.  My strategy was to take the non-caffeinated one now, and save the caffeine boost for mile 22.  I had been eating mostly non-caffeinated gels which was good because my stomach wasn't mad at me.  Good to know for next time.  Also?  The GU chomps, which are great for long training runs, are not as convenient for the intensity of a race.  I think I'll stock up on PowerBar Gels (my fave) and stick to those for races.

BRONX

Mile 20 - 12:23

Mile 21 - 12:33

I kept thinking, "Just get me out of this part of Manhattan, just get me to 20 miles."  Before I knew it, the 20 mile mark was in sight and we were already in the Bronx!  Crossing the Willis Avenue bridge actually wasn't too bad, and it was interesting that we had an orange carpet rolled out for us - that grating must have been horrible on the legs.  I saw a couple of people look like they were losing it, including a guy who looked like he was in excruciating pain.  Just pushed through and hoped that he was ok - it would suck to have all that hard work not amount to a finish because of leg cramps.  Louise got a bit teary-eyed at mile 20, as did I.  Remembering this moment in Phoenix was awesome, too, but now we were in NYC and it was great.  Being that I worked in the Bronx for so many years, I felt a particular affinity towards this part of the course.  But before we could get comfortable here, we were crossing yet ANOTHER bridge - the Madison Avenue Bridge, the fifth (and final!) one on the course.  Back to Manhattan to finish this one off!!!!

MANHATTAN - FIFTH AVENUE

Mile 22 - 12:14

Mile 23 - 12:32

I knew that pretty soon I was going to see my parents.  So that, coupled with the nice, smooth paved road on Fifth, made me happy at this point on the course.  There were lots of gospel singers and it was great.  The road is narrower at Fifth, which I was thankful for because there weren't as many barricades and people were able to get closer.  At one point, I heard Jordin Sparks' "One Step at a Time" and I am slightly embarrassed to say I got all emotional.  It was one of the songs on my marathon playlist, and just works at a time like this.  Saw my parents - who were screaming! between mile 21 and 22, at 125th street.  Then there was the famous "Fakeout" of Marcus Garvey park - like anyone would think that was Central Park!  Well, maybe if they were delirious enough.

                                    

At 110, we were comforted to know that we were abutting the park and were very close to being home free.  Here is where the crowd support was really key.  We just kept going, no matter what, but it was hard and everything hurt at this point.  Maria got a "Go Marla!" which made us laugh because in Phoenix everyone kept calling her Marla and not Maria.  110th to 90th on 5th was endless and the uphill climb was a bitch.  I was like "are we seriously only 2 blocks past when I just looked?"  Then we were fortunate enough to run past Christine Luff, one of our TNT coaches, and she said we looked great and just let us know that shortly, we'd be at the entrance to the park and just to look for mile 24.  "Let the crowd take you," she wisely said.  And we did!

CENTRAL PARK

Mile 24 - 12:45

Mile 25 - 12:15

It was a relief to be inside the park.  It just felt like home.  These couple of miles were mostly downhill, including Cat Hill in reverse - yes!! Saw Heather and Mike, who were excitedly screaming.  When mile 25 approached, I said aloud, "I can't think about this as just one more mile, because then it will seem endless.  I just have to be in the moment."  I tried my very best to do just that.  And then finally we turned left for a quick jaunt out of the park onto Central Park South.

CENTRAL PARK SOUTH/THE FINISH

Mile 26 -  11:54

Last .2 - 2:35

It's weird, because this last mile seemed so long, but so short too.  Definitely still got the support, and the three of us seemed to pick it up a little bit too.  Funny that 11:54 seems like a quick mile at this point, when early in the race we were averaging around 11 minute pace.

                                          

When we turned back into the park, I could scarcely believe it...but there were my mom and Jack again!  Somehow they had made it to one of the most coveted spectator spots on the course.  Hooray for them!  Gave it all I had through the last 400 yards...200...and at 100 I could see the finish and was so relieved and excited!!  Ran through and felt perhaps the proudest I ever have in my life!

Finishing time: 5:08:13, 11:46 pace!  A great accomplishment!  And a personal record by 45 minutes!

I will write another post tomorrow rehashing the finish, along with more pictures and stories about post-race. Stay tuned!!

                               

I did it!!

A quick post to say that I am at home relaxing the day after a kick-ass marathon!!!

Unofficial time: 5:08:13!!!

More to come soon, including the eventful weekend, the buildup to the race, and the marathon itself!

Freaking out!!

Ok, so it's Wednesday, which means in 2 1/2 days I will be boarding a plane to NYC!

My Team in Training buds Louise and Maria and I have been in close contact throughout these past couple of weeks.  Louise sent me this article yesterday about the course and Bob Glover's strategy for tackling it.  As I mentioned previously, I really admire Bob and Shelly-Lynn Glover's methods and I have a great book by them entitled The Competitive Runner's Handbook, which I used extensively in my marathon training.

This book was awesome and really helped all aspects of my training, including nutrition, rest, injury prevention/treatment, mental toughness, and race strategy and tactics.  Anyway, I was glad to read more of Bob's words of wisdom.  But it started freaking me out!

First of all, I know there are hills on the NYCM course.  Many hills.  Of varying sizes and lengths.  But I was mostly focusing on the bridges, while I now am coming to fear the ordinary street-based hills because those are the ones I won't be expecting.

Secondly, Bob mentioned that NYCM is not a great course for setting a PR.  Well, I knew that.  And to be honest, my last time was so slow that I am pretty certain I can beat it on Sunday.  But the whole "take your latest half-marathon time and double it" rule doesn't really apply...you'll have to add an additional 10 minutes or so on there.  So if I take my 2:20 time, doubled is 4:40, plus not ten but twenty minutes...that's...5 hours!  But am I really to believe that 5 hours is possible for a second-time marathoner who is, well...slow as sh*t? :)

Anyway, enough self-deprecation.  It is time to be positive!  To get excited!

This week's schedule is "great," but is also making me antsy because I am not used to running this little.  After my 8 miles on Sunday, I took Monday off and then did 4 yesterday (choosing to walk the huge Steelyard hill instead of running it, to preserve my legs a bit).  Today is off, although I am feeling weird about that.  Oh well, guess I have to just suck it up.  Tomorrow I will run 3.  Then, the last time I will run before Sunday is a quick and easy 2 on Saturday morning.

 So far, I have heard from a bunch of people who said they're gonna cheer.  Just to keep track of them in my mind, I'm going to list them here:

BROOKLYN

Miles 2-4 (Bay Ridge): Emily, Kirsten

Mile 6.5 (4th/11th): Judy & Lenny

Mile 7.5 (4th/Union): Derek, Matt & Sarah

Mile 11ish (Bedford Ave. Williamsburg): Trish

[Melissa will also be in Brooklyn, playing with a band, but I'm not sure where yet. Also, Allison is watching but not sure if she'll be with Emily or with Trish.]

QUEENS

Not sure where (or if they will be in Queens, but I heard from Nicole, Lauren, and Josh that they will be watching, and they all live in Astoria, so...??)

MANHATTAN

Here's where I start to not have any freakin' clue.  I know Derek will make it up here, as will Heather & Mike (and Kiera?), Kristin & Kathryn, and my parents.  This is what I do know:

Mile 14 (Aid Station 13, 1st Ave): Dorothy (volunteering at an aid station! Cool!)

So hopefully I will hear from these people and find out what's going on, so that I can make sure to look for them!  I think I'll have to write their names on my arm or something!

More at a later date. :)

The Last Hurrah

Today, I did my last "long" training run before the marathon - a measly 8 miles in Rocky River. :)

It's great how, around this time of year, every week is different and exciting, because the trees look slightly different.  Last week was a bit wet and soggy because of rain the day before, and I was a little worried about slipping and sliding.  Today was just gorgeous.  The only "wild card" was that so many leaves had fallen that it was sorta hard to see the ground (and any bumps, grooves, or fallen branches that might be hidden).  Luckily, I ran the entire thing without incident!

Another aspect that was different as a result of the leaf-laden paths was that sometimes the mile markers were also hidden.  Hence, the weird split times which I will share below.  Also, I feel that some of these miles are very long, and others are SUPER short.  Oh well.  I guess it all evens out.  You'll see this happen twice, as it's an out-and-back course.  And by the way, how sweet that I got to turn around so early...after weeks and weeks of doing anywhere from 12-20 miles on this same trail.

I wanted to do this at marathon pace or maybe a little faster, just to make the pace next week feel easier.  Again, the voices in my head were debating: push, or hold back?  I know that right now, it's best to play it safe...still, I couldn't help going for my goal time of an hour and 30 minutes.  Let's see how it played out:

Mile 1 - 11:14

Mile 2 - 12:26 (this was one of those "didn't see the marker" splits)
Mile 3 - 9:24 (and I obviously missed it about 1 1/2 minutes back!)

Mile 4 - 12:33

Mile 5 - 12:34

Mile 6 - 9:55

Mile 7 - 12:30 (again, just missed it so I estimated)
Mile 8 - 8:52 (hmmm.)

Total time: 1:29:32 - yes!, 11:11 pace (perfect for marathon or maybe that's a little faster)
First half: 45:39 /  Second half: 43:53 - yay negative splits!

The thought that kept going through my head was...this is it.  This is the last long training run for this marathon!  You've done it!  No matter what happens next Sunday...I'll know that I trained my best for this race.  I mean, there's always MORE we can do (like not eating like a pig? doing more weight training? etc.) but I think I did a pretty great job.  Now we'll just have to see what the day has in store for me.

On tap this week:

Monday - OFF
Tuesday - 4 easy
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - 3 easy
Friday - OFF - travel to NY!
Saturday - 2 just to loosen up
Sunday - RACE!

Also, I am a carb-loading machine.  That's all.

Gotta have a goal

Well, it's getting down to the wire!  The NYC Marathon is just a week and a day away!

I've been pretty calm in most aspects concerning the actual race, and running.  My aches and pains have seemed to have all fixed themselevs (knock on wood!), and the taper has been great for me to feel refreshed and to go into each run with energy.  Had a 5-mile "easy" run on Tuesday, a great, final speed session on Wednesday behind Steelyard Commons, a rest day on Thursday, and a little faster than expected 3-miler yesterday around Tremont.  (I wore my garmin, and it just kept saying paces that were fast for me!  I kept having to force myself to slow down!)  Part of the briskness of yesterday's run was the fact that it was raining, so I just wanted to sort of get it over with and nobody likes standing around in the rain.  But it felt really nice, and that last mile passed by so quickly and I almost felt that I could do one more...but I didn't.  I need to not push so much!

Today, I was going to do 8 but I think I might save that for tomorrow and just do an easy 2-3 today...part of the reason is because it's again overcast (and supposed to clear up tomorrow), we had a lot of errands to run this morning (dry cleaning, laundry, bank, groceries), and, uh, let's just say I had a little bit too much fun with the wine last night at Rob & Claire's.  Ha ha.  Which reminds me, I totally did not stick to my original plan of not drinking a full month before the race...but I'm going to at least try to do a good 5 days before if not a full week.  (I read up online and nobody really says it's necessary to fully cut it out except for a couple days before so that you're not dehydrated.)

So, I am feeling "ready."  But how do you ever really feel ready for something like this?  Will it be easier than I thought?  Harder?  It's gotta be easier than Phoenix in that I actually KNOW I am capable of finishing, and that I trained smarter and harder than last time around.  But the course itself will be hilly!  Oh well, at least NY will have tons of crowds - and my friends and family - to pull me along.  Here's the course:

NYC Marathon Course

And here, for the first time ever...are my marathon goals!  (Drum roll)
I've heard it's smart to always make three goals: a reachable goal (like I finished), a somewhat attainable goal (like I finished having a great time without any pain, or I beat my time by a few minutes or seconds), and a harder to achieve, "stretch" goal.

Being that I only ran one other marathon, and my time was not that impressive (5:53:45), I truly feel that I can beat that time, even with the hills of NY.  I think last time, I was very tentative and was so scared of pushing too hard and hitting the wall (which, by the way, I did anyway) that I ran super slowly.  We also stopped for the bathroom a ton of times, which I don't really want to do this time if I can help it.

So Goal A: Beat my time by at least 10 minutes.

I don't really know what times to put for the others...I am thinking of "milestone" times, like 5:30 as the next goal.  I don't know why, but for some reason, the time 5:11 keeps flashing in my head.  Maybe it's cause it was my address in Madison....haha.  But I feel that that might be something to think about.

Going to the McMillan calculator and putting in my last half-marathon PR (2:17:12) gives an output of 4:49:21 for the marathon.  But that is crazy!  I don't think I am capable of breaking 5 hours...however, in that same page, the output for 5000m is 29:41...one second off my last 5K race time.  Creepy, huh?

So my super-secret goal, that I might be able to do if EVERYTHING worked out and the stars were aligned (weather, no clothing mishaps/chafing, no hitting the wall, fully hydrated, etc.) is to break 5 hours.


Haha!

Dedications to come in a future post...now?  An easy 3-miler!  (And I mean easy!)

Taper Troubles

Oy vey.

Well, either what everyone says about the marathon taper is true, or I'm just paranoid about things feeling "off" that I am making it true.  Either way...this week has been quite annoying in terms of feeling "healthy."

After the half on Sunday, I was dead to the world.  Hurting everywhere, exhausted...nothing like the River Run 3 weeks ago or EVEN the 20 miler in Rocky River last weekend.  I don't know what the deal was.  I had mentioned I started feeling a little off on Saturday, but then I guess the half "washed it out" for the time being, but then the icky feeling came back with a vengeance.

Monday I felt stiff, groggy, and had a headache and jaw pain most of the day.  Kept taking Tylenol/Advil/whatever for it, but I hate taking medicine.  I was going to go to yoga at 6pm on Monday--which I've done before and has actually helped a lot after a long run or race--but then I had a baking mishap while making Derek anniversary cupcakes (Salted caramel filled chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting).  Everything started off fine, but then when it came time to make the caramel...WTF!?!?!?!  It took me three tries.  Finally, I got it. 

But by that point, the kitchen was a mess, I had chocolate all over me...and there was no going to yoga.  Oh well.

Derek did enjoy the cupcakes immensely though...

Anyway. I was a little on edge from not doing ANY type of working out on Monday, even though I didn't have a run planned.  Derek and I went out that night for our anniversary at Farenheit, which was fabulous. 

The only thing wrong was that my head started feeling gross again, and I couldn't get the smell of that caramel out of my mind...and all those dishes that had to be washed when we got home...

I did, however, enjoy a glass of my new favorite red wine, InZINerator, a Zinfandel (not to be confused with its trashy pink counterpart, White Zinfandel). 

I got exactly ZERO sleep Monday night, adding to the problems.  By Tuesday morning, I felt so tired.  I didn't know what to do about running, because I know I am tapering, but not that much, not yet!  I still have to do up to 80% of what I was doing last week, maybe even more since I didn't really do high-mileage throughout the training.  Ugh.

Got a flu shot Tuesday afternoon (the spell is broken; after getting my first flu shot I am no longer convinced that it will give me the flu -- but knock on wood), then did a measley 20-minute run by the Steelyard.  I just wasn't able to continue; too many things felt "off."

Wednesday the headache still wasn't gone.  I was getting really upset!  My tooth was still kinda hurting too (I have never gotten my wisdom teeth extracted, and so sometimes I bite my cheek and it hurts for a little while but then the pain goes away.  Dumb, I know, I should get them taken out, yadda yadda yadda.  I probably will.  In fact, I made an appointment this morning to see the dentist so I will see what he tells me).  I made myself go running, not only because I am stubborn but because I honestly did think it would make me feel better.  And it did, for a while.  I did around 5 miles and even tried to pick up the pace a mile at at time for a little makeshift speedwork session.  I decided not to take any meds all day, but then kinda gave up that idea around 6 o'clock when I had to go meet Derek and his boss for dinner at Outback Steakhouse.  I wasn't just going to go and feel miserable; I wanted it to be a pleasant experience.  I took some Advil...and...the headache went away and stayed away!!! YAY!!

I am thinking it was sort of like a migraine...I only get those at times of stress.  Saturday could have been the "aura" because I was feeling weird and lightheaded...and then the half put it off and then it came back.  Ugh.  I hate migraines.  I think the nausea is the worst part of it. Blecch.  So what's the stress?  I dunno...not knowing where I stand job-wise...while part-time is good, it's not what I really need in order to feel secure.  Been waiting to hear back from a couple places so we'll see.  Also, tapering is good put it is also weird...how much do I run, how many days do I take off, with what intensity do I do my workouts?  It's all kind of a mystery. 

Went to Hot Powerful Flow yoga today at Inner Bliss...it was awesome, just what I needed.  I am planning on doing 10 miles sometime in the next few days - maybe tomorrow, because I just signed up for a 5K for Sunday (or maybe just running 6-7 before the race?), then cutting back next week to two runs of 4 miles and maybe one of 3 miles...and then the week after that maybe 4, 3, and 2?  I don't know, I think I'll just wait and see what my body tells me.  As so many running experts will tell you, less is more in these situations.  I just don't want to lose fitness (hence the 5K and some other minimal speedwork to keep me sharp).  But I guess it's all just a mental thing right now; the hard part is done...now all I can do is TRUST MY TRAINING!!

I Walk the Line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

Even though Mr. Cash wasn't talking about running in this song...it works.

My reflective musing of the day is...there is always a feeling of "Walking the Line" with training. Why can I never choose between "pushing it" and "risking it"? We're always told to try harder, do more, leave it all on the _____________ (fill in blank: dance floor, course, field, whatever). Heck, we've all see The Biggest Loser.


But then there's an opposite voice saying don't do TOO much. Don't do 2 hard days in a row. Don't do hills and speedwork. Don't do a long run and then a race. Don't run on a mild injury; it might turn it into a worse injury. Blah, blah, blah.

It's "hell week." The last week of marathon training before the taper. Did my last 20-miler on Saturday, and I have a half this coming Sunday (Towpath Half in Peninsula, OH). And this week has just been six-milers every day.

Tuesday's and today's run were the same path: home to end of the Steelyard, then around the neighborhood for one more mile. Yesterday I ventured out to the Towpath and had a great scenic (and also hilly) speed session.

I have been nursing different minor injuries this month. Shin splints in the left leg (now almost completely better due to Kinesio tape and ice), now this weird pain in my right foot - like around my arch area, on the inner foot. Not plantar fasciitis, thank god, but still pretty uncomfortable. Do I rest? Or do I run? It's the last week of high-mileage, high-intensity training, so I just went for it. I can rest during the taper and hope that's enough to heal it.

Yesterday I started off taking it easy but then eased right into a hilly tempo run and felt great for the most part. I really felt that I was consciously "holding back" to not do too fast a pace. Good sign?

Then today I started off sluggish and blah, but by the end I just killed it. I was even planning on cutting it off at 5 miles because my foot was hurting -- but by the time came, I don't know if I was just numb or what, but it wasn't bothering me anymore so I added a loop around Tremont. A little over 6 miles.

But the whole second half of both of these workouts were filled with cautionary thoughts: is this too much? Am I going to be sorry on Sunday 'cause I expended all my energy today? Is it wrong that I ran a hilly workout two, well actually three, days in a row? Am I not looking towards the ultimate goal, which is running a comfortable (and hopefully faster than last time) marathon? Or is all this, in essence, like a "Last Chance Workout?"

When thinking about the arc of my training since July, I am probably doing the right thing by going a little harder when it feels appropriate because I spent a bunch of time in the "easy" training zone. I am definitely feeling more fit these days, and faster with more endurance and stamina. I ran the second half of all my workouts faster than the first this week, which should mimic the actual race. But I guess I just don't want to make a mistake or burn out. (Hmm, I guess this is where wearing a heart rate monitor throughout this process would have actually come in handy.) But hey, it's the last week, I guess it's supposed to feel like a lot, and I guess everything is supposed to hurt (Advil & Tylenol = my new B.F.F.s) and I am supposed to be super tired and therefore getting more sleep. I guess my lack of a job is sort of a blessing in disguise for this last grueling part of training. I don't know how I would have been able to handle both this week.

So...week in review/upcoming weekend:

Monday 10/5 - Off (Yoga)
Tuesday 10/6 - 6 miles (Steelyard)
Wednesday 10/7 - 6 miles, 2x2 miles @ tempo (Towpath)
Thursday 10/8 - 6 miles (Steelyard)
Friday 10/9 - 4 miles
Saturday 10/10 - Off
Sunday 10/11 - Towpath Half-Marathon (8:00 am)

Editorial comments: I might switch the 4-miler tomorrow out for yoga instead, and then run my "traditional" easy 2-miler on Saturday to loosen up the legs for Sunday. I figure I need a good stretch tomorrow, and I can give my poor arch a break. Maybe it'll also help me feel more refreshed for Sunday. I am going to try to "race" this half, as opposed to just use it as a training run, because it is still 3 weeks out. Well, I will play it by ear and see how I feel. I'd really love to use this race as a gague for how I might do on marathon day! The last half I did (2:17:30) was unusually fast for me, and that was a net downhill course, so we'll see if that was just a fluke or if my training really has been working its magic. :) This course is supposed to be flat as well...yay!

Will update with a race report on Sunday (if I don't have something to blab about sooner)!

I survived....

...my last 20-miler of training!!!

Pretty much because I'm lazy, I'm going to cut and paste an email I just sent to my running buddies Louise and Maria that sums up my feelings at this point:


I did 20 today. My last one! I know 4 weeks out is pretty long but some sites/books say the "conservative approach" is good for people with minor injuries (like my shin splints) so whatever, I'll go with it. I have a half-marathon next weekend so I didn't want to do the 20 with only 2 weeks to go. I guess I could have added 6 or 7 to the race next week (like you were gonna do)....but oh well :) I'll probably keep my weekly training the same until the last 2 weeks, because I haven't been running an enormous amount of miles during the week anyway, and just shorten the long run.

It's funny, because when you do your 2nd or 3rd really looong run it does somehow get a bit "easier"...although I was delirious for like the last 3 or so...knew I could do it but don't know how it happened. Finally the end appeared. Mentally it was tough, but also easy because we know we can do it!!!!!! By the way I tried out GU Chomps for the last two long runs, and I really like them, even better than Clif Blocks. I think the gel is just nasty and doesn't always agree with me. I also tried the Extreme Sports Beans with Caffeine...nom nom! They are good.

Oh also I heard something really good from a running website that says you should think of your 16-20 milers not as the first 16-20 of the marathon, but as the LAST. It's more similar to the last part because our bodies are already so fatigued from all the training. This was a relief to think about today, because after 20 I was like "there is no WAY I could run 6 more right now!" Haha.

So...yeah.

I pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon (holy crap, is it 6:30 already!?) resting my feet on a bag of ice and water. It really helps!!!

'Til next time.

And the countdown begins....

Just thought I'd check to say...ONE MONTH 'TIL THE MARATHON!

WOO HOO!!

Did another strong six-miler today...felt great. Hey, maybe there IS something to say about the PowerBar, as I had one today and yesterday before my runs and felt really energetic. Hmm.

Also - I watched The Hills and The City on DVR today! Yess! I love those shows.

That's about it for now. Dinner with Rob and Claire tonight at Prosperity. Oh, and I made banana nut muffins again because I am apparently obsessed with baking. Here's a pic of those and of the buttermilk biscuits from last night.

One more thing...I made a "pact" with myself to have no alcohol for a full month leading up the marathon. But I want sangria! At Prosperity! Tonight! Boo. I guess we'll see how my willpower holds up.

Recap

Ok, once again, sorry for being out of the loop.

Some recent news:

1- I got an offer to tutor kids after school part-time. Yay! Still looking for more work, but at least this is a start. First training session begins October 10.

2- Sent an email to a principal in the area offering to volunteer at her elementary school. I figure it's a good way to get exposure, help out, etc.

3- Also sent volunteer requests to Shoes and Clothes for Kids as well as Team in Training (alumni)...should be great!

4- Been baking/cooking even more now that mom got me that Martha Stewart cupcake book...good thing I'm marathon training!

5- Signed up for yelp and have been writing lots of reviews. I'm trying to figure out how to link them directly here, but until I do, you can click on the right-hand side of the page on that little yelp map and you can read the reviews. I've done mostly Cleveland places, but I did touch a bit on NY pizza places and one place in Madison so far.

I also started reading New York Magazine's "The Cut" Blogs again, now that Gossip Girl, as well as the Hills and the City, are back in full force. You may keel over laughing if you read this article about last night's Gossip Girl!

What else?

Not much.

Training this week is as follows:

Mon 9/28 - 4 miles, Towpath Trail @ Canal & Rockside
Tues 9/29 - pilates
Wed 9/30 - 6 miles, Steelyard Path
Thurs 10/1 - 6 miles, TBD
Fri 10/2 - Off
Sat 10/3 - 20 miles!!!!!!!!!!!! Last one!!!!!!!!!
Sat 10/4 - Off or an "easy 3" (By the way, love those T-shirts that say "On the seventh day, God did an easy 3.")

And then, thankfully, the taper begins. I felt so strong today though, and I am ready to conquer 20 once again. And then 26.2 in exactly 4 weeks from Sunday!!!

Also, next weekend (Oct. 11) I've decided to run the Towpath Half Marathon with Claire. Good times!

Kristin came to visit last weekend, which was wonderful, and we went apple picking at Heavenly Hill Farm in North Royalton. Here are some of our photos:




On a final note: made some buttermilk biscuits with this recipe by the Food Network's Tyler Florence....one thing: there MUST have been a mistake on the recipe because it calls for a full tablespoon of salt. Blecch! I am annoyed that these were pretty much ruined...but still fun to make. :)

Super Sunday

I did my 20-miler today! And lived to blog about it!!!

I went to Rocky River, where it was bound to be (mostly) shaded, and it was. In fact, the high today only got to the mid-70s (although it felt a lot warmer while running in the sun)--a welcome respite from the 80-plus-degree long runs of August.

Annoying setback: there was a street closing on McKinley on the way to Riverside, so I couldn't enter at Hogsback Lane like I normally do. Got directions from a cop (why does even a harmless conversation like this still get me nervous around cops?), and of course got lost for a while, until I found my way back to Detroit Road and Claire told me where to enter the park. So I started at mile 1 (or, I guess, mile "0"), at the Scenic park picnic area, which actually proved to be easier to keep track of my mileage (instead of always subtracting two miles like I have to when I start at Hogsback). And lord knows, when you've run 10+ miles, doing math is not something anyone wants to do.

Started off strong, I think partially because I took an extra rest day yesterday AND because I have recently discovered a good pre-run meal: Cream Farina with raisins (I know, you people probably think I'm gross). For some reason, I had this all the time as a kid. As an adult, I more often have oatmeal, but Farina is yummy and doesn't have as much fiber, so it's not going to mess with the digestive system. Anyway, I thought I would try this out today, because I had it this past week and it worked extremely well for a six-mile tempo run on Wednesday.

Also, new to the mix this week: GU Chomps, which I picked up at Second Sole on Friday along with a lot of other gels and stuff. I have tried Clif Shot Blocks (Blox? Bloks?) before too, and although I liked the taste and the gummy quality, I thought they were a bit too big (I have this inordinate fear of choking; more on that another time) and too sticky. I had heard that the GU Chomps are smaller, and the package is also a little bit easier to manage (the plastic is softer and you can just slide the Chomps out the top, then fold it over and stick back in your shorts or whatever). Plus, they have vitamins C&E and amino acids in addition to electrolytes, whereas Clif Blox only have electrolytes (according to the sales guy at Second Sole).

Let me tell you, these Chomps were the bomb! Not only were they tasty, but they gave me a jolt that the gels simply do not. I didn't have coffee before this run--I am starting to not drink coffee before a long run as it tends to make me have to use the bathroom too much--but these bites gave me the little "kick" of caffeine I needed during the run. There are 8 to a pack, which says is supposed to last 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Probably right. I used them in 2-chomp increments, about every half hour. Hehe, 2-chomp increments...that sounded funny.

I also used GU (Vanilla bean, which I am OFFICIALLY stopping the use of because it is just gross) and Just Plain (my first time using this flavor - I liked it and it didn't give me a bad taste in my mouth and/or stomach problems like Vanilla Bean). I am a bit tiffed that Second Sole doesn't have my PowerBar Gel--my go-to gel. Oh well. I am liking Clif Shots more and more; they are a bit more substantial than GU and taste better too.

The first half of my run was strong and steady--I would even say that I ran faster than usual in this part. I finally made it to mile 10 (my turnaround) near the Nature Center. Yay! Then things were good for about a mile or two, and then, predictably, got much worse before they could get better...hot sun, stomach issues, not knowing whether to eat more gel or whether the gel was the problem, etc. At least my hydration was awesome today; I decided to forgo the oppressive backpack for this run and instead simply carried a 16-ounce Dasani bottle (good size to hold; 20 oz would have definitely felt cumbersome), which I refiled a few times at the water fountains.

Mentally, I realized the end was "near" at 14 miles...tried to remember that I am regularly running six miles during the week and attempted convincing myself that it was just the same! (Uh...except for having run 14 miles already!) Started the mental "countdown" with about 5.5 miles to go...just kept looking for those half-mile markers. Hills were brutal, but relied on my strength and resolve to get through it...finally inching my way towards the end...when I reached 18 miles I knew I wouldn't have to walk in order to finish, although when I finally DID finish, I was literally hobbling to the car. Had to walk it off QUITE a bit, in addition to drinking gatorade/water/eating PB&J from my car stash before I could think about driving home.

But I did it! Time was 4:06 (approximate, wasn't wearing the garmin), which was great, because usually I'll average 5 miles an hour for the first 2 hours, then...slow....waaay....dowwwwwnnnn. (Ha ha, that reminds me of Office Space, when the hypnotist says, "Way...way down...."

Now, why can't I stop stuffing my face...? :)

Ugh.

Ok, just so that nobody thinks I'm dead, I thought I should update the blog a minute. Ok, done.

Just kidding...sort of.

The truth? I have been super unmotivated and kind of down lately. Still can't find a job. Been applying everywhere under the sun and I am so frustrated. But I don't really feel like elaborating at the moment.

Also, the training has been fine - did my 18-miler last weekend and this weekend plan to do the Cleveland Clinic River Run with Claire. But I am feeling really tired, with leaden legs (and now my left leg is actually bothering me quite a bit and I haven't been able to get a good run in since Saturday). Did some cross-training this week, but it isn't the same, and I just feel gross. Also, been trying to eat a bit better, which is working and is actually making me feel better with more energy (had been partaking in the pizzas, chips, and ice cream a bit too much, resulting in sugar highs...and lows...and grease-hangovers. Not good for running!). But, I don't know. I need to be lifted out of this funk.

I guess it doesn't help matters that today is the 8-year anniversary of the Twin Towers attacks. I just miss my city so much, and I want to be there with my family and friends. Cleveland is fine, actually better than fine, but I need my support network. I am so grateful for Derek, and for the few good friends we have here...but I miss everybody else. :(

Anyway, this made me feel a bit better. Also, Derek and I booked our flight for marathon weekend! We are getting in Friday night, October 30, and leaving at 4:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. Thinking about the marathon, and my opportunity to pay tribute to my city, makes me feel so strong and proud. So much so that I am (temporarily) willing to suck it up and cut back a bit on the mileage right now in order to not totally mess up my chances of running in November. I am annoyed that I haven't been able to get in my quality miles this week, but I have learned from experience that a couple of days of will not only aid healing, but it will also not derail all the good training I've put forth thus far. So, yeah. Good chat, self.

On another note, you (and I say "you" meaning..who? I think only my mom and maybe one other person ever reads this) might have noticed that I have been posting more pictures of food lately. I have really been cooking and baking up a storm. So I might just send MMS messages to the blog ('cause I have it synced up to the phone) of what I've been doing. For example, this morning, I baked some homemade banana nut muffins. Hmm, maybe I'll send a pic of those after I post this. Or wait - maybe I will send it now, so it will arrive on the blog first, thus, right after this paragraph...? Anyway. Take care for now. I will try to do the same.

Doing Nothing, Well

It's been a little while since my last post -- I guess I've been "doing nothing well," as some of my fellow teachers used to say about kids who wouldn't behave. ;)

But seriously, I have been spending my days doing the following things, more or less in this order but with some variety:

• Get a mediocre night's sleep; drive Derek to work or sometimes sleep in
  
• Drink coffee and make fun of the Today show; eat something; talk to Mom
  
• Run a short to medium distance, more often than not in heat and humidity
• Kick self after forgetting to wear sunscreen and then vowing to do so next time*
• Shower and put on something "normal" (i.e., NOT pajamas or running clothes)
• Eat lunch while watching Netflix DVDs
• Attempt to get some part of the apartment looking nicer, in spurts (e.g., putting up 2-3 framed pieces of artwork; obsessively scrubbing kitchen floor)
• Take a walk/do something productive outside (like go to the West Side Market, walk around the neighborhood, or read on the balcony)
• Change back into pajamas and take a nap
• Pick Derek up from work/cook dinner
  

etc.

This has pretty much been satisfying for the most part, even though I am really doing not much of anything. I think it's the joy of summer vacation. A lot of people plan trips to new places, go to the beach, go explore the great things a city might have to offer during the summertime (damn you NYC and the High Line among so many other things I want to do and see!), but I worked myself so much into a stupor this past year that I am content to do pretty much nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to go to Walloon Lake, Michigan at the end of this month (more to come on that) or for a VERY brief visit to New York for Heather's wedding at the end of August (wish I could stay longer!). But I pretty much don't feel like I need to make any other major plans right now. My life, for the last year or even two, has been filled with excitement, stress, change, etc. (moving twice AND getting married!) so I am fine right now. I would say I like being lazy, but marathon training and lazy don't really mix, so I will say I am being active physically and mellow mentally. Hmm, that doesn't sound great either. Oh well. But I am happy.

Training schedule for this past week has been as follows:

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 3 miles (I ran this one easy on the Ohio Erie Towpath, and then had a rather invigorating pilates session at Studio 11 in the evening)
Wednesday - 5 miles, with 2-4 x a mile @ 5k - 10k pace. This was a GREAT workout, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected. (I usually dread speedwork.) Ran a mile slowly to warm up until I got to the Steelyard path, then did my first fast mile @ 9:08, which was TOO FAST for my 5k pace, but it was mostly downhill (plus I saw some sketchy dudes on bikes so I thought I would pick up the pace...just kidding Mom). Then cooled down for a mile, and did the second fast mile @10:40, a little slower than 10k pace, BUT I noticed on my Garmin that I spent a good portion of this mile at just around 9:53 pace, which is great for 5k. What killed me is that humongous hill--the same one that got me shooting down at first, really pulled the brakes on my speed at the end. Still, I am glad for that split because I usually struggle up that hill. :) Then cooled down for a mile on the way home.
Thursday - another easy 3 miles
Friday - Off!!!!
Saturday - 13 miles
Sunday - 3 miles.

I may switch Saturday and Sunday, and substitute the 3-miler for this "Skinny Bitch" class at the yoga studio Saturday. I don't usually like changing the schedule around, but this class is awesome and I haven't gone to it in a few weeks. I've heard it's often good to change around your workout; once you reach a weight-loss "plateau" it's good to vary the exercises you do and stuff. Plus I need upper-body and core work and this class takes care of that for sure! Speaking of which, I am annoyed that since marathon training I have actually gained 2 pounds! Arggg! I am hoping it's just that I've built muscle tone...and not that I've been overeating as a result of overrunning...haha. I looked this up online and actually found an about.com blog written by Christine Luff, one of my former TNT coaches! She is awesome so of course I had to read it.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Oh, one more thing -- Derek and I signed up to be members of Fresh Fork Market, a food co-op, in order to support local agriculture. We get our first package tomorrow! More on that later!

*Note: I did remember sunscreen on my Wednesday and Thursday runs!

Training Time

I started training for my next marathon this week (New York City folks!!!!) and so far, so good, although it doesn't really start getting "weird" until the double-digit long runs start taking over the weekends. That's when I resign myself to finishing my 15-miler or whatever, taking a shower, getting a burrito bol from Chipotle (which Oh My God, HAS SO MANY CALORIES!!!!), and watching America's Next Top Model reruns all day.

But that's not happening yet. This week, I'm just doing/did the following:

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles (2 miles @ tempo)
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - 8 miles
Sunday - 3 miles

Total Mileage: 22 miles.

I've been using google's gmap-pedometer to create routes around my new neighbhorhood, although to be honest, I really hate running on sidewalks. I've been able to get to a couple of paths here and there, but there just not as accessible as in Madison (where it seemed like everywhere you turn there's another continuation of another bike/running path) or in NY (hello, Central Park and Riverside Park!). I know about the Cleveland Metroparks, but they are not within walking/running distance so I'm going to have to take a couple trips in the car. But when our friends in the area took us to one in Rocky River, I was amazed at how beautiful it was, and how the paths stretched on for miles and miles. Those parks will be worth it for long runs, I'm sure.

Also, nearby (about 1 mile away) there's this development called Steelyard Commons, which was put there fairly recently and has a Target, Staples (yay teacher supplies), Best Buy, Old Navy, Home Depot, Wal-mart (my soul dies each time I set foot in there), Starbucks, and, as fate would have it, Chipotle! Anyway, all this stuff was constructed on the site of an actual steelyard, and there's a paved bicyle/running path that curves down along the side of it and then winds behind it. Apparently this turns into 30-something miles of bike path, called the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. It's pretty cool. I've only ventured a couple of miles down it, but I'll try more on the longer runs. The added bonus for this route is that there is a huge hill that you have to run down to get down to the Steelyard area...and thus, will need to run back UP to finish. :) Do I see some long-hill repeats in my future? Yes, I do.

Also, our landlord just gave us this addendum to our lease granting us access to the fitness center in one of his other buildings downtown, which is great! This means that I don't have to suffer through the winter as much. Plus, I do like the treadmill for the sake of having headphones on without worry, and a water bottle you can just sit next to you, plus it's a little easier on my legs than pavement :)

In other news, Derek and I plan on visiting his family in Detroit for the long weekend (Derek gets tomorrow off!), so that'll be fun. It's always nice to be surrounded by family :) And my mom visits next Wednesday! Look out, Cleveland...