Operation: Treadmill

So, I am visiting my folks in NY this week, and my stepdad got me a guest pass to the gym. The what? Oh, yeah, that place I used to go all the time before my days suddenly got too full and I got hella lazy.

So ... I haven't run since Christmas. Yikes! I don't know how it's gonna go today. I am planning on walking and running for about 30 minutes. And then I'm going into the hot tub! (Yep, for some reason, this gym has a hot tub and I WILL be going in it).

In other news, I rejoined Twitter (see top right corner of this page). Feel free to follow me!

Yep, that's all for now. I'm boring.

Back from NY

I never thought I'd say this, but...I am glad to be back in Cleveland!

During our two weeks in New York, I kept thinking about all the places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do--back home. This is big for me. Since moving from NY 2 1/2 years ago, I have always missed it. I still do, but I never missed HOME when I was visiting, well...my first home!

Lorelei did great in New York. Of course, she still had her incredibly fussy moments, but, considering we were in a new environment, she slept fairly well. And she even transitioned back to our own apartment nicely! (Except for the fact that since we had turned the heat off when traveling, our apartment was friggin' FREEZING for a few hours while it warmed up.) She's been giggling and smiling more often. She's napping now in her swing, which we both missed very much (mostly me, because it is a surefire way to get her to calm down and/or nap while I take care of chores and stuff).

While in NY, we visited a store called Waddle 'N Swaddle in Poughkeepsie (right near Vassar's campus -- we took a day trip there). We throughly spoiled Lorelei by getting her some really nice stuff, including two blankets from Tickety Bu and (for me AND her) a Beco baby carrier (the one pictured here is the design we got). I'll have to post some pictures soon (this is obviously NOT me! Ha ha).

We also visited Vassar's campus and ate at The Dutch Cabin...oh, the memories.

We saw a bunch of friends during this visit, including Trish, Eliza, Heather, and Mike (who came over the day after Thanksgiving); Matt and Sarah (who we visited in Brooklyn); Rob (with whom we met up for dinner); and Kristin and Wil (who had us over to their Washington Heights apartment this past Friday night.

All in all, we had a great time, but I was very glad to get back home last night.

Lorelei at almost 9 weeks

Today is a perfect day for just sitting around the apartment, as it has started snowing and it's supposed to continue! Hopefully Lorelei will continue to take good naps today so that I can get some stuff done around the house. But, as I've learned so far, never expect anything to happen...just take it as it comes. If cleaning doesn't get done, it doesn't.

We definitely have hardly any food in the house. I was going to go to the store, but with the snow, I think I may just do a makeshift meal in the crock pot instead!

Here's a picture of Lorelei in her car seat on our way to see Kristin. (This was BEFORE she started screaming her head off in the car...oy vey.)

Just a couple more weeks until Derek and I go to Michigan to spend time with his family! He's going to use the rest of his vacation days, so he'll be off as of December 18th. And I think Derek's sister Becca will be paying us a visit next weekend to hang out and give us a hand. Something to look forward to!

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!!

                               

NYC Marathon Recap: Pre-Race

Hey Folks!

For the sake of time, and also giving myself a break once in awhile, I have decided to do this race report in three different segments: 1) the weekend travel, including Saturday pre-race stuff; 2) the race itself; and 3) everything afterwards.  So if you don't wanna read about what happened before or after the actual race, you can skip the first and last post and just read the race report itself. :)

So I'll begin with Friday. We took a 7:20 pm flight from Cleveland to New York and...I'm serious...no delays, no problems...we even boarded early!  I took it as a good sign.  I had obsessively packed my bags, including packing all my racing gear in a carry-on (of course), just in case.  I even anally packed my duplicate pair of sneakers in case something happened to the ones I was supposed to wear on race day.

Got to NY without a hitch, and Mom and Jack picked us up at LaGuardia.  It was great to see them, as well as their new addition...a soft-coated Wheaton Terrier named Cody!!!

Isn't he frickin' adorable?  I mean, come on.

Derek and I were pretty hungry when we got in, so we had some bagels and just hung out with my folks for a while before going to bed.  (By the way, I was still working on the "dedications" page at that point, which I STILL have not finished, and I'll have to post it post-marathon now. Oh well, the sentiment is still there.)

Slept really well Friday night (I always do at my parents' house...you know how it is) and then Saturday morning woke up to a peaceful pitter-patter of rain.  This, to me, was both good and bad.  It was bad because a) I was supposed to do a 2-mile jog that day to loosen my legs and clear my head, and b) we were supposed to head into the city to get to the expo and lug all my crap around, and I hate walking around in the rain.  However, this rain turned out to be a good thing, because a) it forced me to wear my "backup" shoes around the city, thus not wearing out my newer pair or getting them soggy for Sunday; b) I didn't do my jog that day which I think was good because it forced to me to rest a bit more, which I needed; and c) the rain came and went on Saturday....which meant the weather forecast changed: no rain on Sunday!  YAY!  Whatever rain was predicted for race day came early.  Good job weather.

And, in fact, the rain even stopped by mid-morning, which is when Derek and I got out of the house and went to the train station at Croton.

Now, I should mention that traveling, and crowds, and having to schlep stuff anywhere for extended periods of time on a time-crunch situation, gives me anxiety.  Not just normal-level stress, but close to panic sometimes.  It's weird.  So anyway, I wanted to make sure it was as painless as possible.  Not really likely, considering I had to carry ALL my race-day gear with me all day, including my extra pair of sneakers, plus my purse, plus we were getting into Grand Central and the Expo was wayyy the eff out at the Javits Center, yet Louise's is on the East side.  So, you ask, why didn't I just drop off my huge bag at Louise's first?  Well, because then I'd have to go ALL the way back to the west side, and THEN back to her place because that stupid pasta party wasn't letting us get in with bags larger than a purse.  

That being said: all was painless, starting with the free shuttle from Grand Central to the expo (nice!), where we spent more than half the time waiting on a dumb line.  I got my bib, my bag & shirt, my pasta party tickets and got the heck outta there!!

This "quick & dirty" ordeal was followed by lunch at 'wichcraft in West Chelsea a short walk away from the expo (27th and 11th) where we met up with Andrew, Kristin, Kelly, and her boyfriend Bill.  Great sandwiches, soups, and cookies.  Yum!  Then Derek and I parted--he went to stay with Matt & Sarah in Brooklyn, while I took the train to the east side to Louise's!  I finally made it after two transfers!  Ugh, the subway...how convenient and yet inconvenient you are.

Louise and her hubby Britt were such great hosts, and gave me my own little room.  Louise had even set aside little marathon souvenirs for me (pace tattoo, postcard, poster) in anticipation of my arrival.   We hung out for a bit and then walked over to the pasta party to meet Maria!

I can sum up the pasta party (er.. pardon me, the "Barilla Marathon Eve Pasta Dinner at Tavern on the Green") in two words: it sucked.  Will never do that again!  Waited in line forever, then were shuffled through

the entrance and food lines like cattle, the music was so loud that we couldn't hear each other, and it was like a bunch of dance music.  The lighting was dark, and there were even go-go dancers making a fool out of themselves onstage.  I felt like this was more of  a victory party but without the dance floor.  After experiencing the TNT pasta party, I was expecting something more inspiring, maybe with a speaker or a video or at least some peace and quiet.  No, not at all.  At least we got a picture:

Even though the pasta itself was good, we were all still a bit hungry after we finished, but we really did not want to go back through the entire line again.  So we grabbed our freebies (weird juice with fruit bits in it, 100 calorie packs of some sort, apples which I will be sure NOT to eat until they are properly washed, and Italian Ices) and booked it outta there!

We got back to Louise's place (cabbed it this time), and the three of us girls got started setting up our race-day stuff.  We put stick-on letters on our TNT singlets, pinned on our bibs, and attached our D-tags to our shoes while listening to our favorite "running songs" on Louise's computer.  It was so fun being with them again!

We tried to get to bed early, and remembered to set all the clocks back one hour - extra sleep - not that we'd be getting much sleep tonight!!!  All ready for the morning!

Stay tuned for...the race report itself!

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. :)

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.