12 sticky miles

So it's Thursday, not my typical long run day, but I thought it would be best to get the mileage out of the way before I take off for a weekend full of celebrations (and sleeping in a little, I hope). My neighbor and I were chatting in the elevator the other day (it's a slow elevator, so we had plenty of time), and I told him I was running this morning at 6am. He said he wanted to come along. I thought he'd probably bail at the last minute, considering he was coming back from a concert in DC last night, but he was in the hall at 6 waiting for me. Note that he had just arrived back in BK an hour earlier and hadn't slept. He grabbed water as an afterthought, when he saw me carrying it. I thought we'd be in some trouble, but we were off.

I stuck with my normal 1/1, and he more or less ran alongside me the whole way. 12 miles later, I know much more about my neighbor that I ever thought possible. Running has a way of doing that. We did 3 full loops of Prospect Park and then ran down to 15th street and turned around to come back to Grand Army. The route was a little monotonous, but the company made the miles pass faster. I owe huge thanks to an unlikely running partner. Now I can enjoy the weekend knowing that I got my mileage done. Woo!

To the people of midtown:

Please clean up after your dogs. It is really unfortunate for a tired runner, after a 10 mile trek up and down the West Side Highway, to encounter a little pile of dog poo after much of it is on her shoe. To the people I sat next to on the subway back to Brooklyn: I am sorry for the smell.

Saturday's 10 miler was tough, but we made it. Topics for discussion included Anthony Weiner, SpongeBob SquarePants, Manhattan Mini-Storage's new advertisement, found offensive by many Mets fans, fig newtons versus cliff bars, and and what "low calorie" red Gatorade tastes like (cough syrup, if you're curious).

Happy Belated Father's Day to my dad. I hope your back feels better soon, and you can run again! Cross train, cross train, cross train!

I'll be tackling 12 miles on my own this week in advance of the weekend of family fun in Richmond to celebrate S&P's wedding. Wish me luck.

Making progress

Last weekend's run was a short 5-miler in Lower Manhattan. Our group consisted of the few ladies who didn't sign up to run the Mini in CP and all the guys we have (not many). It was great for me, since we met downtown (no long schlep to the UWS at 6:30am). It was overcast and fairly cool, but humid as we ran over the Brooklyn Bridge and back and then down by Bowling Green and back to our starting point in City Hall Park. I didn't really like the metal scaffolding on the bridge; it made me feel claustrophobic, but the run over the bridge is always so spectacular. I never get tired of the view from up there. There was construction on the West Side Highway, so we ended up taking a funny detour through the World Financial Center (yes, we ran, and yes, the security guards thought we were nuts). All the twists and turns and bathroom stops (it was the guys this time!) made the run drag on a bit, but it was still a lot of fun. I capped it off with a trip to the farmer's market on my way home. Delicious!

I've been having some issues with my right hip lately, so I made an appointment with my awesome physical therapist. Of course, as soon as I made the appointment, I started to feel better, but I figured it was good to go anyway. I was right. She's an unbelievably kind and supportive person, even though she immediately yelled at me about my posture. I guess that was what I needed. I've been sitting up straighter all day. She had some ideas about how to deal with the pain I've been having in my face and neck (is it TMJ? We're not sure) that are much less invasive than what the crazy oral surgeon suggested. We also talked about what other steps I might consider to manage my symptoms, in addition to what I'm already doing (which feels like a lot, I'm not going to lie). Overall, we've both been pleased with the progress I've made thanks to hard work, supportive doctors, and miracle medications. I didn't mention MCM in October, but if I can do two maratons in a month, I can do one this fall. My PT probably won't be happy with me when I do tell her, but she'll support it and tell me to listen to my body and train smartly.

Another training season begins!

I planned to focus on half marathons this season, but I was given the chance to run the Marine Corps Marathon through Galloway, and I took it. DC, here I come! Countdown to October 30th starts right now!