This one is for Justin!

Congratulations to Justin, the #1 fan of my (sorely neglected) blog, on finishing his first half marathon in Providence, RI, over the weekend! You are a rock star, Justin!

5 weeks to go until Chicago. AKA blog fail

I am a terrible blogger this season. I'm pretty sure I said that the last time I posted, too--in June (!). Gah. It's late August, and we're just over a month out from the Chicago marathon on 10/7. Hard to believe that the summer has gone by so fast. I'm at the point in training when I don't really want to do it anymore. I just want to get to race day and get going. Then I want to sleep in for a couple of months and get back to running in the spring. Last Saturday, I completed a very hot, very hilly 23 miles in Central Park with my Gallowayans. The thinking behind the route was that if we could run the 23 miler in CP, we could do it anywhere, since most races are flatter than the park. Also, we were able to pass an aid stop several times, easily get to bathrooms, water, etc. Brilliant. The routes this season have been fairly new, since our leadership team (ahem, one member of our leadership team) has decided that this is the season for new routes that preferably include bridges. Don't get me wrong, I love exploring the city, but it can be a bit complicated to do a new route on a long run, especially when it's really hot. People get grumpy. Anyway, Saturday's 23 miler went pretty well. It was much better than our 20 miler two weeks prior, when we ran from Columbus Circle all the way up to Inwood and back. The aid stop was at mile 10, which would've been ok, I think, had it not been so hot and humid. Many in our group ran out of water before we hit the aid stop and we couldn't find water fountains or anything along the route. (We did, however, find a hilarious street sign in Inwood, located at the intersection of Seaman St and Cumming St. In our maturity, we had a little giggle and took some photos). Needless to say, the 20 miler felt ridiculously long, and many people dropped out at the aid stop due to the heat. I came home afterward and spent the rest of the day watching movies in bed. I was wiped. After the 23 miler, however, I went to my birthday party and was festive despite being tired. I felt pretty good, except for a nasty leg cramp that wouldn't go away after mile 18 or so. I've never had those before, but it seemed to get a little better as I upped my salt intake. I commented to someone that I was really glad I didn't have to run as many miles as my age. 23 was quite enough. Plus, I had to cut my celebration on the actual day short in order to go to bed early and get up at 4 on Saturday morning. In any case, my birthday was lovely and I felt a great sense of accomplishment to be done with the 23 miler. We have one long run left in September before Chicago, and then I'll be tapering. Can't believe it's almost here!

2012 training is well underway.

Oops. Shame on me for neglecting my blog so far this season. My apologies to the four people who read it. You know who you are. :) Things have been busy this spring/summer, leaving little time for writing, but I'll do my best to summarize. Galloway started a week earlier this year because we have a new leadership team that is really focused on sticking more faithfully to the Galloway model. Not that we weren't doing so before, but Jeff G. really encourages running longer than 26 miles before a marathon. He says it prepares us mentally and often results in better times. Regardless, because I'm running Chicago this fall, I am not doing a 26+ mile run. That's just the way the schedule worked out. Fine with me. 26.2 is plenty! So we're a few weeks into the season, and next weekend is a 13 miler. We've had some interesting new routes so far, including over the Williamsburg Bridge (complete with really snarky graffiti, appropriate for the neighborhood). My "magic mile" times have improved significantly since last spring, which is amazing. The first time we did the MM (a timed mile, and predictor for marathon pace/finish time), I finished it in 9:50. I haven't run that fast since middle school. (Oh, horrible flashbacks to the Presidential Fitness Challenge). The second time we did it, I finished a few seconds faster, like 9:30 or something like that. My goal for Chicago is to break 6 hours. I missed that by 17 seconds at the Marine Corps Marathon, which still bugs me. Chicago is flat, but it can be really hot there, so we'll have to see. Luckily, there is a great group of Gallos running Chicago this year, so I'll have people to pace with. The hardest part of the season so far has been getting up on Saturday mornings. I'm working so much (much more than in my previous job) and I'm completely spent by the end of the week. That's especially true now because we're in budget season (only for two more weeks, thankfully). It's been really challenging to get enough sleep during the week, and I definitely feel the effects during my workouts. This past Saturday, we did a 6 miler over the Queensborough Bridge and back and up the UES, and my feet and legs fought me the whole time. I just didn't want to run at all. When I came home, I had my usual snack and took an epic nap. That's becoming part of my routine too! All things considered, I've been feeling pretty well. I've been keeping up a regular yoga practice, as well as other cross training, and I definitely feel like I've gotten stronger. Soreness/stiffness varies day to day, but the medication continues to help. I've also gotten better about icing and using my foam roller/stick regularly. I could probably stand to pay a bit more attention to what I'm eating, especially as the runs get longer. It's hard to find time and energy to cook when I'm so tired after work. I really should make it a goal to cook more, at least one new recipe a week or something like that. I'll think about it. Sorry again for disappearing for the past couple of months. Thank you to everyone for being patient as I figure out how to balance the demands of my job with the rest of my life. I appreciate all of you for asking how the training is going. Your questions hold me accountable! Happy running, and happy (almost) summer!

Spring training

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from running this winter. The longest I've gone is 5 miles, and I've only done that a few times over the past three months. Mostly, I've traded in my morning runs for trips to the gym and to yoga. My fellow Galloway teammates (meaning the ones who've also taken the winter off, not the crazy ones who've kept up their ultras all winter) and I have committed to starting again as a group in March, before the season formally starts in May. I failed last weekend when I completely overslept and woke up in Brooklyn at the time I was supposed to be meeting folks in Manhattan. Oops. Too bad time travel doesn't work. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'm fully planning to be there. Hold me accountable, people.

I didn't really plan on running a marathon this fall (sound familiar? I had the same thought last fall, and we know how that turned out)-- but I totally caved to peer pressure when the flurry of emails about registering for Chicago flooded my inbox. I knew that there was a chance I wouldn't get into the NYCM through the lottery, and the idea of not running a race made me feel left out. I put aside my concern about cost of entry, flight, hotel, etc and went for it.

So, Chicago, here I come! This makes marathon #5. Hard to believe. I'm looking forward to running in a different city and to seeing friends along the way. That part will be especially great, since I don't get to see my Midwesterners very often. I'm not as excited about getting up early on Saturday mornings all summer, but it would feel strange not to after doing so for two years.

Thus begins another pre-season. Time for some real motivation.

Happy New Year!

Welcome, 2012! Here's to a year full of health, happiness, peace, and running for fun!

Race report: Marine Corps Marathon

I'm a week late, but it's been busy since I got back from DC on Monday. Short version: I survived the freezing cold start (complete with a long trek to the official line by the Pentagon), beat the bridge, and crossed the finish in 6 hours and 18 seconds. I would've broken six hours had it not taken so long for a bathroom break at mile 7. There were not enough bathrooms along the course, and the lines were super long. But--the weather was beautiful (once I got warmed up), a vast improvement over Saturday, when it actually snowed in DC.

My amazing family gathered for dinner on Saturday night (after I spent a great day with K; lunch at her place and a trip to the expo, where I ran into another friend). I stayed at my cousin's place near the start on Saturday night. She got up at the crack of dawn and drove me as far as she could before the road closed. She definitely gets the best cousin award! She dropped me off and I joined a crew of runners schlepping for what felt like miles in the dark through the Pentagon parking lots. I didn't prepare for temperatures as cold as it was, so I was absolutely miserable. For a few minutes, I actually wondered if I'd be able to run, since my legs were too cold to move. I was too cold to appreciate the parachute jumpers over the start or Drew Carey marshalling the race. But we got underway at 8--I crossed the start about 8:15am. The first few miles are a blur: through Roslyn, along a really pretty stretch of road with beautiful foliage overhead, along the canal near Georgetown, along M street (which was great after seeing the runners ahead of us pass by on the right) and over the bridge into DC. I saw a friend from Eliot as I was passing by the Kennedy Center, which was so great. I love seeing familiar faces along the course! I was still feeling good at that point, but beating the bridge was always on my mind. Right around the Lincoln Memorial (mile 10ish?) I saw my parents with a giant "We love M" sign that cracked me up. I stopped for pictures with them and Dad had issues with the camera. Gotta beat the bridge, gotta beat the bridge! Still feeling good, I continued along, past the Jefferson Memorial (my favorite) and around the point that I don't remember the name of. I felt good up until the halfway point, when my back end started to hurt. I still had 13.1 miles to go and was stressed about beating the bridge, so I ignored it and kept going. I'm sure it was because I'd started too fast in my frenzy to avoid the stragglers' buses! I started to see some really great signs along the way: "26.2 miles, because 26.3" would be crazy!" and "Hey total stranger, I'm so proud of you!" and some Halloween themed signs, such as "You're goblin up the miles!" and "Run! There's a ghost chasing you."

Right around mile 14, there was a big crowd of frat boys dancing to loud club music. It reminded me of the frat on the corner of 19th street in the middle of the GW campus. Ahead of me, I saw my Galloway teammate I'd been hoping to run into (ha). She's a marathon maniac, and had run Hartford two weeks prior and is doing NYC tomorrow. Crazy, right? Anyway, she was a lifesaver. She dragged me with her for the rest of the race. We saw my family again along the mall at about mile 18. The sign made it hard to miss them. My parents have really become super spectators. I promised I wouldn't make them come to my next race. Anyway, we kept plugging along. C (my Gallo friend) and I were keeping pace to beat the bridge. By the time we hit mile 20 and actually made it on to the bridge, I was thinking, "what do you mean, I'm not done?" So much mental energy went to getting to mile 20 and not into running the whole race. I was starting to feel heavy in my feet and super sore in my low back and hamstrings. But we kept on. The bridge was endless. I thought it was awful before we even left the on ramp for the actual bridge itself. C was laughing at me. She's run MCM before and was trying to prepare me. Oh, it was a struggle. Mile 21 was on the bridge. We finally passed that and got off the bridge in Crystal City. I had a donut hole courtesy of the very nice marine at the food station. Delicious. I was hungry, and the bag of peanut m&ms I had with me had gone quickly, as soon as I started to hurt around mile 14-15.

Crystal City was mostly an out-and-back for the last few miles of the race. It was a huge drag to see the runners ahead of us pass on the right. (Those were definitely the worst parts of the race!) My internal monologue was something like, "Where do we turn? Where in the world do we turn?" (cleaned up for posting purposes). When we finally did turn, I grabbed another donut from the nice marines and we kept going. Mile 23 and 24 have escaped my memory. Mile 25 and 26 were on a stretch of highway with no spectators. Ugh. It felt like we'd never finish. There was a guy next to me who said he was going to take his time and use the full 7 hours now that he'd beat the bridge. (We saw the stragglers' bus when we turned, about 2 miles behind us. So disappointing to put in all the training and not be allowed to finish!) That guy could do what he wanted, but by that point, I just wanted to get off my feet. There was a police tower at mile 26, and once I hit that, I took a hard left and ran up the hill (gasped and said a few choice words) to the Iwo Jima memorial toward the finish. Thank goodness. A marine gave me my medal and congratulated me. I thanked her for her service. It was really powerful to see all the marines along the course volunteering and cheering us on. I kept shuffling along, trying to figure out where my bag and my family were. After another two miles or so (at least that's what it felt like), I found my parents and my warm clothes. Best feeling ever, to put on a sweatshirt and take off my sneakers. I was walking pretty slowly, but I felt good.

The next day, I woke up feeling incredibly sore. My feet hurt worse than they did after last year's NYC marathon. But I was proud of myself and thrilled it was done. I can't wait to sleep in for a few weekends before getting into a winter running routine. It was a fun race, really moving to see all the runners out in honor of veterans, and so many cute marines everywhere! I'm almost fully recovered a week later, and excited to cheer my fellow Gallos and all the other runners on tomorrow!

The mantra for the rest of the week

I can and I will!

A week to go!

The Marine Corps Marathon is a week from tomorrow. How in the world did that happen? Where did the time go? I'm definitely not feeling as prepared as I would like. I feel like my brain has been running at 100 miles an hour for the last several months and I haven't had a minute to rest. It hit me earlier this week that I haven't even really looked at the course map for the MCM, and I probably should, considering I've never run it before. This is really a departure from my usual MO-I usually make lots of plans and have everything figured out. I guess I'll do that when I get to the starting line!

This morning, we did an easy 7 miles around the lower loop of CP and then over the Queensborough Bridge. I hate the QB and managed to convince my group not to do it twice, as was the plan initially. Some of us were advocating for skipping the bridge entirely, but there were a few others who wanted to run the bridge again before the NYC marathon. So I went along with the crowd and did the bridge. It was absolutely jammed with other runners, including what seemed like the entire NYC Team in Training delegation. Most of the runners out today were lovely and polite, but some on the bridge were a bit rude, elbowing their way past others. I never like to see that. Come on, people, we're all out there for the same reason. Those are the people who push other runners at the starting line of any race, saying "excuse me, excuse me!" What, are we not all going to the same place? You've got 26.2 miles to pass me. Etiquette, please.

Anyway, this week's task will be to mentally prepare and remember to breathe. Next Sunday's task is to finish strong. Next Monday's task is to recover. I can only do one at a time, though, right?

Last long run before MCM!

I do love three-day weekends, though it makes me sad that the reason I have one is because of a holiday that celebrates the conquering of indigenous people. Anyway...

Saturday morning was our last long run before the MCM (or NYC, or whatever marathon one is running). We were supposed to do 26 miles, though I wasn't planning to finish that whole distance. Last year, I had a month to recover between Hartford and NYC, and this time around, MCM is three weeks away. Translation: not enough time to recover. So I figured I'd do 22 or 23 and see how I felt.

We met at 6:15am on the UWS. It was really early, but we all had a ton of energy for some reason. A lot of my fellow Gallos were running marathons elsewhere this weekend, or fasting for Yom Kippur, so we had a pretty small group. We did one big loop of CP (6 miles) at a fairly quick (for us) pace--then we had to dial it back in order to finish all the mileage. This run was not about going fast, but about being on our feet for the amount of time it would take to run a marathon. We then headed west to the WSH and ran south along the footpath. It was a spectacular day: sunny and cool, and all the routes were fairly quiet due to the holiday weekend. It was great to have the park and the WSH to ourselves. That never happens!

At around mile 8, some of our teammates decided to leave us. They weren't signed up for races and had come to support those of us doing a lot of mileage. Thanks for coming, guys! Our group shrank pretty significantly, but we kept on, focusing on the beautiful weather and all the cute dogs we kept seeing. Onward we went, further and further downtown (with another detour through the World Financial Center), until we reached the amazing aid stop at mile 14. Before that, I was bonking like crazy; my sugars were all out of whack for some reason. I'd been eating and drinking the whole time, but I felt lightheaded and sluggish. The fig newtons and m&ms I had really helped. (Amazing how much junk food I consume while running, and how well it works. I wish that was true in real life!)

By the time we reached lower Manhattan, the crowds were starting to grow (though not as much as on a regular weekend). There was a huge group of what we thought were Mennonites waiting in line for the ferry to Ellis Island. Initially, we thought they were Amish, but they were wearing running shoes, so we went with Mennonite. I've never seen them in such numbers before, so that was pretty interesting. Anyway, they were looking at us just as we were looking at them. I wonder what they thought?

We continued on by the Seaport, then up the east side path. By then, I was starting to feel my right IT band, and I would've been happy with stopping--but we were only at mile 16. The east side isn't as interesting as the west, at least for running, and we had to cut over to 1st avenue at 34th street due to construction. I always like running by the UN, though. That's pretty cool. The route called for us to keep zigzagging from 1st to the footpath, which seemed really annoying, so the few of us left decided to stay on 1st avenue. That was fine, and good practice for those running the marathon, but we had to contend with pedestrians, strollers, dogs, etc. At that point, it was nearly 12pm--we'd been out for 5 1/2 hours. I was shuffling my feet a little and my legs were feeling very heavy. Once we hit 93rd street, mile 22 according to the route, mile 22.5 according to the GPS, that was it. Three or four others decided to continue on and finish out the 26, but my body was done. Then I walked from 93rd and 1st to 86th and Lex, so I'm sure I ran more like 23 or 23.something miles. Plenty for a month prior to MCM. The nap I took when I got home was fantastic.

Now it's time to taper.

A month to go!

Thanks, LP for the great photo! 8 miles, including over the Queensborough Bridge, and a month to go until MCM... I'm starting to get nervous! We have one more long run next weekend, then three weeks to taper. It's getting close!

23 miles and still smiling

Ok, so I'm a bad blogger. I missed a week or two in there between our 20 miler right before the hurricane and yesterday's 23 miler. In my defense, I've had a fair amount going on. (New job, whee!) Anyway, I got up at 4:15am to be in Manhattan for 6:15. I have a routine in the morning before a long run that includes a full breakfast. I am not one of those runners who can do so without eating. Plus, it takes an hour to get into the city at that time of day. Anyway...

Our route started at Columbus Circle, went down the West Side Highway, down to Chambers Street, over the Brooklyn Bridge and into my favorite borough. We were a small group, since there was another crew who started at 5:30. It was good, though. We kept a nice pace and we were all feeling really strong throughout most of the run. The weather was spectacular, sunny but cool. I always love going over the bridge, and it was fairly quiet because it was so early. I'll never get tired of the view from up there, even if it was a little obstructed by construction.

We arrived in the BK and ran through the borough hall farmers' market, which was pretty empty at 8:00. Everybody immediately began commenting on the cute babies and dogs that Brooklyn is so well known for. We continued down Court St, to Union and through Gowanus and Park Slope to Prospect Park, where we encountered a fantastic aid stop. (Thanks, guys!) I stocked up on m&ms, my fuel of choice this season. I don't know why, but they seem to be working. I also grabbed a couple of mini- candy bars to put in my pocket, since I contemplated finishing the run in Brooklyn rather than coming all the way back into Manhattan and taking the subway home. I never eat that much sugar in my daily life, but for some reason, my body was craving it. I figured I'd better listen and oblige it.

We did a loop of the park together as a group (going clockwise to avoid going up the big hill). I saw my former roommate (hi, mar!) which was a great surprise. I did decide to finish the remaining 10 miles in the park on my own, rather than reversing the route. (I absolutely hate the WSH because I know exactly what street I'm on and how much farther I have to go, which is terrible at the end of a run. Also, I live two blocks from the park, so this made much more sense). I was sad to see the group take off without me, but I was feeling much, much better after 13 miles yesterday than I was after 13 miles a few weeks ago during the 20. I had my ipod with me, so I listened to podcasts to make the last 3 loops of the park go faster. It was monotonous, but between the podcasts and the candy, I was doing ok. Overall, 23 miles took about 6 hours (with a few stops thrown in). I really want to break 6 hours at the MCM, which is only 6 weeks away. Scary!

We have one more long run between now and the end of October. It's supposed to be the full 26, but I think I need a month to recover from that, and I only have 3 weeks this year, since MCM is the week before the NYC marathon. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the whole thing, since I'm not signed up for another race. If I'm going to run 26 miles, I may as well get a medal for it! For now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing (lots and lots of yoga, strength training, etc). It seems to be working. My training this year has actually been quite pleasant. No wall yet!

20 miles, Brooklyn style!

Hurricane Irene was not going to stand in the way of my 20-miler last Saturday. I had to alter my plans slightly once I learned that the MTA was suspending subway service starting at noon due to the storm. There was no way that I was going to get all the way uptown, complete a 20-mile run, and make it back to Brooklyn before noon. I was all set to do the run by myself, but then my fantastic pace group leader put me in touch with another Gallo who was planning to run in Brooklyn. We talked and agreed to meet up at 5:15am the next morning to run loops in Prospect Park. Boring, but there are water fountains and bathrooms. She even said she was going to use her car as an "aid station" so we could stop and refuel along the way.

She arrived right on time the next morning to pick me up, and we found a space right near the park. She brought me a poncho as a present, and I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to use it. The car was stocked with water, gatorade and snacks--better than anything I could've asked for. And I had company for the run. Awesome!

As we got started, my very sweet and generous running companion immediately began divulging very personal information. Don't get me wrong, this happens sometimes during a long run. You figure, hey, I've got all the time in the world, why not get to know the group? But there's a line, and my companion's disclosures were very close to crossing said line. I learned, for example, all about her ex-boyfriend's efforts to seduce her after they'd split, all the issues she had with injuries and blisters, and how she'd lost 70 pounds by walking in Prospect Park. (Very impressive, plus she knew everyone we passed all morning long). All of her stories came down to minute detail. She was a talker (a loud, enthusiastic talker, at that). I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I can do this for 20 miles." But then again, all her chatter meant that I didn't really need to respond. Plus, I appreciated the company. So on we went. Rather than be annoyed by it, I decided to find the humor in it. I'm telling you, you can't make this up.

After a couple of loops of the park, we were joined by a friend of my running companion. Her friend was a relatively new runner preparing for a half marathon this fall. She joined us for a loop and a half or so, and it was great to have her with us. I watched my running companion transform into running coach (she runs a wellness program at her job, and that's how she knew this friend of hers). I appreciated the break from the tell-all I'd been hearing before, and I was even more excited to stop at our "aid stop" once we hit mile 10.

I definitely didn't want to run 3 more loops of the park after already running 10 miles. (My plan was for a total of 6 loops, 19.8 miles. That's almost 20. And there was a hurricane coming. Good enough). The Oreo I had at the aid stop gave me a little boost, though, and we were off. My companion's plan was to run 18, so she joined me for another loop and a half and then bid me farewell, planning to cut across the transverse to finish up. On our last loop together, her feet were bothering her, so she took her shoe off to give it a break (all the while reminding me of her blister prevention routine). As soon as she did, she exclaimed "Oh, relief! I feel like I just made love!" I almost fell over laughing. She then made a comment about how it was like I walked in on my mother (which, luckily, I have never done). I was hysterical and horrified at the same time.

Anyway, I recovered from that episode and kept going. We were caught in a brief shower, which felt good to me, but she decided to turn around and get her poncho out of the car. Honestly, I was kind of grateful to do a loop and a half on my own (I was at mile 15 by that time) and have some quiet. On my last loop, though, my feet started to drag, and I had to shuffle after each of my walk breaks in order to start running again. The weather was also not cooperating. It would rain, and then stop, and then pour, then stop. On the home stretch of my last loop, the skies opened up and drenched me. I had to wring out my shirt and hat. Just as I turned the corner and thought, "Why am I not done with this loop yet?" I saw my fellow poncho-clad Gallo waiting for me at the 20 mile mark, holding my poncho and an Oreo cookie. As she saw me, she yelled out, "We started together, and we're going to finish together!" Then she wouldn't let me stop until I hit the 20 mile mark according to her Garmin (those few trips to the aid stop got me from 19.8 to 20). Oh, that Oreo cookie was delicious and I was so happy to be done. I promptly went home, stretched, and then proceeded to lay around like a slug for the next two days. Thank you, Hurricane Irene, for that.

18 miles and feeling fine

I just realized I didn't write last week. It was not the best week thus far this training season. We were scheduled for a short 6-8 mile run (which is supposed to feel like a break after the hot and sticky 16 miler the week before). I love Summer Streets, and was very much looking forward to that course again. Park Avenue is gorgeous, and really fun to run down: by all the amazing buildings, then through midtown and by Grand Central, then down to Union Square (past my future office!!!). However, I was feeling horrible. My body was fighting me the whole way, and I pulled out at 5 miles. I didn't take part in all the Summer Streets fun with the rest of the group (darn, I missed the free samples) and went home and slept instead. Turns out I was sick all day Sunday, so my body was trying to tell me something.

Fast forward to yesterday. I woke up at 4:15am, and my first thought was "By noon this will all be over." I schlepped up to the park and met the group for a 6:15am run start. We set off around the lower loop, then out the 72nd street transverse to the west side. From there, we went uptown, past my old 'hood, to Fairway for our awesome aid stop (and tried to use the bathroom, but Fairway isn't open at 7:45 on a Saturday morning, apparently). After refueling with peanut m&ms (yum), we set off north towards the GWB, past the little red lighthouse, and up some pretty massive hills to Dyckman Street. After some photo-ops, we turned around and headed back downtown. I was feeling great by the time we hit the turnaround, and I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I listened well enough to my body a week ago. Around mile 12, my legs were getting heavy, but our return to the aid stop helped. We had a runner visiting from Atlanta, and she was so cute the whole time. As we kept going, she motivated us by reminding the group that we were "so close to snacks!"

Everybody seemed to be doing really well, keeping each other entertained for the long haul. We did have a couple of unfortunate sightings of dead rats along the Hudson Greenway, all of which were completely disgusting. Michael C has promised to make us a medal after the run, and I'm pretty sure the medal may feature a rat. Great, right?

Timekeeper Nick kept saying we were going to get done by 11:15, and we came in pretty close to that. I was very happy to see the boat basin and then the stairs up to 72nd street, even though it hurt to climb them. We walked (we were tired) across to CPW and ran into the park and down to 59th street to finish. A few of us waited to cheer the rest of the group in, others left immediately to go home and sit down. When I got back to BK, I did my favorite Mala Yoga podcast to stretch out and then took an epic nap. All in all, it was a pretty fantastic run (minus the dead rats). Awesome company, awesome aid stop, great weather. Hard to believe there are only 10 weeks to go until the MCM!

Catching up

So I realized I didn't write about my 15-almost 16-mile run two weeks ago. Here goes: it was hot. I wanted to stop after the first loop of Prospect Park, but I didn't. I made myself run 4 1/2 loops (by myself, on a Wednesday morning, before going out of town for the weekend). I had the company of a lot of podcasts to get me through it. I went to Maine the following weekend for a gorgeous (though hot and sticky) wedding, only to get an email on Friday evening saying that the mileage would be cut from 16 to 4 due to the extreme heat. (It was supposed to be over 100 degrees in the city, and my group was planning to meet at 5am to start). Needless to say, I was pretty annoyed that I'd pushed through 15ish miles in disgusting heat and humidity, but I was also glad I got it out of the way and could enjoy the wedding. I also lounged around like a slug all weekend without too much guilt, and ate a lot of delicious food.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Those of us who had done the 16 miles already (and there were quite a few, surprisingly) planned to run 6-8 miles in Central Park. The other marathoners were doing 16 and the half marathoners were doing 12. When I got to the park at 6:30 on Saturday morning, there was a huge group at Engineers' Gate, all surrounding Bill and George, who were decked out in tuxes for our "Red Carpet Aid Stop". Florida Dave said he thought they were gearing up to get married. Pretty hilarious. At one point, they both changed into running shorts and it kind of looked like they weren't wearing pants. The aid stop was great as usual, and we were able to visit multiple times, which made it even better. I was ok with running 6 miles, but the group pushed me to run another two, so I did the full 8. Then I came home and took an awesome 3 hour nap. Pretty much the best day ever.

6 mile recovery run

Yesterday was a short day after last week's epic 14 miler (and all the excitement it entailed!) We met at 59th and 5th and ran east and up 1st avenue (not quite the same as on marathon Sunday). It was a little frustrating to stop and go at every block, but we finally hit our stride around the second mile. We ran up to 81st and over to the footpath, then up to 96th street and turned around. I think we were all a little grateful for a short run; the group seemed a bit disorganized. It was ok though--I felt really good through the whole run, and it's been awhile since I could say that. We came back down First Ave and then across in the 60s somewhere (and we found a block of beautiful old brownstones that I'd never seen before. Just gorgeous). We ended back at 59th and 5th.

Yesterday felt easy compared to what's coming up this week. 16 miles on my own due to another weekend trip--and I'm not going to try to run 16 miles in Maine and make it to a 1pm wedding! Right now, the forecast is showing hot and humid, so we'll see how it goes. Cross your fingers for me!

14 miler

So I'm a bit delayed on my posting. Time got away from me. Anyway, our 14 miler was last weekend. We started at 6:30 in at 72nd and 5th, and I arrived at 6:29. (Thank you, MTA, for all of your awesome weekend construction). So I was a little frazzled at the start of our run and it took me longer than usual to get into a rhythm. We ran around the lower loop of the park and exited at 59th street, then ran west to the WSH, all the way down to Castle Clinton, and back up. It was pretty hot, but the miles passed fairly quickly due to the company. We took a detour through the World Financial Center again due to construction on the WSH. Running in A/C is fun! We recharged at the awesome aid stop (thanks, Lynn and Cindy!) and then turned around to head uptown. BTW, peanut m&ms taste really good at 8 in the morning after running 8 miles.

On the way north, we took a little detour along the river. The views and the breeze were gorgeous. It was a perfect morning for a run. We were also still feeling pretty good, plugging along, when up ahead of us, Rotary Dave took a pretty bad fall. He was down on the ground saying that his chest hurt, so BD immediately got on his cell to call an ambulance. While BD was on the phone, Dave said he had fallen on his hand and bruised his chest, so that's why it hurt. We agreed that he would get checked out anyway, just to be on the safe side. A very sweet maintenance man came over and offered us ice for Dave's scrapes. He returned a few minutes later with a huge plastic bag full of ice cubes, probably as big as Dave's head. BD and Florida Dave stayed with Rotary Dave to wait for the ambulance, and the rest of our group kept running northward. We still had 5 or so miles left to go, but I thought we should've been done after all that excitement. (P.S: Rotary Dave is fine, and it turns out that one of our Galloway runners knows a job developer at the Doe Fund who was able to find out the name of the maintenance man who helped us. He was recognized at work. I was so happy to hear that. He really went above and beyond to help us. Small world!)

Anyway, we headed north, up the WSH. Our group dwindled to 3 by the time we hit midtown. Brittany, Nick and I were the last three standing as we ran back through Columbus Circle, around the lower loop of the park and back to 72nd and 5th. By the time we were done, we were all ready to be done. We really thought the route was longer than 14 miles. It certainly felt longer! But we did it. Nice work, Galloway!

Happy 4th (one day late)!

Three cheers for long weekends filled with fun! This was one of those weekends. Friday night I had a delicious dinner, followed by an early morning run on Saturday (it was a short one after last week's 12 miler). Hot and sticky, but fine otherwise. I went to a fantastic yoga class on Saturday afternoon, and then to a so-so movie with a great friend. The friend part was lovely, the movie, as you might've guessed, was not. I missed my yoga class on Sunday as some friends and I stood in line forever at the Met for the McQueen exhibit, but it was worth it. Such a spectacular show. By Monday, I was worn out from all the running around, but still found some energy for a great dinner and fireworks. I missed my usual trip to Maine, complete with the GRB 5k, but it was still a fun weekend in the city. Next weekend we're scheduled to do 14 miles. *Gulp* Stay tuned...

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.