The Week After

There is much relief associated with this week, after the soreness of last and the anticipation of the week before that! But it's a letdown, too: So much training going into one day, and now it's over! Holidays approach, but I can tell, with recovery, that I'm ready for the next challenge. What should it be...?

Flora London?
Marine Corps?
Boston?
Or something completely different...?

Check that off the list

So we did it! It was an amazingly smooth process, and we both agreed that it had never been this much fun! Great weather, great crowd... and we beat Katie Holmes (not so Ms Radcliffe)!

Can you hear me now?

This article in the New York Times is interesting, and has been the subject of much debate for a long time. I don't use headphones when I run, simply because I don't want to learn to rely on anything extraneous when I'm out there. I also find that some who do use them, especially during races when space is more limited, tend to be oblivious to those around them. It's like drivers with cell phones! The ban does seem heavy, but I agree with the commenter who says that, really, the point is to respect those around you. If one does that, headphones or no, we've got no problem.

Countdown: Whoa

I think I'm doing Lamaze breathing... whoo whoo whoo whoo! I feel like I'm walking with roller skates: Oh! Watch it! Ahhh, careful...! They've thrown a wrench in the transportation works; whereas we're usually carried, without thought or concern, from midtown to the start on a big bus; now we have to get ourselves to the S.I. ferry, then we'll get on the big bus (major construction on the V. Bridge). At first: Oh NO! Disruption in PLAN! Then: Wait a minute, that's so easy. These are the benefits of living in the town where you're running.

My sister blows in on Thursday night and gets to stay through Wednesday. We're making plans all around Sunday, with, "Oh, right, we'll do that thing on Sunday...". Gads. And the clock changes that night!

I can see said bridge from a conf room here at work, so I'm trying to visualize that first mile. There are signs all over town. They paint the blue line this week. We're looking at low 60s, partly cloudy; that's a little warm, it's a LITTLE WARM. Everything is exaggerated, you know?

Running

In 1997, I ran my first marathon. It was something I'd always wanted to do, and it was a great experience and a wonderful way to get to know a city! Since then, I've run a few others (mostly because friends/family wanted to run one, and I "volunteered" to join them). In two weeks (Sunday, November 4), my sister and I run NYC again, so this will chronicle this delicate time!