NYC, post 2

I had every intention of waiting until tomorrow to make this post but you and I both know that if I wait, I'll most likely forget. So while I have a handful of Whoppers I will type (using one hand) my tales of fame and glory. Here goes, (and just pretend it's Sunday)!

Ask me what I was doing one week ago today!?! Yup. Running the New York City Marathon! My first marathon, to be exact. I proved to myself that I have what it takes to go to the Big City and run 26.2 miles of it - through all 5 "boroughs" and across 5 bridges. That I can do something that I was told (by some stupid physical therapist), "just might not happen for me" because of a little misalignment of the hips. That I can do something I thought I might never do. That I can overcome. That I can conquer.

People have asked me all week, "so, was it as hard as you thought it would be?" Let me be the first to tell you that there is nothing "easy" about running 26.2 miles, and in my case, running for 5 hours and 27 minutes and 55 seconds. Muscles and joints that I didn't know exsisted started to beg for mercy. My stomach was gurgling in ways that it had never gurgled before. And my legs? Well my legs have never worked so hard, or been so cooperative, in their 25 years of use.

And then I was asked, "was it everything you thought it would be?" Yes, and no. Did I ever imagine that running 26.2 miles, and for 5:27:55 might be considered... fun? No - but somehow, in some way, it was. Was I expecting to be relieved when I realized at mile 17 that I only had 9 miles to go? No - but somehow, this encouraged me. Did I really think I would cry as I crossed the finish line in Central Park, where thousands of people had gathered to cheer a bunch of "crazy" runners on? Well, actually I was kind of expecting that, but still I was a little surprised!

Even after a week, I'm surprised at how inaccurately I describe the whole running-a-marathon thing. I've spent quite a few hours and many, many words trying to recount for my family and friends what it was like. What it felt like. And I... can't. I'm at a loss. I can't even really describe it here. Will I run another marathon? I hope so. I'm sure it will be a completely different experience because let's face it: a lot can happen in 26.2 miles.

I wore my third piece of marathon gear to my friend's daughter's first birthday party tonight, and I can't help but feel... cool. For as dorky as it may be, I know how hard I worked for the right to wear this shirt. And how hard I've worked to earn the title of Marathon Runner.

NYC, post 1

Thanks Kris!
(now I REALLY won't get anything done!)

As I sit on my butt and begin the "one week from now..." countdown clock, I feel... lazy. Time to Taper. After 15 weeks of running, even when I felt there were other things to do, 4-5 times a week I am being told to sit this week out. Just when I felt like I should be out getting 20 miles in (yesterday for my long run) to "make sure I'm ready," I was told to run 5 and then meet at Starbucks for hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll. On the agenda for the rest of the week? Not much. I'll go to track on Wednesday but don't intend to do anything too speedy. Then: a plane ride, finding my way around the city capped by a run THROUGH the city!

So, now that I am supposed to be thinking of anything BUT running, here are some things I've learned while training for the big marathon:

*Since ditching the iPod I've become a much calmer runner.
*Although Phoenix is a big, bustling city, there are plenty of quiet trails in the places you would least expect them.
*Even though I may "eat to live" during the week, on Saturdays I fully admit to "running to eat."
*As afraid of the marathon as I was (am), I do like telling people that I'm running a marathon... IN ONE WEEK!
*Counting calories on Saturdays has a whole different meaning than what you'd normally think; I'm thinking, "how in the heck can I cram 100 calories in during the next hour?"
*It's a great feeling to be laying down for a nap on a Saturday morning at 11:00 knowing that I've already been up for 7 hours and burned between 1500-2000 calories.
*Lemon-lime really is the best flavor of Gatorade ever invented.
*Some movies are good "nap movies." My favorite this season? Elf, Two Weeks Notice, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Run Fat Boy Run, Hitch, and 50 First Dates.

The most common question I'm getting lately? "Are you planning to run the Rock 'n Roll in January?" My response? "I'll tell you on November 3rd."

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Paper or Plastic?

Usually my trips to the grocery store do warrant a blog, but I tend to get side-tracked by the time I get home. Not the case today!

While checking out at the local Safeway I asked politely, "could I get paper?" (The little kiddos are going to be compiling their Greek work into a paper bag fold-out thing... too hard to explain or define here!) Anyway, I need 25 paper grocery bags. Now, before I tell you what actually happened I want to tell you what PROBABLY would have happened if I wouldn't have specified: I would have ended up with 8 plastic bags to hold my 7 items, (the wine most likely would have been double bagged). What really happened? I got ONE paper bag for the following: (not kidding or exaggerating)- 1/2 gallon of milk, 1 box of cereal, 4 apples, 1/2 gallon of apple juice, 1 bottle of wine, 1 shrimp dinner thing, and 4 single-serving containers of yogurt. Not kidding. So, not only was it too much for one paper bag so it was awkward to carry, the paper bag has now ripped and I can't even use it for the aforementioned class project.

Stupid.

Some Things...

Here are some things that you may (or may not) want to read about, having to do with my day:
1.) I know that I spelled "wake" wrong in my last post. Just a small piece of evidence that it really was 3:32 in the morning.
2.) I found $10 on my run this morning! It was a good sign because last night when I went to Sports Authority at 7:45 to replenish my GU supply my total came to $6.66 which I immediately took as a sign that my run was going to be plagued by troubles. Hopefully, between this new $10 and my $6.66 total, I'm back at "zero," or the score has been evened.
3.) 2 of my meals today were pizza. (Some sort of veggie mix the first time and then pepperoni and jalapeno the second time.)
4.) We're experiencing a bit of a cold snap here in the desert. As I met up with the old roommates (including the new one - who replaced me!) downtown for a drink this afternoon in my capris and t-shirt, I decided it was way too chilly so I had to go down the street and buy a long-sleeved shirt to wear for the rest of the evening. Yes, I'm a true desert dweller.
5.) I spent all day thinking about doing report cards, but not doing them. On the same note, I thought about how I should not go out and "party" but ended up doing sake bombers at RA. You can see where my motivations lie...

Now that you know those 5 important details from my day you should pretty much feel all caught up!

Phew... 2 posts in one day...
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Wkae-Up Call

I'm blogging at 3:32 on a Saturday morning. Ahh, the joys of marathon training in the desert! We're trying to get an early start today (4 am) so my alarm went off promptly at 3:05. This gives me plenty of time to eat, drink and digest. If all goes well this will be my last 4 am start of the season! See the following calculation:

Cooler temps + the sun coming up later = me getting to sleep in until 3:45!

And I seriously look forward to the day when sleeping until 4 on a Saturday becomes a reality again. Maybe even 4:30 by the "dead of winter!"

Despite the early hours there are a few things on my mind:
1. I don't think my up stairs neighbors EVER sleep. Seriously. They're up right now. I think I just heard their car start. Don't worry - they'll be back soon to bang up the stairs and slam doors shut.
2. I'm interested to see what 16 miles on less than 5 hours of sleep looks like...
3. Ask me what I'm doing in 22 DAYS!!?!
4. I turned the TV off in the middle of 20/20 last night, completely missing the whole Brittney story. And then I ended up not being able to fall asleep for at least 2 more hours. The most upsetting part of all of this? That it's actually a little upsetting to me!

Well I have effectively wasted 7 minutes. I guess it's on with the running gear and out to run!
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Going...

Brown? Since I live in the desert I often wonder if we should call ourselves "brown" when being especially environmentally friendly. After all, if I was to truly "go green" in the desert that would imply water waste. Not good.

Blue? This would most likely apply to those living on small, barely populated islands. And really, are they able to import all of the crap that is killing the planet? Of if you're a smurf and are looking out for numero uno.

Green? Well, if that's the agreed upon phrase then I have to admit I am doing worse and worse as time goes on. Don't get me wrong. I recycle just about everything I can, and have even gone through the (top layer) of trash to make sure my brother / roommate has not thrown an aluminum can in there by mistake. What I can't figure out is why society is making it so darn easy to get less and less green? Take the Swiffer, for example. Yes, it does pick up EVERYTHING the "broom leaves behind" but then you have to throw the swiffer pad away. So I am forced to choose: leave everything behind that the broom does not pick up or destroy the planet one swiffer sheet at a time. Dilemmas!! Or then there is this new face wash stuff I'm using. It's the Aveeno face washing pads. They are convienently pre-soaked, individual face wash things that you (I) throw away after a single use. I was a non-believer at first, not totally convinced that my face would be any cleaner, but HOLY COW! It does make a difference! So again, a dilemma. Dirty face leading to all sorts of acne problems which would lead to all sorts of other problems, or fill landfills at an alarming rate?

I'm definitely not going green lately. Or brown, or blue.

I Survived!

The big race was today, and I somehow managed to survive! Actually, I'll stop being so mellow-dramatic (is that how you spell / use that phrase?). I had faith in myself all along, but I didn't expect to feel so good throughout the whole race. My time isn't as "good" as it was last year, but I did expect that... my focus has been on the New York City Marathon, not necessarily the Nathan's-Tempe Sprint Triathlon. So for me to multi-sport for a day and feel successful was more than I could have hoped for.

After a pep-talk with the bike this morning, (the girl who's bike was next mine thought I was talking to her when I said, "so we're going to have a good ride today, right?!") I felt confident that things would go smoothly. My swim was great - I managed to find some wide open spaces (isn't that a song?!) where I could get a few smooth strokes in without having to worry about getting kicked in the face. The bike was... well, the bike. I told myself to "pull it together" and rode hard. On to the run.

The run was the one place where I had my only minor mishap of the day: about three minutes into the my 5k I noticed that the braid on the right half of my head felt really loose. I reached back to see if I could tell what was happening and realized that it was completely undone! So my unexpected multi-sport of the weekend was me undoing one braid, pulling out a handful of bobbypins and praying that my tiny elastic band would hold a ponytail of some sort.

As I crossed the finish line I definitely felt like I had accomplished something for the day, and I couldn't have been happier to hear my mom, dad, and friend Lissette calling my name and cheering me through!