Home Again, Home Again

Full report tomorrow. Right now I'm just glad to be clean, about to be well fed, with "North By Northwest" in the DVD player and a little boy asleep early (though that's due to overexcitement these last two days and a slight fever, so we'll see if he stays that way).

Short report --- frustrated by the weather, disappointed by some foolish mistakes, but ultimately I ran a sensible race (as in, I finished and did not overheat) and am making big plans for the future.

Thanks for all your good wishes!

And Here We Go...

I've been hoping for this day for so long (in the abstract for 15 years, concretely for six months), that at this point I don't even know what to say.

I'm looking forward to just running --- the logistics and crowds are what have me most nervous right now.

I'm incredibly grateful for all the support I've been given.

I'm as ready as I can be.

Let's go!

Last Days

Struggling a bit right now, my cold has a firm cold on me. No hugely obnoxious symptoms today, just this fog and ache that has settled over me. I'm actually kind of grateful in a weird way, it's making me slow down and get inwardly focused in just the way I was hoping to do before Sunday, but is so hard to carve out the time for.

So I'm finishing up a few more things at work and then heading home early, I won't be in again until after it's all over. I feel as if I'm about to embark on a very long journey and I don't quite know who I'll be on the other side. I suspect that's about right.

Bon voyage!

Taper Taper Taper Get Some Madness Here

I have not been enjoying taper. Doesn't sound like anyone else I know is either.

Food has gone all to hell. My schedule has gone all to hell. Yoga has gone all to hell. And everything hurts when I run slow. What happened to all that energy I was supposed to be feeling right now?

Thank God I figured out my "I wake up at 3:00am and can't get any more good sleep" problem. Since April I've been waking up hungry, but not quite hungry enough to realize it. A rabbit's bite of trail mix has solved this.

I can't figure out a pair of shorts I like. My usual ones aren't good for racing (takes too long to adjust them around the waist --- too big). But it's going to be warm on Sunday. I have a pair of capris that fit great around the waist and butt but not the knees, so I've cut them down and will hem them tonight, and try them on my run tomorrow to see if I can make them work for me.

My favorite shoes have died and I can't get replacements for them --- I bought this last pair off of E-bay as it is. I've gotten the model that is supposed to replace my faves, and they feel pretty good to run in, but they don't have the same cushioning, not really my choice for a long run. But there isn't time to experiment with other models at this point. So I'm looking at some serious aggravation of my Morton's Neuroma on Sunday and will just have to run through it. Better than trying to run on dead shoes, which for me always results in shin splints and tendinitis.

It's hard to run slow! I don't like it.

And carbo-loading makes me very nervous (have a history with overeating). I can handle it for the day before a long run, but for several days beforehand? Or when people are telling me in these last weeks, "Oh, you can have whatever you want"? No.

And the last "poor me" you'll hear before Sunday? I HAVE A FREAKIN' COLD. Thank you, Dude.

Notes on an Inward Week

Travel always makes me introspective, and I spent much of the week thinking about where I am in my life, where I want to be, and how I might get from here to there. I'm feeling good about where I've come to after that thinking, and ready to start putting some new things into motion, but between my busy head, the travel, and work, I wouldn't say this was a restful week. I think maybe the whole notion of taper weeks doesn't really apply to working moms. Some good runs, though.

Sunday: Ran 8 miles in Englewood Reserve. I love running here. I love the trees and the wildflowers and the lake, and how the path opens up as you go along the base of the dam and again at the top. I love that the hills make me work.

I did not love that my favorite shoes are now officially dead, and I had to get new ones, a new style even, since my favorites (Brooks Axiom 3) are no longer around. The new ones are not quite right, but at this point I don't have much choice. I'll save my experimenting for the winter.

Monday: Rest / travel day.

Tuesday: Ran 5 miles (yoga).

Wednesday: Swam 21 laps.

Thursday: Ran 6 miles @ 10:10 (yoga). Wasn't planning to run at this speed, it's just where my body felt I needed to be. Pretty awesome.

Friday: Feeling out-of-sorts when I woke up, needing some extra time with Buddy and some extra time to myself. Rest day!

Saturday: Rest / work day (yoga).

Notes on a Scattered Week

Started off all healthy with 20 miles and yoga, moved into high stress (and too much junk food) during the week, then finished off with a trip to Dayton --- sunshine, music, art, and family!

Sunday: CARA 20-miler (yoga).
This was a great event overall, well organized and great practice for the marathon: gear check, pace groups, wave starts, aid stations, after-run party. I was pleased with how it went for me, but I didn't really like running with a pace group, and was happiest when I was running without them. At the end I decided to just go ahead on my own. Good thing for me to know about myself!

Monday: Swam 2/3 mile.

Tuesday: 5 miles (yoga).

Wednesday: 9 miles total, 5 mile repeats @ 9:05 (yoga).

Thursday: Yoga.

Friday: Swam 2/3 mile.

Saturday: Dayton Oktoberfest! Music and art and chasing a little boy around the park. Beer and pretzels and candied almonds. A beautiful run through woods the next day and a trip to Aullwood Audabon Center to look at quilts. What a treat!

Finally!

Just finished my last major workout before the marathon: 5 mile repeats, all between 9:00-9:05. Awesome!

I planned to run 9 miles total but I was listening to Marc Maron's podcast on my way home from the track and kept stopping to laugh. Finally I just gave up and walked the rest of the way home.

Let the taper begin! I believe there is some chocolate in my future.