NYC Marathon - Race Report

Yeah, I finished NYC in '09.

Sniff. You know, the 40th anniversary of the race? The year an American won again? Yeah, it was cool.

It was more than cool BTW. But let's start from the very beginning. And uh, you might want to get a snack. 'Cause this is going to be a very long post. It might take you as long to read this as it did me to run it.

Arrived in NYC on Saturday and immediately headed to the Expo. Okay, that's a lie. We ate first. Because I do not do well if I am low on fuel. And I don't do well in crowds. Expos are crowded. Hungry Pink Girl overwhelmed by crowds...bad combo. Hubs wanted to make sure I was well fed to hopefully avoid a meltdown. Expo was crowded, as expected, but I was able to get my packet and get the heck outta Dodge pretty quickly. No shopping for me! I did pick up some great swag in my bag though.

We then walked from 35th and 8th all the way to 75th and Broadway. Which is, a little far if you are supposed to be, you know, resting. Before your first marathon. But I love New York and the best way to see it is walking. So walk we did. And then park myself on the sofa for a few hours I did. Yes, well, I made time to fuel with a delicious dinner at Manhattan Diner.

Mmm, whole grain Belgian waffle, homemade Greek yogurt, berries and walnuts. Perfect and scrumptious! We enjoyed watching all the adorable trick or treaters parade by the restaurant. I was in the biscuit by 8:30 and asleep by 9. See, I am capable of taking my resting very seriously.

Fortch, we were blessed with a time change that night, so even though I changed time zones, I didn't have to get up any earlier. In fact, I was able to sleep until 6 am which is about an hour and a half later that I usually wake up for my long run!

Made sure my D tag was secure. I had a dream that I lost it and they wouldn't give me a medal!Here I am practicing before the race! Yeah, I'm not just a dork at home, I can geek out in other states as well. It's a talent. This was before I put on my throw away sweats. Kissed Hubs goodbye, he climbed back in the biscuit and I grabbed my Metro card and headed for the subway station at 72nd and Broadway. Zoomed to 50th to pick up Michelle...Here we are bundled up like little Michelin girls. It actually wasn't very cold, (maybe upper 40's) but we were prepared for anything. I wasn't nervous one bit. I wasn't even anxious. I'm not really the nervous type, but I was calm even for me. I guess that's just how I roll. 26.2 miles ahead? No biggie.

We hopped back on the subway with about a zillion other runners and more than a few still drunk Halloween revelers. Before we knew it we were at Battery Park. Michelle bade her man farewell and we got in line for the Staten Island ferry. The looong line. But we had time, so no worries. We tried to take a photo on the ferry and some jolly Aussies asked if we wanted them to take it. Sure! Love those friendly foreigners! Funny thing, they took the photo and then asked if I would take their pic. Sure! And then e-mail it to them. They didn't have a camera. Ha! Technology. Here are my new best Australian friends. (aside from you, Kristen, of course)

They had me at "Hello" with those accents!

Arrived on Staten Island, and was shuffled to a bus. Okay, it's barely 7 am and I've already been on a subway, a boat and now a bus. It's like transportation overload! The bus took us the the Start Line Extravaganza. Do you know what over 40,000 runners plus loved ones, plus volunteers, plus race officials, plus media looks like? Chaos!

We saw a Frenchman dressed as the Eiffel Tower. And yes, he ran the entire race with that contraption. Hubs saw him at the finish line. A fireman all decked out in full gear. And yes, he too ran the entire race like that. Lots of firemen on the course. I asked Michelle, "Why is it that all firemen seem to be young and cute?" It's one of those little mysteries of life, isn't it?

We were in the Orange Wave and the last to start. I think we got moving well after 10:20. Because of this, it wasn't nearly as congested as I had heard. Which was nice. But also, a little underwhelming. Spectators are not allowed on the bridges so it was eerily quiet the first mile. Yep, the race starts uphill on a bridge that is over a mile long. A long, cold, windy, quiet mile long. But spectacular! Factoid: The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in North and South Americas. Surpasses even the Golden Gate Bridge. East Coast!

I felt great on race day. My head and heart were in it, I felt strong. Ready to take on the marathon. I knew I had a sub 5 in me. I just knew it. The weather was perfect, the crowd was out in full force. I had this down.

I didn't take many pictures during the race because, you know, I was running and all. The crowd was fantastic! We started off on Staten Island, crossed the bridge into Brooklyn and what a welcome it was! The entire burrough must have come out! I've never seen that many people cheer on a race course...and we were at the back! There were bands, church choirs, jugglers, bagpipers, banjo players, people blaring music from apartment windows, lots of cowbells, drums...shouting, cheering, encouraging, signs, banners...little kids high fiving. (one cautious mom even had her kids wearing rubber gloves - sign o'the time!) I feel the word awesome is totally overused and misused, but this was truly awesome.

We ran behind these guys for a while. And let me tell you, the view from behind was not so great! I saw more behind than I bargained for!

Around mile 10 my knee started to complain. I stopped at a first aid tent and downed a few Tylenol, hoping to ward off the hurts.

Here I am at the halfway mark. And just so we are clear, the clock started when the first wave started, not us. It did not take us that long to cover 13.1 miles! At this point, we were still on track to finish around 5 hours.
We continued on across the Pulaski Bridge into Queens. Where, the reception was just as grand as Brooklyn. We saw several wheelchair athletes, and not the sport chairs, but people in regular hospital wheelchairs. Saw a guy with no legs. Just a single prosthetic and crutches. Wow. I was so inspired by these individuals. Every day is a challenge for them and yet here they are, competing in a marathon. Made me feel about this big.
Crossing the Queensboro Bridge was an experience. Once again, no spectators so it fell silent. Just us, the wind and our thoughts. I was still in 100%, loving every minute of it. My coach told us we'd likely fall apart mentally at mile 15, but here I was approaching mile 16 feeling as fresh as if it were mile 2. I was loving this distance! In my head I was already planning my next marathon. If only that little nagging pain in my taped knee would just hush.
Michelle's husband Greg met up with us just over the bridge. I think it did her good to see her man and get a quick boost of encouragement. Back in Manhattan, we headed up 1st Ave. No wall in sight, I was trying my best to ignore the screaming in my knee. I got to see my man at 103rd, just before mile 19. I was trying my best not to mention my pain, hopeful that if I just didn't say it out loud, it would go away. Have you tried this tactic? It doesn't work. A quick kiss from Hubs and we continued on our journey to the Bronx. I pretty much wanted to throw myself over the Willis Ave Bridge. But vanity wouldn't let me. There is absolutely NO WAY I'd die (or quit) in the Bronx. Please people. Speaking of the Bronx...it was a very different experience from every other burrough.Different in that while all other neighborhood streets had been lined with spectators, we were met with nearly empty streets, save for the7 to 8 police officers on each corner. It was eerily different.
I've resorted to a hobble/walk method at this point. I'm basically dragging my right leg behind me, wincing with every step. What made me even more sad, is that I still felt so strong except for this one little thing, the excruciating pain. My head was still in it, my heart was still in it, I was still pumped. I just couldn't ignore my knee. The crowd was amazing as we re-entered Manhattan's Harlem. You just don't know what it's like to hear your name until you've heard it shouted on the streets of NYC. Thank you to everyone that hollared at me to "Hook 'Em" or who told me they were proud of me, or assured me I could do it. You'll never now how motivating you were!
We began mile 23 headed down 5th Ave. Central Park on our right we were on the home stretch. I never hit the dreaded wall, either physically or emotionally. I was loving every minute of this race. Except, well, for the whole knee not being a team player thing.
Side note: Hubs got to see the elite women finish. He was thisclose to Running Royalty, Paula Radcliffe! She finished just a bit faster than me...
Then things changed. I fell apart just after mile 25. Not out of exhaustion, but frustration. I had stumbled 3 or 4 times, my knee just wasn't supporting my weight any longer. I was so angry that I couldn't control my body. I worked so hard, I was totally prepared. And I was IN IT. Yet my knee had other plans. I stumbled once more, almost falling completely over. I'm not proud, but I might have let our a very loud bad word. Not my prettiest moment. What had started out as a great day, had slowly deteriorated into my own personal hell. How could I feel at once so strong and yet so weak?
I finished. That's what I'm calling it. I finished. I did not run a marathon, I finished one. I knew my injury could very well prevent me from achieving the time I knew I was capable of, but the reality was very hurtful and very disappointing.

Crossing the finish line was so anticlimactic. Was it really over? I was tired, but not exhausted. If my knee wasn't such a bad sport, I've could have easily run a few more miles. Strangely, spectators were not allowed past the finish line. It was quiet. We all walked zombie like towards we knew not what. There had been hydration stations galore during the course, but no water in sight at the finish line. Food? Water? Medals? Was there anything else? I realize now my brain was deprived of blood and I wasn't doing my best thinking. I got my medal, my mylar blanket but was still fuming that Michelle had to beg a single bottle off water off a Red Cross volunteer for us both to share. I wandered aimlessly towards Central Park West. My marathon dream had been achieved, sorta. And I didn't know what to think, other than, "Now what?"
Still a little stunned that it was all over, here we are with our medals. Did you feel that way after your first marathon? Confused? All that training, all those months of thinking of nothing else, all those hours of running, all those carefully planned meals, thinking of nothing else but running and then, poof, it's over in the time it takes to cross that last mat. I'm still baffled. I didn't feel relieved, of glad it was over. I just felt let down by my body and confused as to what to do next. The whole course had been carefully planned out for me, all I had to do was follow the runner in front of me and then suddenly I'm dropped in the middle of Central Park with absolutely no direction. Lost in a sea of mylar, desperate for water and my husband. I did eventually find mine and Michelle hers. We stood awkwardly on the sidewalk for a few minutes. I honestly didn't know what to do next. Flummoxed.

I slowly made my way back towards the Upper West Side restaurants. Dinner is a fog. I remember not being hungry, but thinking that I should eat. And then proceeding to inhale every last morsel of food set in front of me. Guess not eating anything but Shot Bloks all day and running for over 5 hours straight will make a girl hungry after all!

Hubs surprised me with the little blue bag that so many of us adore.

Had had it engraved several weeks ago and never let on. And he's usually the worst with surprises because he gets to excited that he lets it out! I married a great guy; I love him so much! And his thoughtfulness is just one of the many reasons!

So. Now I've completed a marathon. I didn't make even my "backup" time, but I finished. And I'm pleased with that. I got to run my first marathon in the greatest city, in one of the largest marathons with my bestest running buddy, Michelle. From start to (near) finish it was an amazing experience. And I'm ready to start thinking about my next one...

How it All Began

Tomorrow, I'll run my first marathon.

A few years ago, I didn't even know what the round black & white sticker, 26.2, meant. I would see that on cars and assume it was some secret club. Hard to believe that I'll soon be a member. And yeah, I'm totally putting a sticker on my car next week.

Let's take a look back at how it all began...

January 1st of 2006. I was tired of being out of shape. I wasn't overweight, but I knew I was underfit. A sad state for someone my age. I was always active when I was younger, but in the blink of an eye I had become sedentary. So I walked myself up to our local YMCA and joined. Right then on New Year's Day.

And I started walking on a treadmill. I'd walk for 20-30 minutes at a time. And you know what? I lost over 10 pounds those first few months, just walking! That's how out of shape I was! This continued and I started to learn how to use the other equipment, starting loving the elliptical machine. Started loving the way I felt now that I was exercising regularly.

Always goal oriented, I signed up for my first 5K in years. The October Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I printed out Hall Higdon's 5K training plan, taped it to the medicine cabinet in our bathroom and I was off!

I wish the picture was full length. I was in head to toe in cotton. Nice. Also, wearing the race shirt. Now I know that's a no-no! Look how high that bib is! Long forgotten is the time, but time wasn't the goal. Finishing was my prize. I was so proud of myself for running an entire 5K. (Even though I wasn't really sure how far a 5K was) I suspected around 3 miles. You can imagine my horror when I saw the 3 mile marker...and it wasn't the finish line!

A coworker told me about the White Rock Marathon held each December. You could run a relay team through the marathon course so we excitedly put together a team. I signed up for the 4.5 mile leg of the race. I had never run this far, even in "training." (which at this point, still consisted of jogging/walking on the treadmill and the elliptical machine) I was so inspired by those who were really running a marathon. I felt unworthy to be running alongside them, my piddly 4.5 miles that felt like 40!

Again, race tee and head to toe cotton. Clearly I'm the one in pink.

The following Spring, I discovered the half marathon distance. And while extremely daunting, it seemed doable. I convinced my relay buddy Jarrod to train and run with me. We were pumped! Notice again, the cotton race shirt. At least I had discovered running shorts by this point! (do you like the jazz hands Chic Runner?) Check out those muscles, sedentary no more! I had a BLAST! I felt great the entire time. Once again, no time goal. Finishing was my prize. I still remember that feeling; like I had conquered something huge.

And then of course, I was hooked.

I returned to White Rock in December, this time not a relayer, but a half marathoner. Undertrained, but overly excited, I loved every rain soaked minute of it. I couldn't wait to run another!

I only owned one long sleeve techincal shirt, but my how my clothing choices had changed!

January of 2008 I enrolled in a Speed Clinic with my local running store. My magic mile was just over 10 minutes. Speed wasn't exactly a word used to describe my particular style of running. But I met Sarah and we clicked. She too wasn't the hare, but had run several halfs and even a full! I looked forward to those tortuous chilly nights on the track with her.

I cautiously joined her morning run group. I made even more new friends. My speed class mates were working on getting in under 22 minutes. I finally ran a 5K in under 30 minutes. Time now meant something to me. Not so glamorous, but that's what the hills of Austin in May will do to a girl!

I gained entry to the Nike Women's Marathon for my 3rd half. So hard to believe this was just over a year ago!

Running had officially become an addiction. I ran 3 halfs (havles?) in 3 months that Fall. I ran 3 more in the next 3 months after that. I got faster and my times came down. I got stronger. I grew to love running even more.

Then I set my heart on a full marathon. Signing up for NY was the scariest thing I'd ever done. By committing to fund raise for charity, I knew I was committed to running it.

But the challenge excited me.

So tomorrow, I'll get on the subway early in the morning, Eminem blaring in my ears to calm my nerves. I'll hop on that ferry to Staten Island, not a stitch of cotton on my muscular frame. And in my heart I'll hold that feeling from my first 5K. My first relay. My first half. Finishing will be my prize.

I am a female.

I am an athlete.

I am a runner.

Soon, I will be a marathoner.

And if history tells us anything about this challenge motivated girl, it won't be the last.

The race is not won by the swift nor the strong, but to he who endures in the end.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Thankful Thursday...and more

I have the best friends.

I'm sure I've mentioned that before, because, clearly, my friends R-O-C-K in the USA. I'm blessed. Very. Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment in the middle of the day; I went over my lunch break. I arrived and saw a vehicle that looked just like Michelle's. Uh, because it WAS Michelle. She had an appointment a bit earlier, stayed and presented me with the sweetest gift. Plus I got to see cutie Kristin too! And then when I returned to my desk after a meeting, I found a sweet poster signed by all the ladies in my department. What a thoughtful group of girls I work with!!!

Headed to Fadi's for lunch today, my fave Mediterranean restaurant, with Lauren. One last lunch together before she is a married lady - just over a week! Next time I see her, she'll be a stunning bride! Speaking of beautiful, is that not the most gorgeous hummus and basket of bread? On a totally unrelated note, this afternoon I rearranged furniture in our guest room. You see, I have a strange addiction to moving furniture. I'm compelled to try new floorplans. I can move just about anything on my own. I use the scoot method. See Before...And after...Totally different, right? I know, I know, the only visible difference is the addition of a cat. That's Hank on the bed. What you can't see is that there was a gigantic dollhouse opposite of the bed. It's a pretty small room and with one wall taken up with a window, one with a closet and another with an enormous dollhouse...well, it didn't leave a lot of room for variety. I'm excited to announce I've found a home for the dollhouse! Or at least a potential home. It is sitting the front room awaiting it's exit. Finally!

I'm hitting the biscuit now. Tomorrow is a busy day of laundry, packing, hydrating and last minute errands. Night y'all!

Tapering

Tomorrow is my last run.

Well, until Sunday. When I'll run, you know, something like a bazillion miles. Or 26.2. Aroundish.



I've heard so much about tapering. Taper madness. Tapering makes you write hilar blog posts chronically celebrity marathon times and pic. (which one of y'all funnies did that last year? I remember the post clearly, but cannot remember who it was..come out of the woodwork if it's you! I'd love to read it again and link to it!)
I must admit, I've not struggled with tapering at all. Like at all, at all. Not one bit. You see, I run early in the mornin'. Early. Okay, not as early as some of y'all, but I'm usually up on the wrong side of 4:30 am. So, yeah, sleeping until 6 hasn't exactly been difficult. I'm making good use of my extra time. And still running! Getting to work on time has been a nice change. So has arriving to work with DRY hair and full makeup! I'm sure my co-workers appreciate this as well.

Tomorrow morning Michelle and I will hit our old trail for 4 lazy miles. And then we'll rest until, well, Race Day. Whoo hoo!

This has been an incredible journey. I've learned so much about myself these past five months. (good and bad) It still amazes me that anyone would read what I have to say. Much less people that don't know me IRL. I'm blessed by your words of encouragement. Thank you for sharing your comments, your wisdom and your experience with me. What a great blogging community! I'll be thinking of y'all as I "run with endurance the race that is set before me."

Weekend Update - Pink Style

Saturday was my last "long" run.

We ran 8 chilly miles. The temps dropped down in the mid 40's, which is about 30 degrees cooler than the run before that! I almost forgot how to dress for the 40's. It's cool, but not quite cold. I didn't want to overdress! Found a good balance, got in a great 8 miles and headed to breakfast with Michelle.

Mmm. Bagely! She brought her NYC travel book and we talked excitedly about our vacation plans. We aren't JUST there to race after all! The countdown is on.

Hubs had a hockey game up North of here and he dropped me off at the mall so I could shop while he played. They didn't have an ATL and the Gap doesn't have anything I want right now, so I got bored after about a half hour. Which meant I went into stores I wouldn't normally shop. Which led to amazing finds!

Like this awesome ferret calendar! Ferret Frenzy World Tour. My dad and I get each other weird gifts. It's just our thing. He has his own business and needs a calendar in each room over each work station...so calendars are always the perfect gift. And who doesn't enjoy a creepy ferret calendar with the ferrets visiting tourist destinations? Clearly everyone.I ventured to the Junior section at Macy's (where I know I don't belong.) How cute is this dress? It is super soft and only $24! I love how cheap the clothes are in the Junior section. Sadly, I could appreciate that the dress was to short for work. Even with tights. Especially for my employer. Desperate, I tweeted about it and e-mailed Jules, hoping she'd tell me to get it anyway. Ever the voice of reason, she agreed that it wouldn't work. Durn. But how cute is it with the kinesio tape, right? Can you see how conflicted I am in pic? I still might get it.

Picked up a few other gifts at Godiva and Bath & Bodyworks. Christmas will be here before I know it and I love having items checked off my list!

This week begins the final countdown to NYC. I vacillate between excited and terrified. I'm reading the book A Race Like No Other by Liz Robbins, trying to be more excited and less terrified. I've already started packing and I think the most stressful thing I'll have this week is what to wear. I go back and forth. I've go the pink shirt picked out. Pretty sure I'm going with my navy tempo shorts. I've made my pink hairbow. (don't judge) Now I need to decide which cap. Longhorn to represent my school, my state? Pink to go with my outfit and because, you know, I love pink? Or the orange Run for Something Better to rep my charity? Decisions, decisions.

All Kindza New Things

I'm a vegetarian.

Most vegetarians can eat just about anywhere. Personally, I am a very skilled orderer. I get so frustrated when I'm out and people try to help me order. I'm a big girl. I've been eating for many years now and as mentioned before, I'm very skilled at it. Sure it comes from a good place, a place of concern, but still. It's no fun, as a grown girl, to hear, "You could order the pasta, do you eat pasta? Oooh, there's soup! You could eat soup! Can't you just pick the bacon OUT of the green beans? Do you eat fish? Fish isn't meat! You could order fish!" The litany goes on.

So imagine my delight when I have the occasion to eat somewhere made just for us veg heads. Somewhere we can eat anything we want! In Ann Arbor I enjoy Seva - don't miss it if you are ever there. Even Hubs, a devout carnivore, loves the place.

Yesterday, Mindy took me to a Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant, Kalachandjis. Nearly hidden in a residential area, there is no way you'd stumble upon this. You have to know it is there, to know it is there. You know what I mean?

Built in an old church, now a temple, they serve a small buffet each day. The food was decent and it was such a treat to know I could eat anything I wanted! I def got my daily serving of veggies in just at lunch. I even tried BBQ tofu! Thanks Mindy!

Now who doesn't love coming home to find a surprise package? I do, I do! UPS left a big box on my porch. This wasn't something I'd ordered so I was intrigued. Imagine my delight when I opened it to find an ING Run For Something Better duffle bag! (this is the charity I'm fundraising for the race) How fun!

Dummy me didn't open the bag right away. About 30 min later I opened the seemingly flat bag to see how big it was. And you know what? It was crammed with stuff! Even better!!! I got a hat, a long sleeve NYC marathon tee, orange laces and...a RFSB tee shirt that I think, might just be sized for a small child. I did manage to squeeze into it (thank goodness for stretch) for a picture. Trust me, if I didn't already have ON a shirt, this one wouldn't have even covered my belly. And we don't need to bring back the 80's half shirt. (shudder)

Thank you ING for all my cool stuff! Now I can travel in style with my new bag! Whoo hoo!

My New Best Friend

Michelle Obama and I are so SAB. (separated at birth)

I love it that her new campaign is to focus on fitness and nutrition for children! I love it even more that she was quoted as saying, "My favorite food in the whole wide world are french fries," Obama, 45, told students on the South Lawn of the White House Oct. 21. "I love them dearly. Deeply. I would eat them every single day if I could."

We should totally be friends. I can even forgive the grammatical misstep. And that's pretty big for me. That's how much I loooove french fries.

So I've mentioned before that I work with just the best people ever, riiight? I arrived at work yesterday to find this on my desk.

One thoughtful soul left me Hello Kitty ribbon and another dry erase markers. I LOVE markers! As a trainer, I have cause for lotsa markers. They even picked up PINK dry erase markers. How cool is that? I love my co-workers!

It's been a long time since I've made a cupcake run...so OC I had to rectify that. Believe it or not, this one is called Pretty in Pink.

And yeah, it's clearly orange. I dunno, either the new pastry chef is color blind or they just thought it might be funny. Either way it was deeeelicious!

Headed out for 3 miles last night. Still taped up, still babying my knee. I don't trust it just yet, as it has let me down on more than one occasion recently. I don't want to anger it any more that I already have! Tomorrow is 6, then 4, then my last "long run" of 8 miles. I plan to post on tapering later this week. Stay tuned.

Do you work in a cubicle? Is your cubicle gray or beige? Does it depress you to think about how much time you spend in that gray mess? It does me. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the grayness of it all. I've never been one to have a lot of personal items on my desk; I feel it adds to the clutter. But I've been trying to personalize more of late. I work in a pretty conservative environment, so I have to be pretty judicious about what I set out. Plus, we've been tangoing with the fire marshall recently and she's been popping in and out. Apparently just about everything cute is flammable. (but not all the paper we have lying around because you know, it's an office.)

Here is what I have to look at.I really have a great deal of room. I have copious storage needs. And yeah, those are hula hoops in the corner. See that ball chair? It is so much fun! Good for your core, posture and all sorts of healthy stuff. But mostly fun; who doesn't love a chair you can bounce on? Plus, I'm always a hit with small children, they really dig the giant ball. It's like a great big mouse maze when they try to roll it through all the cubes.

What have you done to personalize your cubicle? I'm looking for inexpensive ideas! Ideally it would look just like an add for Pottery Barn Kids. You know, without painting the walls, changing the furniture, getting a Mac or installing hardwood floors. But other than those things, exactly like a Pottery Barn Kids ad.

It Just Keeps Getting Better!

This was a perfect weekend.
And it's not even over! Started off my Saturday at the local high school craft fair. They host it ever year as a fund raiser for the drill team, The Pacesetters. Who doesn't love a good drill team? We take our cheerleading AND our drill teams very seriously here in Texas. So my mom and I set out to see what kind of damage we could do. Oh, I scored BIG! I have a lot of little girls in my life and I found the cutest dog purses and beaded necklaces. Only $5 each - what a deal! Snagged some yummy pumpkin dip mixes, a vintage Bingo card, some adorable Christmas cups and...a PHS tee shirt! I didn't go to school there, but I live here. I pay school taxes here and hey, it is a good cause.

Made it home in time to put our our Halloween decorations, or at least some of them. That paper skeleton has been a part of my Halloween since I was a very small child. My mom gave it to us when we got our house. He's got years of yellowed tape on him and I just love him!Then installed myself on the sofa to watch some college football. Not just any game, the Texas v OU game! It was an exciting and nerve wracking game, but Texas won, OC. 16-13. Hook 'em Horns! Here I am getting ready for my afternoon run. Do you know how difficult it is to take a photo your both your hat AND your knee all the in same photo? By yourself? Not an easy task. I did have to take a few because the first several were all Meghan McCain. It's a difficult angle.

This was my first run with the kinesio tape. My doctor said about 50% of patients think it's a miracle and 50% think, eh. Clearly I was hoping to be in the whoopee category. She asked me to try 6 miles. So figured 8 would be a good test. Check that mileage on my Run'd Performance. 10 miles baby! 10 pain free, glorious miles!!! It worked! I haven't felt that good during or after a run in well over a month. What an amazing feeling!!! I'm once again hopeful. I go back to see her on Monday and I'm going to buy a case of kinesio tape and probably stock in the company. This stuff is amazing!

Off to enjoy my Sunday afternoon with Hubs. Can't wait to read all the Nike Women's Marathon race reports!

My Awesome Day Off

Today was a very good day.

I started out by sleeping in. Which, let's be honest, is really the best way to start any day out. Okay, any day you aren't running, and I'm not doing much of that these days. Ahem.

Headed over to my chiro's for my 9 am appointment. My knee is no longer giving out on me so she thinks that was actually unrelated to my knee pain. The knee pain continues, and now rears it's ugly head sooner and sooner with each run. Went out for a quick 4 miles yesterday and it was bugging me by mile 3. Nice. So she did some ART and taped me up kinesio style.

She thinks it might be Patellofemoral syndrome. Also known as, dun dun dun, Runner's Knee. My quads are stronger on the outside, pulling my patella out of place. Causing friction and, duh, pain. If it IS this, the fix is easy enough, strength training for my inner quads. (you have 4 quadricep muscles you know, that why they call them "quad!") She doesn't want me to run more than 6-8 miles for my long run, and is hoping this stabilization will give me some relief. Not a cure, but a temporary fix for the next two weeks. Fingers crossed! Next week...xrays to rule out any tears. That's tears as in rips, goodness know there have been enough tears! (the liquidy kind that come out of my eyes!) She also has me taking Flaxseed oil for my joints. Gah, those are big pills!

I spent a good portion of the day with these cute feet.

They belong to Kristin, Michelle's 3 year old daughter. The three of us headed out to shop for throw away clothes for our race. The above photo was one of the many that Kristin snapped with my phone. She's a cutie patootie and a quick study with a camera phone! We shopped, enjoyed Panera for lunch and I got to play with their new puppy. It just doens't get much better than that!

I picked out some really cheap sweats to wear over my race outfit. We have to arrive pretty early so we'll be sitting on the cold pavement for a few hours. I picked out the biggest sweats I could find! Glad to know they'll all be donated once we shed our garb.

I look enormous in this get up. Wondering why anyone would dress this way on purpose! Then I think back to the 80's when sweats were actually FASHION (with my high top Reeboks!) Ugh.

Hoping my run goes well tomorrow, but still being realistic. I can only control my attitude, not my body. I'm going to focus on what I do have, not on what I don't. So I'm okay now with the fact that I might actually "run" a 6 hour marathon. Or longer. I'm okay with the fact that it might not be the strong finish I planned for, trained for. But hey, I'll PR no matter what. Plus it sets the bar low for my next marathon. And oh yes, there will be another one!

I'll probably never be an Ironman Triathlete

However, that doesn't mean,

that I can't cheer for one! Or for all of them. I've been watching the Classic Ironman Triathlons on the US Network. Quick 2.4 mile open water ocean swim, then a short 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon. In.One.Day. In the heat and humidity of Hawaii. You know, just your everyday run by searing hot lava flow. No biggie. I'm so in awe of these amazing athletes! So inspired by their determination and dedication. Just incredible. And when they roll across the finish line, an homage to Blaze, who completed the Ironman in 2006 with ALS...ah, it just gets me. Right here. (pointing to my heart)

Does that make me want to try to tri? A little. It DOES make me want to head to Kona next year to volunteer/cheer for the 2010 Ironmen! October 9, 2010. You and me Kona. I'm so there!

I'm no Ironman, no running for me today - my knee was still very tender last night so I wasn't ready to try it out. But I shall in the morning! I'm refocused. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to run the NYC marathon. Even if it isn't on my ideal terms. I'll walk it if I have to! But I'll finish. One step at a time. Hey, I still get to go to NYC, still get to experience one of the largest marathons ever...as long as I finish under 7 I'm good. Right? Right! Plus, a lot can happen in 3 weeks, er 2 1/2 weeks.

Headed to the mall at lunch yesterday for some retail therapy. Picked up a little more than CFA sweet tea. I wore my new brown cardigan today with my new necklace from the juniors department at Nordstrom. Did you know they have really cute cheap jewelry in the junior department? Check it out!

Jules picked out way more cute things than my brown sweater. She was a whirl wind of activity at ATL yesterday! But I'm hoping a few cardigans will help move my summer wardrobe to Fall and Winter. One is a start, right? And I'm so adventurous with brown! Go me!

Decided that everyone who is friend requesting me from high school looks old. Yikes! Worried for about 4 minutes that I might look as old as they do. Nah, it's that hard livin'. Plus, shopping in the juniors section keeps you young, right?

Watched Biggest Loser tonight. I might be over this show. I cannot beeeleeeeve tonight's show. Really y'all, really?

Ugh. Going to bed. Getting me some shut eye. 4:30 comes earlier these days when it's chilly! So much easier to roll over and hunker down in that warm biscuit!