Running in My Sleep

All Nerves for Turkey Day

I can't believe a frozen bird has been causing me all kinds of consternation the past week and a half. This undertaking is turning out to be exponentially more traumatic than the first week freshman year of college, going to my first job interview, or stepping on those yellow foot prints at boot camp. And it's my own fault because I volunteered for the duty. Well, I have always tried to embrace challenges. Tomorrow I will be cooking my first turkey EVER. I wouldn't be as worried if were just R. and I partaking in the feast, but I'm preparing the turkey for 6 other people! None of whom are my family members and would forgive me if it turned out dry and void of flavor. Even though I have a recipe, there seems to be a secret science to making a perfect turkey. I never took home-ec so I wasn't privy to that information. I feel so underprepared. But what's the worse that can happen, right? I get barred from making Thanksgiving dinner again? We hit the local 7-11 or whatever store that's open and is selling prepared meals? Hmm, that first part might not be as bad as it seems.

Other than stressing about turkey day, it's been a pretty blase week. Nothing too exciting happening, at least nothing that I can talk about (as I can't talk details about work anymore). I am thrilled to be wearing shorts still and hope that I don't have to break out the tights at all this winter. Yea, I doubt it. I thought this morning would be the first 2005 tights day since "RealFeel" temps were supposed to be 18 degrees. When I stuck my hand out the window, though, it felt more like 35 or 40, which is still shorts weather in my book. I just did an easy 3 miles because I had planned to swim at lunch and will be turkey trotting tomorrow. My legs already feel a bit fatigued going in, but hopefully the adrenaline and cold temps will numb my legs enough that I can beat my time from last year. I wussed out mentally toward the end of my last 5k (a few weeks ago) and let my nearest competitor pull away. I'm striving for the opposite tomorrow. One of my best friends is coming in town for Thanksgiving and she's running it too, as well as R., so it'll be a grand time.

Here's the recap for this week-so-far:

Sunday, November 20
Swim with C., worked on form (head position, reach, high elbow). She said I look like a swimmer now. I don't think I'll ever consider myself a bonafide swimmer, but at least I can play the part. Ha!

Monday, November 21
(AM) 7 miles (15min w/u, 4.5mi

(PM) Bike 40min on trainer, low gears, high RPM

Tuesday, November 22
7 easy treadmill miles in 61:15
Lift arms & push up/pull up/ab routine (only 2 sets)

Wednesday, Nov 23
(AM) 3 easy miles, 6 striders
(Lunch) Swim 1200m (300m w/u, 10 x 50m w/30sec rest, 400m c/d)

For those of you traveling via auto or plane, have a safe trip. And for you trotters out there, good luck racing tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!

Probably need to ease up

My legs felt like big 'ol tree trunks this morning on my 12-mile long run. Heavy and stiff. It was ~31 degrees when we started at 8am, and I had on loose yoga-like pants. I should've just worn shorts because I got quite warm and prefer to feel cold while running. I had hoped for my legs to feel fresh again since I took Thursday off from running and only did an easy 3 miles yesterday. But I think I may have overexerted my legs with too many hard efforts between last Saturday and today - 3 quality runs and 2 hard bikes (one being my Thursday 10pm interval ride on the hotel bike). Since I'm only a beginner triathlete and really, it's hard for me to back off on running, I feel like I don't know how to balance out the two sports without overworking my legs. Swimming doesn't affect really my legs much since I use them primarily for balance and secondarily for propulsion. I know I need a tri coach or else I'll continue to hammer along my merry way until something breaks. It's just that I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars a month, and I like to be in control of my schedule in case work-life priorities take hold. Anyone know of a good tri coach that won't cause me to file for bankruptcy?

I took an ice bath after my run since my legs were feeling beat up. First one in a long while. And hours later, my toes are still freezing, but hopefully it'll speed along recovery and I can bike tomorrow. Outside of running, it's been a productive afternoon. I've been a bit disorganized and behind on everything outside of work - very annoying - so I seriously need this weekend to play catch up before the holidays roll around.

On the road again

I stole Alison's title because 1) I'm not feeling particularly creative at the moment and 2) I'm on my second work trip for the week. I wish I could take a train to Suffolk, so I could actually be productive. I have so much school work to do. Oh well, that's what the weekend is for. I'm really liking this temp assignment at my new job. Even though it's not a very structured environment (as I prefer) since it's R&D, I have a lot of autonomy and get to be creative (which I also like).

I haven't done a workout yet today. I'm trying to decide which machine I should use in the hotel fitness room while I play with our class business decisions and my dinner digests. I've really gotten into this strategy class because of the competitive element. We finished the first year in front of the other 5 companies only to sink to last due to several small but decisive mistakes. It stinks to be last.

On a more positive note, one of my Marines from my previous unit randomly called today to say hello. It really, really made my day because he's been out of the Corps and is having great success in another chapter of his life...and just the fact that he thought of his old boss was heartwarming. I get calls/emails every now and again from my prior section members or co-workers when I was enlisted, and each time it makes me smile inside. Sometimes it gets tough juggling two demanding careers and numerous other commitments, and R. bears the brunt of my complaints. But when I think about the people I've worked with and experiences - good and bad - we've shared, I'm like "How could I ever leave?" I must be tired because I'm being overly sentimental and sappy right now. It's kind of embarassing...

I ended up doing another speed-type run last night since I didn't know what my schedule would be like today. I sandwiched 4 x 800m in 7:24 (I'm guessing that was 75-85% effort) with 400m recovery between a warm up and cool down of 2.5 miles each. I wasn't sure of which workout to do since I still didn't feel 100% recovered from last week. I had a choice of three workouts that are part of the 3-2-1 speed program in the back of my Runners' World training log. The goal is to do 3 or 2 or 1 miles worth of repeats on three different days, anywhere from 70% effort (3 miles) to 100% effort (1 mile). I'm probably not explaining it well, but it "guarantees results" from 800m to 10k distances. Hmm, where do I get my refund if this doesn't work? Ha. I like the switching of gears and also focusing on fast turnover on the 100% effort repeats. Although I've been running for over six years now, I still feel like I have so much to discover about what works for me.

Sheesh, I've been all over the board tonight in this entry. I ought to hit the fitness room before it closes for the night. I think the stationary bike will be my machine of choice.

Tonight's exercise

A short recap...7 treadmill miles in 60 minutes. I ran two of the middle miles at 7:35. Cardio a bit off from weekend workouts, but legs only had residual exhaustion.

I did a different lifting sequence that is part of my winter biking program. I haven't changed my lifting routine (based on what I learned as an NSPA-certified trainer) in at least three years. With the new stuff, I kind of felt like I was slacking off because there weren't as many exercises. I added a couple things and didn't follow the prescribed in order to minimize down time. Hope to do this once a week in addition to my usual, just to mix it up a bit.

3 x (10 - one-legged squats with twist on "frisbee"-looking thing
bench press - 65 lbs first set, 55 lbs second & third set
leg curls - 35 lbs...weak hammies!
frontal raises - 10 lbs
lateral raises - 10 lbs)
6 sets max pull ups - 12, 6, 5, 5, 6, 6
3 x 30 calf raises - no weight
3 x 15 back extensions
3 x 25 leg raises
3 x 50 crunches

Inspired and motivated

The tri club hosted a showing of Ironman Hawaii at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Saturday, so R. and I went with some of our runner friends. Of course I was in awe of the professional athletes who had put in too many hours to count to be the best of the best. What was truly inspiring, however, were the average athletes who, despite their handicaps, took on this tremendous endeavor. One man had Lou Gehrig�s disease (and is expected to die in 2-5 years), and another woman was an amputee who attempted Hawaii last year but did not make the bike cut off. I think just about everyone in the theater had a tear or two in their eyes when the athletes� stories of courage and perseverance were being told. Seeing the challenges they overcame and for the man who won�t get another opportunity to do Ironman because his body is deteriorating, really made me appreciate my good health and all the other blessings in life. They were incredibly inspirational.

Back up to Thursday. I biked for an hour and did a few legs exercises - one-legged squats with twist on one of those inflated balance things that looks like a Frisbee, abductor/adductor machines, and the butt-blaster machine � before I got too tired and unmotivated. Strangely, my legs weren�t sore from track, but my ankles were achy and tight�must�ve been those hard 200s. On Friday, I just lifted arms and did my 3 x (12 pull ups, 30 push ups, variety abs exercises). Since we had evening dinner plans with our goddaughter and her parents, and also because I didn�t want to ruin my long run by incurring more tightness in the hips from the squats, I was able to yank myself from the gym without too much guilt. Our dinner company, they were a hoot. We always poke fun of each other and others around us. We ate at a new restaurant called Pauli Moto�s Asian Bistro, which is supposed to based off the iron chef competitions on the Food Network. We weren�t all that impressed, though. It seemed it was trying to be like PF Changs.

On Saturday, I ran 11 miles from Arlington to the National Zoo (with a stop to see the pinnipeds) with two different girls in the club, both of whom do their long runs faster than me. But because the discussion topics were too interesting, I had to hang in there. Sunday ended up being another gorgeous day for outdoor activities. R., our friend R., and I biked 50 miles on the W&OD trail, the farthest I�ve gone since my 63-mile ride in June. Not only were my legs tired from the long run, but I was overdressed (long sleeve, fleece vest, wind breaker, fleece tights, and shoe covers) when the temps eventually climbed into the 60s. Those elements combined with ravenous hunger late in the ride (I only brought one Clif bar and was craving protein) made for a grumpy biker. We passed by a stand selling pit BBQ and I contemplated getting a sandwich, but that would�ve been a dumb move considering we had about 15 miles to go. It wouldn�t have been unheard of, though, as I�ve made ridiculous food choices all in the name of hunger and cravings (i.e. Taco Bell before track or the night before my first marathon).

After a school conference call on Sunday night, I had to drive 3-� hours to Suffolk for a work meeting on Monday morning. I managed to be fully aware for the entire drive and got in before 1am. The hard weekend workouts and all the driving made for phooey workouts once I got home Monday night but that should have been expected. In retrospect, I probably should�ve taken the day off. I tried to run at Burke Lake Park but made it 15 minutes before I felt completely wiped, so I just turned around and jog-walked back to the parking lot instead of doing the entire loop. R. and I also went to the pool, but I only swam 1000m because even easy swimming felt taxing. He is adapting to his training for Ironman Arizona very well. He�s following a customized training plan that his friend used previously and has gotten in considerably better shape over the past few months. He�s even keeping a workout log now which he never used to do (oh mister �I�m a couch potato that happens to do triathlons�). I guess I was concerned because he started the formal program the day after running Chicago marathon, and I was worried he might get sick or injured. I hope he keeps up the positive streak through April. He�ll surely keep me motivated over the winter months.

Well, it�s time to run and lift. Cross my fingers that my legs and hips feel springy again.

Return to track

Tonight was R. and my first night back at our old track, since they changed it to another school (further away) this summer while turf was laid on the infield. It was a nice welcome back, especially with the perfect temperatures. I wasn't all that enthused about fast running, as I expected my legs to be tired from several back-to-back hard days of running/bike. I did just fine, though. Everyone seemed to be doing something different because we have some late fall marathoners. I warmed up for 2 miles and ended up doing the recommended 3 x 1 mile @ tempo pace with 400m jog mostly by myself, cutting down the time on each one. Then, I cooled down a mile and planned to call it quits. However, since R. and his training partner K. were finishing up with 200s, I joined them for 4 fast ones. R. has really quick turnover on the short intervals and reeled us all in. My legs felt quite heavy by then, but it felt awesome to finish hard.

Now I'm pooped and it's time to get ready for bed. Geez, where did the day go?!

Crime Scene; Barely Beating the Clock

Whew! It's been a crazy few days in more ways than one. I'm happy to have a moment catch up on my blog. The madness all started on Thursday night while I was sleeping on the couch. R. woke me up to the hysteria transpiring right outside our door/window...he wasn't sure. He had heard people fighting and then four shots, which he thought were firecrackers at the time. A swarm of cops, EMTs, search dogs, and a helicopter search team blanketed our neighborhood within minutes. It turned out that one of our neighbors had been fatally shot and another female was wounded badly in a domestic incident. My neighbors and I were really scared when we didn't exactly know what was going on and while the suspect was loose. I saw the police with a dog combing the tree line behind our condo. It was very eery and sad to me because 1) I had never been that close to a crime scene, 2) I couldn't believe it was happening in our *safe* neighborhood, and 3) that someone died senselessly. After the tragedy, I couldn't go to sleep. I still get freaked out every time I pull into our parking lot and see that the foyer light has been on since that night. I am, however, relieved that it was not a random crime. As much as I'm interested in forensic science, it's probably better that I didn't go into that work. I would think about it too much at night.

I was pretty tired when I woke up on Friday. I had a lot of work to get done in the AM before hitting the road to pick up R. from work (which was on the way down) and head to Newport News for Reserves duty and the 230th Marine Corps Birthday Ball. It was the first time for R. to drive down with me and met my Marines and boss with this unit. We checked into the hotel next to where the event was being held. I didn't feel so bad about leaving R. there while I worked because the place had so many great amenities. In fact, he took the liberty of racking up the room service and movie bill! The Ball was actually on Saturday night, and we brought my mom and sister too. They all had a decent time. My mom loves dressing up and taking pictures, though I'm more into the ceremony, traditions, and history. Oh, I almost forgot that part of the weekend included the physical fitness test. I was extremely nervous about making the 21 minute - 3 mile cut off for a 100 points because I've always had a perfect "300" score for the entire test and wanted that 300 again. I just knew that I wasn't in shape to run a fast 3 miles. Lesson learned from last week's 5k was that I'd have to be uncomfortable from the get go to break 21, as there were no extra miles to warm up like in the marathon. At the start line, everyone was comparing how how fast they expected to run. That was helpful because once we got going, I knew who to keep in my sights. The course was a flat out and back in a park along the water. There was a strong headwind on the return trip, but having driven the course on Friday, I knew where the last half mile landmark was to kick it in. And yes, I did make it. 20:55. I was dry heaving the last 300 meters when my stomach seized up from nerves, but I was so happy that it didn't matter. Doesn't beat my all time best of 18:15, but it was a precious victory because I had a lot of self-doubt going in.

Last week quickly blurred into this one. As soon as we got home from NN, I started slaving away on school work. Tons of it. We had a quiz and camera business decisions due and a group telecon yesterday, and case study. I also had to submit my monthly report to my Reserves commander and respond to several email inquiries. Needless to say, I could fall asleep on the keyboard right now.

I still managed to run all my planned miles (which aren't much at this time) and sneak in a few other workouts. The lower mileage is great in the sense that I have lots of energy to push hard on just about every run.

Weds, Nov 2. 8.2mi speed. w/u 15min, 8 x 40 sec @ 100% w/3min jog, 28 min c/d. Tune up for fitness test. The intervals were tough but the rest was just enough to feel renewed for the next.
Thurs, Nov 3. Aerobic swim during lunch - 250m w/u, 2(5 x 100m w/30 sec rest) w/3min rest between sets, 250m c/d.
7mi recovery run - tops of quads sore from speed workout.
Fri, Nov 4. off
Sat, Nov 5. Fitness test. 3mi in 20:55, 70sec flexed arm hang, 100 sit ups in 2min.
Sun, Nov 6. 1:25 (30 miles) on stationary bike. Rode hard for first hour. Legs got tired and petered out for the rest.
Mon, Nov 7. 5mi recovery run. Pushed on last mile.
Tues, Nov 8. Swim during lunch - 250m w/u, 5 x 100m w/30sec rest, 550m easy, 250m c/d. The fast 100s are hard! Need to get in better aerobic swimming shape.
7mi aerobic run - 1mi w/u, ran remainder comfortably hard even though this was supposed to be at an easy pace.

I'm loving the pool across from my office. The swim is generally rushed, but that's okay, because it breaks up the day nicely. And not every workout ends up being a brick since I can spreadout doubles. Besides, who doesn't daydream of running or working out when they're at the office?

Breakfast of Losers

I planned to run at lunchtime today, so I brought everything I needed to the office...except breakfast, which is usually dry cereal, yogurt, or chocolate milk. I was starving and would need some fuel for later; it's just that I ended up topping off with low-grade. In fact, the smorgasbord seems kind of gross in retrospect. I had half a greasy leftover cranberry orange muffin, a bag of jalapeno potato chips, part of a slice of stale wheat bread (before realizing it was too stale to eat), a pear, and a banana. Definitely not a breakfast of champions. Probably explains why I felt like crap on an easy 5-mile run. It was kind of warm for my taste too, in the 60s. I can't wait to get a more permanent desk, so I can keep my stash of good-for-you snacks. My friends always make fun of me for having food *everywhere*. Just check my purse.

After work, I forced myself to go the gym. It was dark and seemed later than it was, and I just wanted to go home. I want the long days back but not the heat and humidity. The Rocky theme song was playing on the radio and that got me going again. I lifted upper body and did my pull up/push up routine and abs.

And now my breath is kickin' like chicken because I had a spinach salad with a bunch of healthy stuff, namely garlic. I read in Health magazine the other day that it's supposed to be effective in staving off illness, so I've been adding a couple cloves to dinner occasionally. I like the taste, it's kind of spicy. Just need to make sure not eat any before going out, unless I want some alone time.

Tired, bored and hungry for junk

I'm taking a break from some online training and reading at work. My attention span isn't marathonesque in that I can't read for 8 hours straight, or in today's case, 10 hours. Gotta break it up with other things - an email here, a potty break there, massaging my hamstring...

I was quite impressed with myself this morning for being able to get up at 5am and get in 7 miles before work. I usually will snooze through the alarm and run later in the day, but since I have a dinner date tonight with my old running partners, that wasn't an option. The weather called for mid to high 30s in the AM so I ended up overdressing. I wore a long sleeve, light jacket, and track pants. It didn't seem cold at all. I shed the jacket but was still a touch warm. I ran comfortably fast and kind of petered out at the end, perhaps still tired from Saturday's race. I want to run faster all the time with this cooler weather. It's great. If only the weather was like this year round. I'm excited to get back to track next week.

I want to take a nap but must get back to work, after I hit the canteen. Beth got me thinking about cupcakes...or some other sweet snack. I've got healthy snacks all over my desk and they're just not cutting muster right now.

I remember now why I'm a marathoner

Because 5ks are simply too painful. I don�t like that constant feeling that my lungs will explode or that I will throw up. Not fun times. And those feelings were quite evident in the 5k I ran yesterday. Did I ever suck wind. I warmed up for 2 miles on the course, which ended up being a good idea as later I would know how far I had to go to the finish. It was in the low 40s and a bit windy, so I decided to go with a sleeveless shirt and shorts because I do better comfortably cool. My first mile split was a conservative 7 minutes, but when we hit the 2 mile split at 14:30, I didn�t think we had slowed down THAT much despite a teeny incline. The course was entirely flat otherwise. An older lady and I jockeyed back and forth from 1.5 miles on, but she was tougher and pulled me into the finish behind her in 22:38. Not my finest but considering how much I love 5ks (NOT) and have been practicing for the distance (NOT), it�ll do for now. I mainly ran it to gauge my fitness level for the annual Marine physical fitness test I�ll be taking next week. It involves a flex arm hang (pull ups for men), sit-ups, and a 3-mile run. I�ll max the first two events, no sweat. But I always get violently anxious to the point of dry heaving before the run. I feel a self-imposed pressure to beat most everyone, at least all the gals. I�ve always maxed it in the past (21 minutes), though I�m not so confident this time around. I�m really gonna have to bust a gut to go sub-7 miles. I wonder if I should do some tune-up speed work on Tuesday to get in the right mental state. If so, what should the workout be? I�ll take any recommendations.

Best to not stress about that now. There�s nothing I can do about it on Sunday night. It was another busy social butterfly weekend with one of my best friends in town to run the Marine Corps marathon today. Yesterday, we visited the new Botanical Gardens downtown with our other very good friend. It smelled so beautiful. Who knew that plant life could be so interesting. The exhibits just lent themselves to touching and smelling �and I�m not usually a big smeller of things. Like my mom taught me when I was a kid that it was rude to smell your food. Anyway, we met up with some other friends to carb load and that was good times because I hadn�t seen some of them in years, as various military assignments have taken us to opposite sides of the world.

Early this morning, we drove D. as close as we could get to the race start and ate breakfast before meeting up with the running club to set up a cheering station on the 14th Street Bridge, just like we did last year. And again, we had trouble finding how to get on the bridge because there are different sections, some of which were open to traffic. It was frustrating, but finally found our way without having to play Frogger with oncoming traffic. I was so exhausted after whoopin� and a hollerin� for hours and did not look forward to my fate of a school paper and conference call for our notional digital camera business. If only automatic naptime were built in to every day, I�d be a happier camper. At least I�m done for the night. I�m going to catch up on sleep once I get everything together for tomorrow. Got to fit in the run early or it won�t happen at all. Nighty night!

Social butterflying & other mostly non-running stuff

Although my post-Chicago marathon recovery plan doesn't call for a wild and crazy social life, I've been taking advantage of decreased mileage time to see friends and family I haven't seen in a while. Mid-week last week I traveled home and got to visit with my mom and stepsis, dad and stepbro, brother, one of my best friends and her adorable girls, and my aunt and uncle (who aren't related, just really good family friends). I really wish I had more time with my loved ones, but I had to be be back in DC over the weekend for other plans. I went to a baby shower for a running/triathlon friend who's due in 5 weeks and looks great. She had to answer running club trivia, including what year our club was founded, to "win" her biggest present from us - a jog stroller. It was fun to talk to some of the girls I hadn't really met before. Later on, R. and I went to a cocktail party that our friends held at their home. We were quite impressed at how fancy it was, since we had never been to a party with a hostess, bartenders, and servers in someone's home. The people we talked with most of the night were also athletes, with kids, so I picked their brains on juggling career-kids-training. The discussion made me realize that I stress out about things way too far in the future, nebulous things that can't even be planned at this point.

I started my new job on Monday. It's been pretty uneventful so far because I have to wait for my paperwork to transfer over from my old company in order to do any real work. It could possibly take a long time but I hope not...I'm full of enthusiasm and motivation that I don't want to wear out while in waiting mode. I was highly motivated by the large number of women in senior management and VP positions. Something I want to aim for, but not at the expense of neglecting my family or running. I guess only time will tell, but I'm quite excited for the possibilities in my professional future.

In other news, my lab results were returned earlier this week. I'm not currently anemic though my iron stores are low. I'm supposed to take two pills/day (not simultaneously) for a month and during my period. I'm terrible about taking daily meds, unless it's cold medicine, but I'll have to try to be better. I also started taking Viactiv women's vitamins, which R. also likes...even though he's not a woman. :-) My doctor recommended the fruit-flavored ones, which she said tasted like Starbursts. Umm, more like chalk-infused pasteurized processed fruit substitute. I do like the chocolate ones that actually taste more like chocolate.

Last night, R., myself, D. - one of my post-college roomies, and her husband (who referred me for my current job) went to an Sicilian wine and food tasting at the Italian Cultural Center of the Embassy. Everything was delicious, but what I like most about these food events we attend is learning about the culture and history of ethnic foods. I simply love food!

It's been a relief not to be a slave to a rigid (only because I make it so) training schedule. Though work or training aren't particularly taxing right now, being a social butterfly, school work, and planning Reserves training are keeping things plenty busy. Just one and a half more months of school - whoo hoo! I have been doing a bit of running (25+ mpw) and even a faster 9-mile run on Monday. Til then, I was nearly convinced that I couldn't run faster than 9-minute miles on longer training runs. My legs are feeling refreshed again, and I feel like I'm ready to lay down the hammer for something. I just don't know what yet. And really, I need to develop speed again. I'm trying not to self-pressure into another marathon next month, as some of my more in shape friends are doing. I also did yoga twice with my mom last week and some swimming and lifting. I didn't know that you could get sore from yoga until reading Barb's entry. I just thought I was doing it all wrong! Anyway, at minimum, I plan to start a winter biking program in the next couple weeks. It runs through May. I just hope I have the discipline to stick somewhat near it. If I don't have some semblance of a plan, I'll certainly morph into couch potato mode this winter.

Errand -Filled Day

I guess I never really elaborated on getting a new job. I kept it hush because you never know who's reading these blogs (i.e. co-workers). Anyway, I didn't announce my departure at the office until 3 weeks ago even though I had known I was quitting for a bit longer. I got the offer (and my old company's counter offer), but I was waiting for all my administrative paperwork to go through. I was sad to leave my friends but relieved to not have to deal with the office drama/politics anymore. Lucky for me, the week off between the old and new job happens to fall on my birthday. Yay!

I ran 5 miles this morning on Stringfellow Road. I wore a short sleeve shirt, fleece vest, and light gloves and got warm with the vest but not too bad since the wind was fierce. I should've left the watch home (a la Blondie) because I was running faster than I should right now. When I know the time hacks at certain landmarks, I tend to race against the watch, especially when the weather is cooler. My left quad/IT band were still tight.

I finally got my blood drawn for the anemia issue back in August, even though I haven't felt the same fatigue and breathlessness since then. I wonder if anemia can come and go or is it a constant condition? After I got that out of the way, I made some purchases including a magazine rack, a storage bench for all the binders under my desk, Halloween/birthday gifts for my goddaughters, and breath mints for the cats to which they turned up their noses. Even Cat Monstair, who eats everything. I did some reading for a Krispy Kreme case study due in November. That made me crave a hot donut, so I'll have to stop by the store when I go to VA Beach.

When R. got home from work, he showered me with birthday presents. It felt like Christmas! He got me Christian Dior Addict perfume, a strength training video for endurance athletes, a tri backpack with a bazillion compartments, Godiva chocolates, and a subscription to Runners World. And then we rushed to the pool to beat the Masters group that takes a majority of the lanes. I did 40 laps, the most I've done since I stated swimming in January. I wanted to see how far I could swim without stopping - 8 laps - and then I continued with sets of 4 laps. I also practiced treading water, which for me, is more challenging than swimming. I'm a rock.

Not much running

I did my first post-marathon run yesterday with Nanda and R. We met up with the club but did our own 5-mile route along Potomac River on the Mt Vernon trail. The sun was finally out, the temps were cool, a perfect day to run. Though my legs didn't feel sore, they were still tired and my left quad was tight and achy. It was great to catch up with Nanda, who's working crazy hours these days and trying not to get injured with slow increases in training. It's hard to believe that Saturday was our first run together since that's how we met! After breakfast, R. and I enjoyed the gorgeous weather a bit more at an auto sale that my credit union was holding at my alma mater. We won't be in the market for a new car for another year but wanted to check out the deals. We test drove a Volvo C70 convertible and the "I love all things cute" side of me wanted to purchase the car. Luckily, the practical side prevailed. Really, the trunk was too small for our active lifestyles. I was pretty industrious the rest of the afternoon, finishing up laundry, throwing away old papers in my desk, and avoiding the the urge to take a nap since we had evening social obligations. My running friends took me out to dinner at Lebanese Taverna for my birthday on Monday and ended up closing the place down.

I meant to run ~3 miles today but simply ran out of time. I'm sure 5 miles is my all-time weekly low. I did lift and do abs (my third session this week, a big accomplishment since I'm such an ab-procrastinator). For one of my birthday presents, R. took me to a Thai cooking class downtown. Everyone was miserable during the demonstration because it was windy, cold and loud outside, but thankfully we moved inside to eat. We learned how to cook one of my favorite dishes - pad thai - and had three other courses, white/red wine and hot tea for $65. Actually, due to the rough conditions (it wasn't too bad for us weather-hardened runners), the owner decided to refund everyone their money. How cool!

This afternoon I got a lot of school work completed, though I still have a lot more to do, some catch up on Reserves work/reading, a training plan to develop for the next two months and pictures to print out for relatives. I quit my old job as of Friday and I'm taking a week off to relax, clean up, catch up, and see the fam. Hopefully it won't be too stressful to cross off everything on my "to do" list.

Post-marathon recovery

My only real complaint about the marathon course was some of the tight water stops. I know it can get dicey at stops during big races, but it seemed all the stops happened to be placed in the narrowest of the streets. Maybe my imagination, but I did spend a decent amount of the race making sure I didn't run anyone over or trip on a water cup or half eaten PowerGel.

So, what else did I do besides run the marathon? Well, mostly I was in food heaven. Everything we ate there was awesome. My favorite were the burritos at a mom n pop taqueria in Bridgeport, near R's old college campus. I'm not a big burrito aficionado, but they were so tasty and cheap. And they came with a bucket of marinated veggies and limes. All for under $11 bucks. We also had a Mexican mocha and chocolate at Moonstruck on Michigan that was delicious. I have a feeling we'll be back next year. I'm drooling at the thought.

My quads are still slightly sore, but at least I'm able to walk down the stairs without looking too crippled. I have been doing some easy workouts to flush out lactic acid but no running.

Mon walk 1+mi on Michigan Ave/Magnificent Mile window shopping
Tues swim 1000 meters & soak in the hot tub
Weds elliptical 35 min, lift upper body, push ups/pull ups/abs
Thurs bike 35 min, elliptical 10 min, pull ups/abs

I don't intend to run until Saturday with Nanda (who's still recovering from injury). I want to let my body recover fully without losing too much fitness. Also, I want to be more consistent and aggressive about speedwork. And, I'm thinking about doing an Olympic distance triathlon in May...if I master treading water. So much for being a couch potato.

Couldn't have asked for a better marathon day

There's so much to tell from the weekend's events, but I'm gonna start with the reason I have this blog - running. I've added Chicago to my short list of favorite marathon venues. The weather was perfect; crowd support was amazing; the course was scenic; and everyone around was in a festive mood. The start was right in front of our hotel, so R. and I walked out at 7am to gear check and then made our way to our respective corrals. Although I had a "preferred" bib, I decided instead to line up in the open start with the 3:50 pace group to be conservative. That ended up being a *very* good decision. The pacers eased my nerves, and we had a ball chucking the shower of discarded clothing that was falling on us from all directions. I met a nice guy (can't remember his name) from Jacksonville, FL running his second marathon and immediately respected his dedication to training through the awful Florida heat and humidity. At 8am we promptly began to shuffle-walk-shuffle. I tried to stay near the pace group without dodging too many bodies or working too hard. We hit the first mile in 9:15. Stay calm - you'll make it up later. I definitely felt like I could run that pace for 26.2 miles and then some. And the rest of the race went like this:

Mile - Split
2 9:20
3 9:01
4 8:23 Pacers making up time. It's a little work but feeling fine.
5 8:26 Gu #1 - Orange
6 8:37
7 8:26 Meet Jessica fr Iowa. Her 2nd marathon. Ran Austin 2005 too.
8 8:24
9 8:32
10 8:25
11 8:28
12 8:47 Gu #2 - Espresso Love
13 8:41
14 8:39
15 8:25 I lose my buddies Jessica and nice guy. Gotta stay focused.
16 8:38 Left quad begins to tighten, but I push through.
17 8:35 Gu #3 - Plain
18 8:40 Sub-4 in the bag. Shed happy tear, calm down. Got work to do.
19 8:36
20 8:38 Still feeling awesome. Stay conservative - not ready to push.
21 8:37 Eat part of a sour Lifesaver.
22 8:32
23 8:40 Getting tired. Let the mind and right leg do the work.
24 8:53 Don't stop.
25 8:46
26 8:54 Stomach's not happy. Trying not to throw up.
.2 1:46

I finished in 3:47, running pretty much the whole way with a smile on my face. It must've been all the good luck vibes from you all. Thanks! I felt that euphoria of my early marathons again and it was wonderful. While not my best marathon time, I had a fun, ran a smart, strong race, AND I was mentally prepared. The mental aspect was the biggest thing that I let slide this year...until Chicago. I let the health and training setbacks turn my attitude into a "can't do" one. And rediscovering on Sunday that I can do what my mind tells me to do was quite empowering. I hope to use this experience as a building block for improving upon future marathons and races. But for now, I think I will be in touch with my inner couch potato for a bit.

All my fellow club runners had great races as well. Several PRed by many minutes. One gal by 14 minutes, another qualified for Boston, another gal who ran 3:07 after +4 hours and 3:30-something the past two Chicagos, and yet another gal who ran her first marathon (with little training the last 3 weeks b/c of knee pain) in 3:07 also. One of our guys ran 2:44 with the skin on the bottom of his feet rubbed raw from loose shoes. Amazing. We celebrated Sunday evening with yummy Chicago deep dish pizza at Pizano's and free dessert from our waitress!

Oh, and before I forget, we had an elite runner sighting Saturday nigth at our carb load at Rosebud. We sat almost within earshot of Alan and Shayne Culpepper. Several managed to take pictures, and we took copious notes of what he ate. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and salt on the olive oil for bread, in case you were wondering.

I do have more to tell about Chicago, but that'll have to wait for another post. I ought to get back to work.