Sunday, September 30, 2007

10 things

I want to do after the marathon is over:

1. go hiking
2. go ice-skating
3. sleep in
4. go out late
5. see a play
6. go to a museum
7. not wash running clothes every day
8. go for beers with coworkers on Friday afternoon
9. not care about the weather forecast
10. go to the dentist

OK, the last one isn't so much one I'm looking forward, but kind of sums up how the intensity of training has eaten into my life, much as I've tried to contain it. The rest are pretty easy. We've even got theater tickets for the Friday after. Now I just have to run this sucker.

Friday, September 28, 2007

good run

The Queen Mary Two was leaving the harbor, making the Verrazano look like a toy bridge. Its little helicopter companion flew out in front, and the odd blimp that's been over-head on every run floated above it. The sun was setting, the water was choppy and dark, and there were navy storm clouds, but it didn't storm.
Everything felt good. The tail wind heading out was so strong I felt pushed, but when I turned around, the head wind just made it better to breathe. Oh, my foot hurt, but something's gotta feel wrong a week before a marathon.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

silk (vegan) yogurt=sick belly

Add to the things not to eat before or during a long run list.

Friday, September 21, 2007

gotta have priorities



Got a cold, and I didn't go to work today. I'm not going to the party my colleague is having after. But I'm going for my run, and I'm happy about it.



Renee is making me watermelon sorbet! I feel better!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Tired legs

But not mine. The ones on my 15 year old students who moaned and groaned when I gave them an activity that had them walk around.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

22 miles! or, "I want my soup!"


It felt really good. I feel ready. And I understand the guy from Running on the Sun a little better now. Every runner obsesses about something. For me, right now, soup.

Friday, September 14, 2007

red ribbon effort

In a moment of discouragement on today's run, I thought I should just quit running and stick to hobbies I'm actually good at, like cooking.
I started cooking as a little kid. My first effort was cream puffs--I was fascinated by how the batter could turn into something with hollow in the middle, which I'd fill up with Jello pudding or cool whip. I also loved baking bread--big, fluffy loaves with hard crusts. I'd knock on the top to hear if they were done.
I decided to enter my bread in the county fair. The knocking test wasn't quite scientific, and I might've been too anxious to really listen. It turned out to be raw in the middle. The judges were kind, but honest. I got a red ribbon.
I still love to cook. All the not-quite-there dishes haven't changed that, and I ended up getting really good at it.
If I get good at running, that'll be great. If not, I'll get a medal anyway, and I still get all the good stuff.
Here's today's cooking.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I <3 my garmin

It was my treat for teaching summer school, which didn't feel proportionate in the moment that my students were doing tricep dips between the tables and seeing how many books they could land in the flourescent light features. (A lot)
But now that it's September and the twitching is slowing down, the garmin is still with me. And I finally figured out that having it count down is hella more motivating. Can't wait to set it for that 22 miler Sunday.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

more soup


Yesterday evening I had two frozen rum drinks, then half a beer. I had coffee with my breakfast, and added an extra lap around the racquet club early in the run. And yet I stayed perfectly hydrated and feeling great, and was bouncing along to Kanye West when my cell rang.

I caught up with my girlfriend sitting on a bench in the blazing sun. It was like that moment in Running on the Sun when Lisa Smith-Batchen insists she already took the salt pill. She tried to convince me that I should keep running, and she'd be fine just staying on the bench. We each had gatorade left, and there were tons of stores around. We made it home on the shady side of streets.

So I made more soup. Mock chicken noodle. Lots of liquid, lots of salt. Tastes good, too.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Rest day

Blogging from bed, filled with sleeping creatures and resting me. I slept 10 straight hours last night, waking up only to stretch, and continued the laziness into today. Now I'm lying with menthol tingling on my sore leg, coffee, a book.

It occurred to me while slathering on salve how little the whole marathon training process has hurt. Before doing it, I imagined a constant parade of pain. Growing up as the less-coordinated member of an athletic family, I remember heating pads, hot baths, the smell of ben-gay, ace-bandages, and walk it off. My brother tried to shake out a broken arm.

I'm glad to be doing this in a gentler time; grateful for rest days, happy it doesn't have to hurt. But I'm glad it hurts sometimes; it lets me in on a fine tradition.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

onion soup


My girlfriend and I are both battling colds, and all that was left in our fridge as we wait for fresh direct were some onions. So I cooked up french onion soup, down to the croutons and a fake cheese sauce. It was yummy.

Tonight is an unscheduled rest day. The colds, and my IT band ached a little standing in class. Today my friend the school psychologist wondered out loud how runners balanced the need to be trained and the need to prevent injury. I said it's something I'm still trying to learn.

Back to school

I was hurting a little on last night's run, but I think the foam roller and some ibuprofen took care of it. The sun's setting earlier, so I got to see a beautiful orange sunset over Staten Island. I love air pollution.
First day of classes for the fall term. A kid stayed after to tell me I have a great aura. Wonder what color it is.

Monday, September 3, 2007

home, veggie home





I was so hungry for plant foods that aren't based in white flour after three days away that I almost took the taxi driver up on his offer of half his orange. If they have to strike Wednesday, he's going to need every saved orange. He owned his car, but will still stay out, saying, "I don't strike for me. For all of us." We're with you, taxi drivers, and so are some who went before you.

Back to the plant foods. There's brown rice cooking, and I'm about to go stir fry some lentils and vegetables. I'll drink a peach watermelon smoothie while I do it.

Happy labor day.