MarathonMennone

Darn you Achilles!

2012-01-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

It probably goes without saying that because I have signed up for 2 marathons and an ultra, I am going to get injured. I really don't know what made me so cocky. I'm not superman, no way. Although I am starting to bear a certain resemblance to the Greek (Roman?) hero/immortal/dude-god, Achilles.

Achilles tendinitis is a doozy. I knew that it hurt like a mother, cause my mother actually has it (hahahha. horrible joke). I started to feel it the other day and so I've been icing it periodically, but this weekend, I decided to skip my 13 mile run and do the bike instead. I definitely do not have a major case - it's not swollen or red and it only hurt a little bit after running. It's not hurting in the morning or in the middle of the night, like it can when it gets really bad. When it started to hurt, I did some internet research and found out that this is NOT an injury you want to run on.

I think that runners are pretty willing to run through anything, but in this particular case, that is a HORRIBLE mistake. If you keep running on it, you can actually rupture it. Doesn't that sound horrible? I mean, you don't tear it, strain it, or twist it. You rupture it. I can't think of anything worse.

HOWEVER, if you catch it early, you can fix it. You don't have to suffer from this forever. Here's what I'm doing. We'll see how it pans out:

1. ICE. Ice it after running. Elevate and ice.
2. STRETCH (but not too much). One of the worst things you can do with this injury (per my mom) is overstretch it. Ha. Everyone is always telling me to stretch, but here it could actually backfire. So I'm skipping the typical stretches and instead doing this: stand on one foot and with the other outstretched slightly, form every letter of the alphabet with your toe (the one that's elevated). Switch feet. Also, standing on one foot and swinging the other back and forth.
3. STRENGTHEN. Do lunges, lots of lunges. Side lunges, forward lunges (I keep wanting to type lunches instead of lunges....perhaps it's time for a snack), backward lunges. Lunge, lunge lunge. Strengthen your calves by standing on your tiptoes on a stair and go up and down. does that make sense? If not, let me know and I will try to clarify.
4. finally, STOP RUNNING. For a little. It can't possibly hurt too much to take a week off and do some biking, swimming, and yoga. It won't. I promise. Just please stop for a minute or something is gonna rupture, and you KNOW that won't feel good.

The Achilles Tendon is one of the biggest in your body. It's also a big pansy, apparently. Sigh. Oh well. Off to ride the stupid stationary bike.

PS. Thanks to my mom for her insight on this horrible, horrible injury.

My Race Resume

2011-12-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I was reading something online today and it mentioned a "Running Resume." This got me thinking about how I can't really recall off the top of my head all of the races that I've done. Maybe it would be really helpful to create a race resume!

So that is how I have just spent the last 40+ minutes of my life. And to be perfectly honest, I've spent much worse 40+ minutes doing much more horrible things.

I know I've probably missed a few, but here we go so far:

RACES
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run – April 2008 1:28:53
Marine Corps Marathon – October 2008 4:23:00
Jingle All the Way 10k – December 2008 00:54:45
SunTrust National Half Marathon – March 2009 1:56:11
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run – April 2009 1:29:32
Nation’s Triathlon – September 2009 3:37:00
Nike Women’s Marathon – October 2009 4:42:26
SunTrust National Marathon – March 2010 3:59:36
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run – April 2010 1:44:15
Back On My Feet 20in24 Ultramarathon – July 2010 42.28 miles
Marine Corps Marathon – October 2010 4:15:40
SunTrust National Marathon – March 2011 4:40:58
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run – April 2011 1:41:10
Pacers 5k Friday Series – April 2011 00:22:20 (best time)
Baltimore 10 Mile Race – June 2011 1:29:08
Back On My Feet 20in24 Ultramarathon – July 2011 50.73 miles
9-11Memorial 5k – September 2011 00:23:30
Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon – September 2011 1:46:32
Hershey Half Marathon – October 2011 1:46:19
Chester County 5k Turkey Trot – November 2011 00:21:44
Hot Chocolate 15k – December 2011 1:12:58
Jingle All the Way 8k – December 2011 00:52:21

UPCOMING RACES
SunTrust National Marathon – March 2012
Pacers 5k Friday Series – April 2012
GW Parkway Classic 10 Mile Run – April 2012
Flying Pig Marathon – May 2012
Back On My Feet 20in24 Ultramarathon – July 2012
Marine Corps Marathon – October 2012
Jingle All the Way 8k – December 2012

I think that everyone who runs should keep something like this because it really shows progress and by the end, you really feel accomplished. Even if you didn't accomplish anything except wasting 40+ minutes of your day :)

Why I'll NEVER Run Another RAM Race

2011-12-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the Hot Chocolate 15k. It was a distance I hadn't done before, so I figured it would be fun. In retrospect, the poorly designed and unhelpful website should have been an indicator of how this race would go. At the packet pickup, I felt like maybe I should just skip the race. I ended up going anyway and all I can say is, at least now I have a race horror story to share with the world (and everyone needs one of those).

Let's start with the packet pickup. They would not allow race day pickup, which to me is a little goofy considering that it was a 5k/15k race. It wasn't like it was a marathon or something. But boyfriend agreed to drive me out, which was a good thing because the pickup AND the race were not metro accessible.

Okay, let's back up. This race was advertised as a Hot Chocolate Race in Washington, DC. I swear when I signed up, there was no race course up on their website. And so imagine my surprise when I looked up packet pickup and discovered that the location was the National Harbor...in Maryland. This makes absolutely no sense to me, because DC is a great city and there are some fantastic places to run here. There's no need to hold a race so far away that it's not accesible by metro.

Back to packet pickup. It was SO congested and crowded that it took us over an hour just to get into a parking garage. There were no signs anywhere, no indicators of where to go, what to do. The website remained spectacularly unhelpful and the organizers posted an "aerial view" of the National Harbor on their facebook page in a sad attempt to direct the rows and rows of cars trying to merge into one lane. It failed. It was utter chaos. They also forgot to mention that there were tons of non-race related events happening at the National Harbor on Friday, which just added to the chaos. Once we got in to pick up our packets, I was really sad to see the pathetic jacket they handed out. That was it. Jacket, bib, safety pins. It was the worst race packet I've ever had! I stopped by a woman who was handing out corral stickers for bibs. She didn't check my claim that I could run 8 minute miles. And she also told me that even if I didn't get a sticker, I could get into the corral on race morning. I took a B sticker and then we hightailed it out of there.

On race morning, my friend, her brother, and I walked out to catch a shuttle from Crystal City. It was before 6am. We were going to be on time, gosh darn it! We walked a few blocks from my apartment and found...rows of old school buses. I haven't been on a school bus for years and let me tell you, they have not improved. For a $65 race fee, I really expected something a lot nicer.

The traffic was horrendous. We stood at a standstill until our driver dangerously cut off several cars and smashed her way through the highway. I hear we got lucky, because apparently a lot of the bus drivers got really lost and people had to sit on those buses for hours.

Which may not have been so bad after all. When we arrived, we dropped off some bags at the gear check and after huddling in a tent for a while, we went down to get lined up. Runners were supposed to be lined up by 7:45am, with the race starting at 8. I headed to my B corral and took my friends with me. Where they were promptly stopped by a volunteer who wouldn't let them in the corral because their bibs didn't have a sticker. Look, I understand that people don't like to have to pass slow runners. But no matter how far in the front you are (unless you're on of the VERY FIRST people), you're always going to be passing someone. Anyway, my friends can run about the same pace as me. But the volunteer SCREAMED at my friend, "are you going to run 6 minute miles?!? These people are going to run 6 minute miles. You're going to get TRAMPLED!" What can anyone say to that? I was left alone in my lame little B corral, feeling shaken by how mean a volunteer could be.

And then, we waited. And waited. 8am passed. 8:15. 8:30. We didn't start the race until AFTER 9am. By that point, we were all freezing and HUNGRY. Runners don't eat a huge breakfast buffet before running 9 miles. I couldn't believe how hungry I was by the time we started and after the first mile, I realized that I was a little light headed. Which was really not good because the first 5 miles of the race were in a single lane on the HIGHWAY. With the other lane open to traffic. It was a loop, which means that runners were going in both directions. There was no way an ambulance could have made it through if there had been an emergency. We were all inhaling exhaust fumes and trying not to run into each other. Also, I think it goes without saying that it was incredibly UGLY. Why on earth would someone advertise a race in DC and then have us run on a highway in the middle of Maryland? RAM Racing, that's who.

After the first five miles, the course continued to narrow. It was like jogging on a path made for 2 people, not 20,000. Except that there were 20,000 people on the path. It was unbelievable.

The race was definitely not a 15k. People kept saying that their garmin was registering it as 9.1 miles instead of 9.3 and I completely believe that. The finish line was only moments away from the 9 mile marker and as someone who runs marathons, I know that .2 miles can be a ways away, let alone .3. That was a disappointment, but not as disappointing as the "chocolate festival" that followed.

First, we had to walk up a gravelly hill to get to the chocolate. That was not pretty. Then we walked through a tent where we were handed a plate that consisted of: half a browned banana, a pretzel rod, one marshmallow, 3 apple slices, and 2 tiny pieces of a rice krispie treat. These had been sitting out for hours. Then we walked to the "chocolate fondue"...which was melted chocolate congealing in large troughs. Volunteers scooped some out onto our plates and then we were booted out of the tent. The hot chocolate was fine, but nothing special. Everyone was alloted ONE cup only. I hopped right back on a school bus, which was the smart thing to do because apparently the lines later were so long that people had to wait over an hour just to get on a bus.

The response from organizers has been unsatisfying to say the least. They have been deleting negative comments from the Facebook page (rule #1 of social media: do NOT delete any comments unless they are vulgar or have bad words). The letter that they sent out to participants blamed the police, a traffic accident, and the parking company. They took zero responsibility and obviously are not planning on refunding anyone's money (did I mention that the poor people who drove had to pay $10 for a parking pass that no one checked on race day? what a scam).

RAM Racing has proven to be incompetent, unresponsive, and rude. I definitely will not trust them to plan any other race and I encourage all of you to avoid their races as well. There are so many great races out there in the DC area. You do not need to waste your time on any event hosted by RAM.

Here's the Jingle All the Way 8k this weekend, a tried and true, well-done, organized event that I am looking forward to!

My First Run

2011-11-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

"This is stupid" was the phrase that was running through my head. "I signed up for tennis, not running. Why am I running?" I glanced over at my mom, who seemed to be enjoying this...this...exercise. "My boobs hurt," I announced to her loudly. "We'll probably have to get you a sports bra," was her quick and even reply. Ah-ha. At least something good will come out of this torture. New bras!

I feel fortunate that I remember my very first real "run." I think it helps me to connect with new runners. I also think it helps me not to take running for granted. It's not something that everyone will enjoy immediately and it's not something that is easy to start on your own.

During my freshman year of high school, I proclaimed that next year, I would join the tennis team instead of enduring the torture and boredom of marching band. As a bassoon player (it's the long instrument that looks like a bedpost), I was not able to march with my original instrument. The school decided it would be a good idea to get me to play the BASS DRUM, which was so different and scary that I hated every minute of marching band (also the uniforms were just icky). Luckily, if I joined the tennis team, I would be exempt from ever touching a drum again.

However, after I announced my decision to my parents, my mom came up with a novel idea: better go for a run. If I was going to join the tennis team, I'd have to bring something to the table. Might as well face it - I will never be a star tennis player. I am barely a decent tennis player. But if I could show that I was fit, eager, and ready for anything, then I might have a chance to join the team and make it through try-outs.

So on one sunny day, my mom made me go for a run with her. Looking back, it was probably a little less than a mile. I run on that path all the time now when I go home to see my parents. But at the time, it seemed like we must have been running for HOURS. I had no idea why my chest hurt. I had no idea why my feet hurt. Why would anyone subject themselves to this? But my mom stood fast - if I was going to be an athlete, that meant learning how to run.

Because of this, I was able to join the tennis team. And I was able to pass all my teammates whenever we did running exercises. I was fit. I was ready. I was eager to learn anything and everything. And so they let me join the team.

When I went to college and didn't have to play a sport to get out of marching band, I found that all I really wanted to do was run. And now, well, all I want to do is run. I have found something that I profoundly love and enjoy. Now, over 10 years later, my mom credits me with getting her into races and running. I guess her love for me overshadows that humiliating first run, during which she encouraged me and helped me to get past the first hurdles. Maybe she really has forgotten that she is the reason why I am who I am today (for so many reasons).

Maybe it's time I reminded her and maybe it's even time that I say thank you!

Going backpacking

2011-11-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made a solid investment. I purchased a running backpack. It was definitely not a spur of the moment purchase; I'd been thinking about it for a while. As summer started to wind down, I became increasingly concerned about how and when I would fit in my running. Then one day it occurred to me: run home from work.

The run from my office in downtown DC to Pentagon City, VA is absolutely beautiful. I go right down the National Mall, loop around by the Jefferson Memorial, and go on a bridge right to VA. Then I take the Mt. Vernon trail around by the airport, through Crystal City directly to my apartment building. It's a little less than 5 miles and is an ideal run for weekdays. For the past few weeks, I've been running home at least once or twice a week. I get my workout in early, so I'm not running around at 8pm in the dark AND I burn off all of the stress/steam of the workday.

For the record, I highly recommend the brand that I bought - Osprey Talon. I purchased it from a great company called Moosejaw. It was about $80 and it was completely worth it. The backpack is lightweight, comfortable, and easy to run with. There's lots of useful compartments and it even has a separate space for a water bladder. It is pretty much my new favorite running toy for now!

Social Runner! (pick me!!!!)

2011-11-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I got a really interesting email. As you all know from diligently reading ALL of my blog posts (cough, cough), my very first race was the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 2008. I had so much fun and loved it so much that I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon that fall. I've been hooked ever since! I have been doing the Cherry Blossom run every year since then (thankfully I have made it through the lottery each time and even got the chance to run it with my mom TWICE). Let me tell you - it is a great race. It's a popular race and so it's pretty big. The course is beautiful and the energy is great!

But that was just the back story...back to that interesting email. It was an email from race organizers giving some updates on the upcoming 2012 race. And it included a very special new section:
"The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run is looking for two runners from anywhere in the United States to be our first “Credit Union Cherry Blossom Social Runners.” These individuals will be telling the world all about their experiences with the race on Facebook and Twitter."

What a great opportunity! I'm so happy to see that they are offering something like this. I would absolutely love to help spread the word about the race and I'm looking forward to seeing who they pick! No matter what, it's going to be another beautiful race in 2012!

Go Runners Go!

2011-10-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Marine Corps Marathon was yesterday. I could hear the announcers from my bedroom in Arlington. I could see the road closures from the windows. And part of the race course was on the road by my apartment building. I was feeling pretty sad. I got up at 7 and went for an hour run. Then I pulled myself together, ate some donuts, and dragged Boyfriend out with me to cheer on the runners.

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!

I love to cheer people on in races. I love to race more, but if I can't race, I want to cheer. I would never avoid a race because I wasn't doing it. I can't imagine going for a long run instead of cheering on the runners. It was a BLAST!! I had a cowbell and someone gave me a big horn and I was not quiet for one minute. Constant cowbelling and yelling are my style. I was meeting them all right after they hit mile 23. I got there around the 2:15 hour mark and there were already a bunch of crazy runners speeding through. They didn't really acknowledge my cheers, but I don't always either. I know how important it is to have people cheering you on, so I just kept yelling. But after we hit the 3 hour mark, that was when people were giving me the thumbs up, high-fiving me, and screaming "THANK YOU!!!" as they shuffled by. There were several people who were walking as they approached me but when they got close to me they started running again. I absolutely believe in the power of a cheer squad and I can only hope that I helped some of them through the last 3 miles.

Some tips for people who are going to cheer at a marathon:
1) cheer for everyone! ring your cowbell or wave your sign for everyone who walks by. it doesn't matter if you know them or not!
2) if you see someone who's wearing their name on their shirt, call it out! if they don't have their name on, but they have writing on, yell that out. it will lift their spirits! (for runners: put your name on your shirt or your body somewhere!)
3) if you bring your kids (and I suggest you do!), don't let them get so close to the race course. There were two little girls cheering next to me for a while and they kept blowing their horns into the race course. Like abruptly raising a huge plastic horn into runners' paths. Their caretaker did not seem too concerned, which really started to irritate me.
4) have fun! Runners need positive energy as they power through their race. Laugh, cheer, and dance! It will lift runners' spirits.

I pretty much gave up on specific cheers and stuck with "great job runners!" "you look strong, keep it up!" and "you can do it! finish strong, stay strong runners!" Maybe the people next to me got sick of it, but everyone needs to hear you. The runner passing you 5 minutes ago doesn't care if you're still telling the people behind them that they have a good pace too. I really believe that there were a lot of people out there yesterday who needed to hear, "you CAN do this!" I know that I've needed that little pep talk in a race before.

I made myself a promise yesterday. As long as I live in the DC area, I WILL do the Marine Corps Marathon. I can't stand to miss it ever again! What an incredible race! Congrats to all the finishers!!

It's not too late to do another marathon....RIGHT?!!?!?

2011-10-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

First off, let's kick things off with a shout out to Rich, who made my YEAR by commenting on my blog. Let's all go visit his new blog at http://mydaddyisarunner.blogspot.com/. He had the misfortune of having me photobomb a few of his race photos in the Hershey Half Marathon and was kind enough to search me out and comment on my blog post!

In other news...I'm debating signing up for another marathon before 2012 hits. I'm feeling the bug pretty badly and I'm not sure if I'll be able to resist. I figure that I can get in a few 20 milers in November and do a December marathon? The only problem is that I'm late in registering, so there's not a ton of races left, ESPECIALLY in my vicinity. Doing this would probably mean going down to Florida or something and as nice as that sounds, it's probably not gonna happen. Sooo....Rehoboth or some trail run in Baltimore? Thoughts? Suggestions? The Rehoboth one happens to be the day before my Jingle All the Way 8k...but 8k is only 5 miles (not even 5 miles, just under). I think it would be totally feasible but would it be a really jerk move to do that since I signed up for the Jingle race with friends and family? Would anyone go to the beach in December to support me? I guess I may find out...I'll keep you all updated on my decision.

This weekend I'm going to go cheer on the Marine Corp Marathon runners. I'm so excited to stand on the street and yell at people for a few hours!! I was going out for a morning run yesterday and a random guy in my apartment building asked how far I was going. In general I hate that question, because I often don't know yet. I just go for as long as I feel like. So I kind of stammered and he ultimately got around to saying, "You should do the Marine Corps Marathon! I think it's next weekend." Oh, dear, poor fellow really set me up for that one. Ready for my spike? "Oh yeah. I've done that one. Twice." BAM. Right in the face!! He looked shocked (although I'm not sure why, I think I look like I run pretty steadily) and all he could muster was, "well look at you!"

Yeah that's right. Look at me! I'm a runner!

Does 13 seconds really make a difference?

2011-10-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I did the Hershey Half Marathon. It was one of the smallest races I've done (only 5,000 people). Let me tell you - small races may be the way to go. It was so personal - names on the bibs, easy to get to the starting line, convenient parking, very decongested start line. There were a LOT of spectators, which kind of surprised me, except when you think about it, people bring their whole families to the smaller races. Don't get me wrong, it was no Marine Corps Marathon. But it really was a great race. It was a gorgeous day for it and it went through the beautiful PA countryside AND through Hersheypark. They also had a chocolate aid station, which was wonderful. The schwag was pretty awesome too - a great reusable bag, cool t-shirt, 13.1 bumper sticker, and an insulated lunch box filled with goodies at the finish. I think I just might do this race again next year...

I also managed to improve my time from the Philly half marathon by 13 seconds - so I shaved off one second per mile. So I PR'ed this weekend, which made me ridiculously happy for some reason. I also was in the top 500 finishers in the race (which really only happened because it was a small race).

In other news, a 100 year old man did the Toronto marathon this weekend. FULL marathon. UNBELIEVABLE!! Can you even imagine being 100 years old and doing 26.2 miles? He said he was so happy that it only compared to his wedding day. I told this to my friend and she immediately responded with "that'll be you someday." I think that's what every runner, deep down inside, wants. Yes, we would like to win races and improve our times, but in the end it's about running as long and as much as possible. Keep going till you can't go no more!!!

Fanatic?

2011-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

So far, I've had several people send me an article about the woman who ran the Chicago marathon while 39 weeks pregnant (she gave birth a few hours after finishing the race). At first, I was a little confused. I am not pregnant and I was not lucky enough to run the Chicago marathon. Then I realized a great thing: when my friends and family think of marathons, they think of me.

That makes me smile.

In October 2008, I completed my very first marathon: the Marine Corps Marathon. Since then, I have completed 2 (soon to be 3) half marathons, 5 ten-milers, 10-15 10ks and 5ks, 5 marathons, 2 ultra-marathons, and one triathlon. I feel like that's a great start. Now let's keep going!!

Who wants to be on my race crew for this in 2013?

How "hacer jogging" made me run

2011-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

I was thinking a lot during my Philly half marathon this past weekend. I was also running super fast (for me) and clocked in at 1:46:32. Basically, 8 minute miles, back to back, for 13.1 miles. I am quite pleased :)

But what was really on my mind was my time in Spain. I studied in Madrid 5 years ago this fall and stayed with a lovely couple named Babis and Emilio. They treated me like one of their children and took extremely good care of me. They encouraged me to go out, enjoy Spain. They cooked for me, did my laundry (hung my underwear up to dry in the kitchen...), and took care of my when I was sick. I absolutely adored them.

But one thing that always irked me was how casually they viewed my running. By the time I went to Spain, I was pretty firmly invested in my running. I wasn't doing races, but I did run 3-4 times a week. I had the cool clothes, the cool shoes. I took myself somewhat seriously. So whenever it was time for me to hit the pavement, I would say that I was going to "correr." Correr in Spanish means to RUN. My host dad would always respond with how good it was to "hacer jogging." Basically cut me down a size, counter my enthusiasm for running with his belief that I was really only jogging.

Good grief, I really hated that.

It really irritated me to think that I was being classified as a "jogger" when I really believed myself to be a "runner." As someone who loves fitness in all forms, I have nothing really AGAINST joggers. It's just that I don't want to be one. I want to be a RUNNER. Jogging brings to mind velour tracksuits and soccer moms. Someday I'll be a granny and I'll jog. Now I am 25 and I wear shorty shorts and by gosh, I run. Running brings to mind athletes and wild cats. I want to be the wild cat. And during this last race, I really felt like I was. I was passing people, keeping my pace despite a nagging pull in my knee (it's totally gone, I swear). And at the end, I sprinted.

I absolutely refuse to be a jogger. I will not jog - I will only run.

50.4 Miles

2011-08-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 full weeks since the 20in24 Back On My Feet Ultramarathon. The weather was perfect. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day in July. I ran 50.4 miles in a blissful state with absolutely no problems.

Haha just kidding. This was definitely a challenge. But I am happy to report that I pushed through and completed my goal of 50 miles!

I arrived on Friday and went to have my vitals checked. They do this just in case you run into any major problems during the 24 hour race (not that anyone ever has any problems in a situation like this). Oddly enough, the same man who checked my vitals this year was the one who did it last year. Even weirder, we remembered each other. Boy did we get a good laugh out of that. *awkward pause.*

Then my mom and I walked around Philly and got a burrito for dinner. Now before you all go nuts here, let me tell you something. I sincerely believe that a Chipotle burrito, when properly assembled, will give you far more and far superior energy than a plate of pasta. Yes. Correct. Burrito>pasta for a marathon, ultramarathon, or triathlon. Of course, I get a vegetarian one and I do not put sour cream on it. But I do include lots of beans, rice, and veggies. Combine the power of beans with the carbs of a HUGE tortilla and rice and it's a no brainer. Also, let's not be too graphic here, but it goes out easy the next morning...

I could NOT sleep the night before the race. I was going insane - I had two horrible dreams about the race. In one, I dreamed that part of the race was flooded and we had to swim it. In another, I dreamed that I had only gone 16 miles in the first 12 hours.

After finally waking up and convincing myself that the race hadn't started yet, I couldn't bring myself to eat very much. Nerves and lack of sleep put an achy rock in my stomach and no food wanted to enter. And no, this has nothing to do with my burrito. Stop it with the burrito-hating, guys. Burritos are our friends.

And then...we were off! I found my mom a shady spot to park and after she spent enough time worrying over me, I started the race in full force! I wore my spiffy camelback and a new outfit picked out just for me by my mommy. There was nothing more to want. A full day of running fun awaited me.

Except it sucked. The first lap left me hungry and tired but I knew that if I took a break already, I would want to give up. So I told the nice folks keeping time that I was heading out for another one. I waved to my mom and pressed on. And then promptly rolled my ankle. In mid stride. There was no catalyst. I just landed on my foot wrong and collapsed onto the lawn by the Rocky statue.

Overweight tourists looked at me with concern. What was this strange woman doing lying on the sidewalk with a number pinned to her chest? What was up with the backpack? Runners passed me with a quick, "are you ok?" Sure. I'm fine. I'm really having a great time here, SUCH a great time in fact, that I decided to just lie on the grass for a few minutes doubled over. I'm just PRETENDING to be in pain.

But I really wasn't interested in stopping or in a side of pity, so after the pain subsided, I kept going. Which was vaguely stupid because then my knee started to hurt, but there was nothing else to do. I could walk the half mile back to the start and take a break, but I knew that if I stopped, I'd want to go home.

After a grueling, limpy gimpy lap, I told the nice people keeping track of time that I was going to take a break. I went over to my mom and promptly, maturely started to bawl. It was a really grown up crying that consisted of, "blwarwhg washse sniffle Wanna go home!!!"

So guys, this is where it gets really deep. My mom had insisted on coming and so did my boyfriend (who smartly missed the cryfest by driving up on Saturday instead of Friday). They were both convinced that I would die if they did not come. And you know what? I would have given up if my mom hadn't been there to console me and get me to snap out of it. She told me to go get my foot wrapped (I did). She told me that I could do it (I did. Eventually). She told me I wanted it (I did). And I got back out there and I ran another two laps.

I only took two breaks - one initial break of 2 hours and then a second 1 hour break to eat. The entire race I was hungry but not hungry enough to eat. It was painful and kept my energy low. If (when) I do another one of these, I need to take MORE FOOD. Peanut butter sandwiches just won't cut it and Clif bars don't taste so great after you had 3. Or even just half of one...

But anyway back to my foot. I went to the medical tent and had them wrap my ankle (they were nice enough to tell me that 16 miles was impressive. I knew the truth. Nothing short of 50 is impressive). And then I bounded out onto the trail again, complete with ankle and knee brace. But...they wrapped it too tight. So after the first mile, I once again sat down on the grass (this time not doubled over). I yanked my shoe off and started to tear at the tape but man, they were good. After a few minutes two volunteers on bikes stopped by to assist me. However, being the good citizens that they were, they were not carrying a pocket knife. Nor did they have a pair of scissors. However, they both offered keys so there I sat, tearing away at my bandages with my entourage and their housekeys. But that didn't really do too much good and after another few minutes, the medic truck stopped by. Now these guys had some serious scissors. So by this point, I had 4 people standing over me, watching my undo my bandages. I felt a strange sense of importance and humiliation. There's really no feeling quite like it. But they didn't make me stop running and they even took my sweaty, gross bandages to throw away. This race has absolutely, hands down, THE BEST volunteers on the planet.

So I kept running/running walking and finally started pacing with an older guy. He had done 60+ ultramarathons. I was blown away. How does someone even make the time to do that many?? It definitely helped to have someone to chat with for a while and I finished my second 16 in pretty good time. At this point, boyfriend had arrived and was able to convince me to eat a little bit more.

The final lap was amazing. My mom and my boyfriend went out and paced with me, thank goodness. Philly was a dark place in the middle of the night and I was so happy not to be alone. Of course you wouldn't know that because I might have been whining most of the time (the first 40+ miles were awfully lonely without anyone to complain to). Eventually we met up with another lone ranger who was attempting 50 miles. I was one lap ahead of him and we were all shuffling together for the last few miles. I was happy that we were with him because he was all alone and it seemed unsafe. A lot of lights were out on the path and we were told that someone was mugged along the race course (yay urban running)! I felt bad that I had only to reach the finish line to finish while he would have to plow ahead...but not bad enough to go out for another jaunt with him.

When we got to the last few hundred meters, I was able to run to the finish line. I kept expecting to feel exhilirated or overjoyed or to cry from relief. But mostly I just wanted to sit down. Maybe I am not as an emotional runner as I thought. In any case, I was so happy to be done!!

Initially, I was disappointed in the medal. It's not a medal, but more of a plaque. I had really wanted something to hang around my neck, but it was not to be. However, now I'm really happy to have something unique for my 50 miles. It's sitting proudly in my apartment with a place of honor next to some cat toys. It's a nice reminder of the day, but the memories are much dearer to me. It was an insane, painful, and fun day that I never could have done without the support of my family and friends. I am excited to run 50 miles again and look forward to doing another ultra in the near futue :)

Who wants in?

No fall marathon?!?!?!

2011-06-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

I made a foolish choice this year and hedged my bets on the New York Marathon. And I did not get in. Unfortunately, in the time it took for them to let me know, I missed registration for the Marine Corps and the Chicago marathons. Now I find that I'm somewhat uninterested in trying to find a replacement one. It seems very strange not to have one looming in the future (of course, it would be overshadowed anyway by the ultramarathon approaching this July).

So instead, I am signing up for half marathons. So far, I have one in September and one in October. One with my mom (Philly Rock N Roll) and one in Hershey, PA - chocolate AND running!!!! I am pretty pumped and I am hoping that I can improve my speed by doing a few shorter races.

This past weekend, I did a 10 mile race in Baltimore. It was a lot more hilly than expected, but I finished in 1:28:08. I am at the point where I am in the top 100 for my age/gender group and sometimes even better (placing 22nd out of 745 with a pace of 7:07/mile for a 5k). I am pretty proud of that. If I could work on my speed AND my distance, I think I could really step it up in my marathons.

The thing about that, however, is that if you want to improve your marathon time you have to actually DO a marathon...

Every little thing

2011-05-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, I went for an 8 mile run before work. It was beautiful - last night, it rained and the paths by my house were empty for the most part. Only a few other brave souls woke up and convinced themselves that it would be a good idea to go out and seize the day. I am always so glad when I do make it out in the morning, but it can definitely be a challenge.

My mom came to visit me this past weekend, therefore I was wearing a new pair of shoes (I actually got TWO new pairs of running sneakers but this isn't about bragging). The pair I was wearing this morning are amazing - they are a bright baby blue and just look so cool (since we're bragging, did I mention that my mom is the best?*). But as I was rolling along, I realized that my foot hurt. I was really in pain. I considered turning around. I saw my running life flash before my eyes. Then I remembered that when I had tied my shoes this morning, I had tied my left shoe a little bit too snugly. At the time, I didn't consider that this would cause me serious pain in the arch of my foot. But it did!! As soon as I stopped and retied the shoe a bit looser, I was fine. And finished my 8 miles.

It just goes to show how important training is. You have to learn your body's needs, you have to learn how to adapt to different situations and crises. One little thing goes wrong and suddenly you think you have to quit. It's finding a way around quitting that seperates the marathoners from the rest of the world. Come my friends. Join me.

*While we're on the subject of MamaMennone....she is going to do a half marathon with me this fall!!!

Ramblings

2011-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

I like to do stuff just to do it. I planned a trip to China not particularly because I had a huge yearning to go to China, but because I really wanted to check it off my life list. I like to do stuff. I wanted to go, but I wanted to go just to go. I think life is too short to leave off anything just because it seems hard, or far away. There are some problems to my approach though. It can mean that if something doesn't interest me, it means I don't want to do it. I drag my feet. I avoid it like the plague. But that's not really the best solution. It also means that I often do something, like a triathlon, just to the point of surviving it. Sure, I finished a triathlon, but I didn't really do very well. I trained just enough to squeeze by, but not enough to triumph. And the biggest problem that I usually encounter is that once I finally finish it, I discard it. I cross it off my list and wipe my hands off (or take a shower, if it's dirty enough).

Marathons though, I've stuck with. I've done five now and I'm going to keep doing them. Maybe I won't always do them incredibly fast (fastly?), but I'm going to continue to do marathons until my knees have to be replaced and even then I'll do some more.

AND MORE RAMBLINGS.

5ks. I've never been a fan. 3.1 miles? Why bother? But I signed up for a series of 5ks on Fridays in April by my new apartment. And it was SO MUCH FUN. My goal was just to improve my time every week. I did meet this goal (ok I skipped one week, but I did do 4) and I did much better than I expected to. I ended up coming in 22nd out of 745 women in the last race, clocking in at 22:20. TWENTY TWO MINUTES. That is 7 minute miles!

Maybe now I will do more 5ks. I would really like to get faster overall. Maybe if I keep doing fast 5ks, my marathon time will improve!

WHO KNOWS??? THE WORLD IS NOT READY FOR ME TO CONTINUE DOING STUFF!

Who needs New York?

2011-04-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

New York. What a stupid, ugly, crowded city. Who would want to do a marathon there anyway?

....me....

Sadly, I did not win the lottery to run in the NY Marathon this year. And because I had to wait until yesterday to find out, I missed registration for the Marine Corps Marathon and the Chicago Marathon, neither of which require a lottery system. I could have a guaranteed spot in either, but instead I have to consider options like Philly, Baltimore, or Richmond. Or I could do the Nike Women's again and lose my ankles to the hills. But I probably won't do that.

Now, do I hold a grudge against both London and NY and never apply to their lotteries again? Decisions, decisions...guess I better go visit each city to see if it's worth it. London in June. Maybe NYC in July?

DC Marathon, 2011

2011-03-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last year, I PR'ed in the DC marathon. This year was not quite as fast. However, I really wasn't properly trained, so I was happy to finish at all.

DC Marathons really beat me up though. Last year I had to go to the medic tent at the end for anti-nausea medicine. This year I had to go to one during the race and have them wrap my knee. I've never had knee issues, so it was painful and worrying to suddenly develop one. I've also never stopped at a medic station during a race, so I was worried they would tell me I couldn't keep running. No fear though! The girl who wrapped my knee was incredibly nice. I told her, "you're my hero!" which maybe weirded her out a little, but there is no way I could have finished the race without having the knee wrapped!

Currently, I am experiencing no knee pain, so don't worry about little old me.

This weekend is the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run. I can't wait to run with my mom again! We had so much fun last year and I'm really looking forward to doing it again. Also, I moved from the hood of DC to Pentagon City (yes, I can see Macy's from my apartment) and therefore I could sign up for the Crystal City 5k Friday races in April...so now I have 3 races in the course of 8 days. I'm positive that this will help me kick start my running, prep me for the 24 hour race in July, and in general make me a better person.

High hopes.

What women want (are you overcompensating for something here?)

2011-03-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

There is a great scene in the terrible movie "What Women Want" where Helen Hunt's character is thinking of a pitch for Nike's women's division. In her head she's describing a woman running: "She's running. It's early, it's quiet. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. She likes to run alone. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself. Look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants. No game playing, no rules."

This is how I feel about running. You can be yourself. No one is judging you. That is running. You're not the person who didn't get into grad school, or the person who messed something up at home or at work. You're the runner.

Sometimes, the only reason why I continue to run is because I feel like it's the only thing I'm capable of doing. Sometimes every other part of my life feels like I'm failing or stupid or incompetent. Running saves me from that. When I tell people that I run marathons or that I'm training for an ultramarathon, then they listen to me. Then they think I'm important. The truth is that I'm not even that good at running, but at least when you're running all that matters is that you reach the finish line.

Hey - read this article

2011-03-02T13:05:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone who thinks they don't need to exercise:

Read this.

Get on a treadmill.

That's all.

Feeling old

2011-02-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

I have been seriously sore lately. My feet hurt. My hips hurt. I was moping around thinking about all the serious, irreparable damage I've probably done to my body when suddenly it hit me:

I'm probably just getting old.

I mean, let's face it. The body of a 22 year old is unfortunately much younger than a body of a 25 year old. Especially a 25 year old with insomnia. Now, I know I'm being slightly melodramatic here, but isn't part of it just that my body is wearing down slightly with age and the running aggrevates this?

I've been an incredibly lucky runner. I have not sustained any serious injuries and I still have ALL of my toenails. I've never even lost one. Although my feet hurt, they have not become all scummy and ugly like some runners that you see. I've learned how quickly you can heal from minor cuts/rubs that you might get while wearing a sports bra or slightly too short socks (usually less than a week). After 42 miles in 24 hours last year, I walked right out of the hotel. I didn't shuffle. I walked. (ok I didn't run either, but let's give me SOME credit).

Sometimes I feel like I'm really missing out on part of the running experience by not having these horrible stories to tell (I lost my toenail in the middle of a date and he found it in is salad!). But as I grow sore, I'm more than thankful that I have had almost 3 great years of running pain free.

Now that I am finally starting to feel the effects, I am trying to be more careful. Instead of skipping the stretching completely, I've been trying to throw some in there (not too much though). I'm trying to focus on eating better meals instead of going with "I can eat whatever I want because I'll run it off," because ultimately, running will feel better if I have the right nutrition in me. I'm trying to sleep more and be gentler on my body.

But let's face it - there will just be sore days. I've never been one of those people who would push through an injury if I got one. I don't eat complete garbage all the time (although there are and probably always will be the occasional dinner of ice cream sandwiches) and in general I eat pretty healthy foods. I do recreational yoga on a more regular basis than I'd prefer to admit (at LEAST once every 3 months). So why don't I just cut myself a break, take a bubble bath, and continue my running?

Why, I think I will do just that.

Let's get some stuff straight

2011-02-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, let's get it straight.

I'm not going to bow out of the DC marathon next month.
I'm not going to stop running.

I am not going to stop running.

It's been kind of a tough winter. I've been tired and sore and fat. But I refuse to give up on running marathons or more. This is going to be my 5th marathon! I love running in DC. I love RUNNING.

And let's get some more straight while we're on a roll.

Listen up, friends, enemies, and strangers: if you ride out the elliptical at the gym for 45 minutes, do NOT say that you just ran 5 miles. You did NOT run. You ellipticalled. Good job. I'm sorry, but that machine practically runs itself. You are not running. It DOES NOT COUNT. People keep telling me that they ran 5 miles in 40 minutes and I'm just in awe - wow, there's nothing wrong with America! We're not obese! We're doing great! NO. We ARE obese and I'm sorry but you cannot claim that you ran. Yes. You went to the gym. Good job. It's a step. But it's not running.

I have to say that even though I haven't been running as much as I should be, I'm still super defensive against people acting like they ran when just WENT ON the elliptical. I do that on a rest day.

Boo to everyone. I just had 2 ice cream sandwiches. I also had green beans. So it balances out, right?

Darn it, I didn't think so either.

What if I stopped running?

2011-02-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. It's cold outside. My job is keeping me too busy. 26.2 miles is SO MANY MILES.

Why the heck did I sign up for a marathon next month?

I am really considering bowing out of this one. I'm still signed up for the 24 hour race, so it's not like I would just STOP running. But what if I did? What if suddenly, I no longer did marathons or 5ks or 10 mile races? What if MarathonMennone turned into just...Mennone?

It's a tempting thought sometimes, but it's also terrifying. Running has become a huge part of my identity. It keeps me focused and gives me a hobby other than "watching reruns of the Real Housewives." It is a much more remarkable hobby and it makes me feel special when I tell people "I run marathons." But I'm also just really tired...maybe 3 marathons a year is just too much for me. But at the same time...maybe it's not enough?

I know that I probably will not skip this marathon. But I need something to motivate me and I haven't been able to find it yet. Any suggestions?

Needed: more bang. less buck.

2011-01-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed that I hate winter?

I am completed unmotivated to run. There. I said it. I don't want to run. I want to sit inside and eat ice cream.

EXCEPT I DON'T. I just want the snow to melt so that I can go outside and not worry about breaking my hip. So naturally, to motivate myself to run, my thought is "better buy some cool stuff." Like a new GPS/tracking system to see how far I go. Like new shoes. Like a new running outfit. Like a new hat. Like a new Kate Spade purse...oh so pretty...wait, wait focus, FOCUS.

But unfortunately, I know that the only thing that will get me to run is to start running already. Just get out there on a regular basis and move my feet one step at a time. Sure it's nice to have the cool accessories. But if you don't train, you'll just be the dofus who makes it to mile 8 of a marathon and bows out. And you'll have a useless, albeit beautiful, Kate Spade bag full of GU.

Let's move it, move it!

This is NOT a democracy.

2011-01-21T10:55:00.001-08:00

So you remember how I made you all vote for which race I should do this spring?

And how NONE of you voted for the DC marathon?

Well friends...this is not a democracy. This is a Mennocracy. I'm doing the DC marathon!

Holy crap, I better get serious about training!!!!!!

So much for gung ho...

2011-01-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

It's cooold. I don't LIKE being cold.

Feeling whiney and unmotivated. Will signing up for a marathon help? I haven't decided yet, but I have become the proud new owner of a pair of Nike Free bright pink sneakers. They are pretty awesome, but using new minimalist shoes means that I'm doing shorter runs and using the excuse that I'm "adjusting." I really don't think it's that hard. I haven't felt incredible pain in my calves. So I really need to step it up.

I have chickened out as of now in buying the Vibram 5 fingers, but I am going to go with the Bilka when I do finally decide to take the plunge.

Marathon in March? Anyone? Chime in here?

Ringing in the new year...barefoot.

2011-01-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Sarah and I haven't blogged in 2 months.

Welcome back and happy 2011! What a fun and wonderful year this will be! So far, I have already decided that this will be the year of barefoot running. Yesterday, I went and tried on my first pair of Vibram 5 Fingers. First of all, the name "Vibram" is quite sexy. Kind of sounds like vibrator. Amazing. Then it really is like "5 fingers" - there is a spot for each of your toes. Which sounds weird and personally made me think it would be super uncomfortable because I happen to not be a huge toe person. BUT they are surprisingly comfortable and felt AMAZING for the 8 foot jog I took them around the store. I'm perfectly aware that they will be an adjustment...but I WILL be buying a pair of PINK VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS TO START MY NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT!!!!

How are you starting YOUR 2011? Can you please start it off in an awesome, new, insane way?

Let's sign up for some races folks...so far all I have on my calendar is the 24 hour race in July.

Marine Corps Marathon #2

2010-11-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

It hurts so good!

Man I love marathons!

This one kicked my BUTT, but it was awesome!!! A perfect day for a race. The morning was hectic - I was going to metro from a nearby station to the Pentagon stop (Arlington was closed, meaning that once I got to the Pentagon station, I had to walk over a mile to the start line!) but I ended up taking a bus down to another metro stop and riding from there. While waiting for the bus, I managed to meet a woman who had travelled from the Dominican Republic to DC for the race and we rode together. We picked up another marathoner on the bus and it was actually pretty fun!

I managed to find my parents right away at the metro stop and we worked our way out and to the race start. It was chaotic. We ended up waiting in line for about 25 minutes so that I could use a port-a-potty and then I had to run to the start line (about another quarter mile from the portapotties!). So in general - lots of walking/running before the race even started. Not very cool.

So the race started but I didn't even cross the starting line until about 10 minutes after the gun went off. The Marine Corps Marathon is wonderfully crowded with runners and spectators. It's amazing - you really feel like people are there just for YOU. Even if you don't know them! If you ever want an ego boost, sign up for a race. People will tell you how awesome you are!

I feel like I didn't train well enough for this one. By mile 5, I was wishing I had eaten more breakfast. By mile 15, I was exhausted. By mile 18, my knees were aching. I felt out of it. I couldn't find my family and was doing this kind of hyper-heaving thing that was kind of uncontrollable for a few minutes around mile 20. I swore so loudly during the Crystal City part that I jolted another woman into running faster just to get away from me. I was hurting.

But I still managed to finish in 4:15:40 - almost 10 minutes off my previous MCM time! And by the time I saw my family, I was just so happy to see them that nothing else mattered!

During the race, I saw a man pushing his disabled son. His son couldn't move and his dad was pushing him up a hill when I saw them. Everyone was cheering for them and it was so touching. That kind of determination really reminds you of what love really is. You bare your whole soul in a marathon even when you're not pushing someone else. I can't even imagine how tough you have to be physically and mentally to do that. Needless to say, I was impressed.

At the end of the race, they really corral the runners. After I got my medal I managed to trip on the sidewalk and almost fell into a Marine, who grabbed my hand and asked, "Ma'am, are you ok?" (they called me ma'am all weekend but it somehow didn't make me feel old. When a Marine calls you ma'am, you feel sexy!). I somehow grunted, "where is the water??" and he pointed me in the right direction and asked if I needed help. I'm pretty sure he would have carried me if I had said yes, but I said I was ok and stumbled on. I managed to find my parents right away, which was sooo lucky. No begging strangers to let me use their cell phones!

Today, I'm pretty sore and sleepy. But I'm so excited to do another one! When I was going across the bridge at mile 20 (complete agony, I hate that bridge!), I thought to myself - I should only be allowed to sign up for these stupid things within days of completing one so that I remember how agonizing they are! But I'm completely ready to sign up for one, even though less than 24 hours ago I was wheezing and ready to break down and beg for mercy (from whom I don't know, but I was ready).

Now the only question is: which one?

I am RUNNER, hear me....roar?

2010-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

One of the things that's been on my mind lately: I've taken to calling myself a "runner." I don't know when that happened. For a long time, anytime anyone called me a runner, I'd say, oh no, I wouldn't go that far, it's just a hobby. But somewhere in between the 3rd and 4th marathon, I've started to adopt the title. Someone asks "oh, you're a runner?" and my response will be, "yes."

But am I?

what IS a runner anyway? I am and always will be a human being. And a girl. But will I always be a runner? Am I runner if I stop doing marathons? Am I a runner if I never compete in any races? Am I a runner if I never qualify for any race? Am I a runner if I don't like to run in the rain (I don't)? Am I a runner if I wear Nikes? What about if I run barefoot? What about if I run really slow?

What makes someone a runner? I can't figure it out and I can't figure out why I'm suddenly comfortable calling myself one. It seems cocky and a bit insulting to all the real runners out there to give myself a title like this. But then again...what distinguishes a "real runner" from me? I can only think of 2 things:

1. speed
2. endorsements

And perhaps real runners don't even consider things like this. Maybe they just know.

Can I ever overcome the hurdles I've set up for myself and finally allow myself to just be "runner?"

Why are you running a marathon?

2010-10-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

As marathon season really kicks in, I do more reading on the subject. I was reading something (I don't remember what) and it asked the very annoying question: why are you running a marathon?

Well geez. That's actually kind of tough to answer.

I mean...why 26.2 miles? We all know WHY that's a marathon distance but why is that the distance that I personally am choosing to run? Is it because I want to compete? No...I'm actually not an incredibly competitive person (although research DOES indicate that I can run a marathon faster than Ted Koppel, Al Gore, AND Oprah and this makes me feel ridiculously proud...I don't think this necessarily counts as competitive. It's more bratty than anything). Is it because after 26.2 miles my body just gives up? Well no, obviously it doesn't since I managed 43 miles earlier this year.

Is it because I love torturing my friends and family by making them sit out in the sun/rain/heat/cold for hours just to glimpse me for 30 seconds? No, I really do feel guilty about that sometimes.

I really can't put my finger on "why" I decided it would be a good idea to do this. It's just a part of me now. It's what I do. I run marathons and they pull me in, time after time. Even when it hurts. Even when training is inconvenient. I just can't resist the thought of a marathon.

Napa Valley or Edinburgh?

2010-10-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm slowly getting over the crushing depression caused by the Boston Marathon already being full. I mean, am I really even ready to run a marathon in 3:40? Could I even do it? Did I train well enough? Will I ever be able to conquer this goal wearing the restrictive shoes of our generation? Surely I will be able to do this after I switch to barefoot running?

Originally, I assumed that I'd sign up for the DC marathon in March. I like it, I know it, it's where I PRed. But I'm kind of curious to do other marathons. There are a lot of spring and fall marathons, but you have to pick and choose them because it's not like I'm able to do them every other week (physical toll too high, finances too low). So I did some investigating and here are the two frontrunners:

Napa Valley Marathon
Edinburgh Marathon

Thoughts? Opinions? Please vote, which one is best?!?

(Oh by the way...London in out since I didn't get in the international ballot :( I'm striking out with the ones I originally thought I wanted)

FAIL

2010-10-20T13:50:00.001-07:00

I have failed my stated marathon goal ALREADY and I haven't even run the race!!!

Boston is full!

No one new can register for Boston 2011!

Even if I qualify, I can't go!

Feeling pretty bummed out right now...

Common Sense

2010-10-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

It is, unfortunately, starting to become fall and then winter. When I get up in the morning, it is dark. When I leave the office at the end of the day, it is dark. When I go out at lunchtime, I have to wear a coat. I am sad.

My training is currently in "taper" mode so that I don't overtrain before the marathon (10 days away!!!!!!!!!!!!), so I'm not doing a ton of extremely long runs. But whenever I leave my house on weekdays now, I have to wear bright clothing and my reflective vest. Because it's DARK outside, this seems like common sense to me. Cars + cyclists = danger. Even in daylight these are two categories of transportation that inspire the least amount of caution. No one can drive in DC (it's proven, google it, we have the worst drivers) and the cyclists are all...well...assholes. Let's face it. They kind of have to be to survive the horrible drivers, but it irritates the heck out of me when I'm running because they decide that no matter where they are riding, on the street, on the sidewalk, on the grass, on your treadmill, that they are the ones who get the right of way. My dream is to flip off a cyclist one day when they ding their stupid bell at me, but I'm afraid that they will grab my middle finger and drag me to the ground so I restrain myself.

I'm sorry, this is really not a post about how much I hate people on bicycles...

This is a post about how stupid runners can be.

So I'm out in my reflective vest, sometimes I even throw a little light on just to be extra safe, and I see runners wearing ALL BLACK. Black leggings, black shirt. And headphones. Scampering around the city like they own it and it just blows my mind. How would that EVER seem like a good idea? Black is slimming yes. Getting run over by a truck is also slimming in that you're squashed against the pavement.

I can't decide if there needs to be more awareness efforts (Lululemon, do you sell stylish reflective vests yet?) or what, but it's really amazing to me how many people are out there in their headphones and black spandex thinking that the DC cab drivers are going to be paying enough attention to stop in time. It just gives runners everywhere a bad name and is dangerous to boot.

Can anyone offer some insight into what these people are thinking?

Musings

2010-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

I know that I promised an exciting article about the book "Born to Run" but since I bought it on Barnes & Noble.com, somehow downloaded it to my ipod, and now lost it, I have not been able to finish listening to it. Technology and me, grr. We do not get along.

Besides, I have so many other insights that come from ME and not from someone else's book, so if you really want to know what is so great about "Born to Run" go buy yourself a copy for goodness sake. (Or just wait until I get around to posting my thoughts on it...)

On Sunday, I went to a Yoga for Runners workshop. It was with my favorite yoga instructor and was fun for several reasons:

1. the actual amount of yoga done was extremely limited
2. everyone in the room was a runner and not a yogi, so it was noisy, fun, and no one was really able to do anything correctly the first time.
3. because the room was full of people who had probably never done yoga before, I felt very accomplished in my own yoga history.

The stretches were runner-centric and made us all feel like it was okay to have tight hamstrings.

But...OK. I'm totally going to bring it some anecdotes from the book. In "Born to Run," there is a line that sticks in my brain - you don't need to do yoga. You don't even need to STRETCH AT ALL to become a better, faster runner.

CAN WE ALL JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS ALL ALONG?????

Now, let's try to decide who is right. My favorite yoga instructor, who I really like and respect, kept talking about the benefits of stretching and even brought out a skeleton to illustrate her points on why muscles that are connected can cause great injury if you treat them badly. And I totally get that. I totally understand the explanation but my body does not respond well to stretching. Yesterday I went running less than 24 hours after the yoga class and felt MORE TIGHT than I had in weeks.

I mean, maybe there is something to be said for constant yoga and stretching, but I still just can't get behind it. I can't find the drive to do that. The whole time, it's just a constant hum in my brain: "I'd rather be running."

Back in the game

2010-10-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Wow...I am pathetic. No blog posts since JULY?!?

First: how is it suddenly October 12?
Second: how did I miss blogging my 24 hour race?
Third: how can I be doing a marathon in 19 days?

Lots of questions are running through my head now. I can't answer all of them. For example: I cannot answer my first question. That's just the way it is. Time passes and suddenly you find yourself in October. No one asks you if you want a little more time in August. Time just goes, goes, goes, goes.

How did I miss blogging my 24 hour race? Shame mostly. I did a mere 43 miles instead of the 52 that I wanted. How could I possibly face you after such shame?

Haha...I actually have a completely positive opinion of my 24 hour race. I had the BEST TIME EVER. All day, just running, surrounded by runners and the people who love them. My parents spent ALL DAY with me, supporting me and my mom even ran my last 8 mile lap with me ("ran" is a nice way of putting it...by that point I was kind of limping). I learned a few key lessons. We stopped at the hotel midway and that was where I crashed. I need to stay in the zone the whole time and not back into the real world. The world that I run in is very different from the real world.

In general, I wholeheartedly recommend doing a 24 hour race if you love running. It really inspires you and makes you feel like you have accomplished something great.

Ok, that was the 24 hour race. Now, the Marine Corps Marathon looms large on Halloween. Having made my goal to qualify for Boston, this race has been especially terrifying. I don't want to fail. The worst part about not wanting to fail is that it makes you not want to try. If you don't try, then you can at least say that it was possible. If you try and fail, then you're just a big fat failure. It wasn't possible. You couldn't do it and you didn't. On the other hand, if I try, at least I get to run a marathon. I really do hate time goals and qualifying events. If only I hadn't gotten it in my head that it would be a good idea to try for this...now I can't get it out.

I am currently reading the book Born to Run. It's pretty much changing my life. I am fully expecting to write an entry soon about barefoot running. Stay tuned.

A 24 hour race??

2010-07-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am...

SO.

EXCITED.

But I feel so guilty. A marathon is one thing to expect people to attend; a 24 hour race is not something that I was really counting on anyone to come to. I mean, sure, I thought I might guilt-trip my boyfriend and parents into making it for a few hours. But now it's turned into a trip with a hotel and people planning their entire weekends around selfish little me.

It's been driving me crazy and kind of killing my excitement.

I think this might be the kind of thing that you sign up for with an equally crazy friend and then make it into a weekend trip. My problem? I haven't actually been able to find someone who's willing to take it to this level of extreme with me. Don't get me wrong, all of my friends are EXTREME and I love them. But no one is willing to run all day with me, what gives folks?

Putting aside guilt, I have to just be thankful that I have such amazing people in my life who are willing to go the extra mile and be there for me. And that allows the joy and the adrenaline to flow back in. I'm really falling in love with the IDEA of a whole day dedicated to running. Now let's see how it goes with the actual action!

Wish me luck, in less than 48 hours, I'll already be done with it!

100 Posts!!!!!!!

2010-06-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

I would like to kick off this monumental moment of 100 posts in my running blog by talking about….spinning.

Yup, last night I went to an hour long spinning class at my air-conditioned gym.

I was struck by how spinning classes are kind of like races. You don’t have a ton of your own space, you can’t really avoid the people all around you, and you have to maintain your own pace, form, and speed while looking at everyone else’s efforts. I’m also always reminded both in races and in group exercise classes that I can’t judge people by their shape. I’ve had bigger people pass me in races and last night I saw larger women outlast the skinny chick who seemed to be giving it her all but had to leave 15 minutes before the class ended. Did she work harder? That I can’t answer, but she certainly didn’t work longer.

I have to admit that sometimes I really do want to judge people by their size. Then I’m always reminded of the very inspiring movie classic, Mean Girls (yes, I am being sarcastic, I know it’s not a classic). In the end, our heroine Lindsay Lohan learns that it’s not about what people look like, it’s what’s going on INSIDE. And the truth is that you really can’t tell what people are capable of just by looking at them. We need to give everyone in every race the same benefit and the same support.

LIFE LESSON LEARNED. Kind of. At least I can put it into words.

The Things You See

2010-06-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what you can see on a run. Especially a three hour run.

In general, I think I've seen a lot of DC that most people don't get to see. I get to see a lot of things in general that most people don't get to see. I've witnessed people in love, people crying, people angry at each other, people smiling with their families. I've seen more nature than I ever thought possible in a city, including:

1) foxes
2) raccoons
3) a deer that scared the HECK out of me
4) turtles
5) squirrel conventions

I've seen the sun rise over our nation's Capitol and I've seen rain fall like it would never stop. Running has opened my eyes to a world that I never knew was there and I'm so amazed every time that I get out at what the world can hold.

Tourists

2010-06-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I did close to 30 miles. 20 on Saturday and about 7.5 on Sunday. My body is quite fine and I wish that I had given myself the chance to go all the way to 30. I think I'll definitely be in pain during the 24 hour race, but hopefully I'll be able to do a substantial amount of mileage.

Did I mention that I finally got a new fuel belt? I was out running at least a month ago with my old one when it suddenly just completely fell apart on me. It was a very sad day, most of all because I had to abandon the idea of a long run and head home. But now it has been replaced with a new one and it is PINK. Even the water bottles have pink lids. How can I complain when I have a pink fuel belt? And it seems to be less prone to falling apart so I am all set.

I also got a new pair of running shoes last week (Nike of course) and tried out a new flavor of GU - vanilla. I was kind of nervous about it, but it ended up being pretty good. However, with the heat lately, I've been considering switching to the chews/chomps/whatever. They're fruit flavored and perhaps slightly more refreshing...however, I've also been running with Gatorade because I've been too lazy to drag it home from the store. When I have fruity Gatorade, the fruit chomps are overwhelming and I like to stick to the ice cream flavors of GU.

Isn't it amazing that I can talk about GU and chomps and you're still reading my blog?

During my long run on Saturday, I was thinking about several things. But I was running in the heat of day and therefore ran into a lot of tourists (despite designing my run to be in the least tourist-dense but still safe areas) and was plagued by a horrible nemesis: SMOKE. People walking around, smoking their cigars, smoking their cigarettes. Puff, puff, puff. HACK. Whenever I see someone smoking, I want to take their cigar/ette and stamp it out right in front of them. And scold them. Harshly. And perhaps punch them in the face (ok ok we know I'd never do that). Especially young people. Old people, ok, I get it, you didn't know the risks when you started. But young people? Seriously? I don't get how it can seem like a good idea in 90 degree weather to light something on fire, stick it in your mouth, and inhale the grossness that comes out.

Of course, they probably don't see how it could be a good idea to run 20 miles in 90 degree weather....

However, this still does not trump my #1 pet peeve of tourists. They will always, ALWAYS walk 5 abreast on the paths around DC and ALWAYS stare blankly at me as I approach them. And continue to watch me as I stumble over tree roots, dog poo, and cars because they REFUSE TO MOVE OVER. If you were in Spain for the running of the bulls, you'd move over right? I'm going to start wearing bull horns. Maybe then they'll get the picture.

For Reals, People

2010-06-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Boy, what a sloppy bag of sappy emotion I've been! Those last two blog posts, whoo! Did you make it through ok? Did I get some of the snot of my emotional outburst on you? Wipe it off, you'll be fine, and let's freaking talk about RUNNING here folks.

Yesterday I went out for a run and was really hoping to just go for an easy 4-5 miles. That turned into an easy 8 miles, which was just wonderful. I love it when you feel like you can just go on forever. I got pretty losy but luckily not lost enough to end up in Maryland or anything and I did run into a nice fellow who directed me in the right direction. It's fun to get lost, even in a city that you think you know. It was absolutely PERFECT weather and I was feeling fabulous. Lately I'd been feeling like running was catching up with me and I'd have to take a break - then I went out last night and rediscovered the fire!

Oh it is SO back on, this running biz-nas!

Why run?

2010-06-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

When I tell people that I run marathons, a lot of the time they don’t understand why. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to people and quite honestly, sometimes when I think about it, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either. I want to do a lot of things in my life, I want to travel and save the world and be a hero. I want to help people and improve their lives. Training for a marathon means that I spend a lot of my time…running. Running around in DC with headphones in, completely oblivious to the rest of the world, in anti-social, hard-core runner mode, trying to escape the thoughts that mess with my head. This is not very conducive to saving the world, no matter how you spin it.

It’s been 9 days since I lost my grandpa. He was 91 and finally, on May 29, was ready to go home to Heaven. It’s been hard to try to put into words how I feel. He was, to me, more than anything, just a grandpa, a man who spoiled me and loved me. But after he died, I suddenly realized how much more he was. I always knew his history, but seeing it in writing in an obituary, made me realize how overwhelming his presence in the world was. My grandpa was, in the words of my friend GutsyGeise, a big deal.

Realizing that I have that big deal stuff in my blood sometimes makes me feel pressure to be as great of a person as he was. It’s not bad, this pressure, but it kind of makes me wonder why I’m not out there, doing more and accomplishing great things. Sometimes, much to my dismay, running seems like a colossal waste of time.

And then what happens is that I skip running to do great things and end up watching tv or taking bubble baths, which is all very nice at the time, but really, an even bigger waste of time. Running might be a silly side hobby but it keeps me focused in my life. I can’t tell you how annoyingly often I find myself in a situation at work, personally, and suddenly compare it to a long-distance run. Running has taught me self-discipline, focus, and humiliation. I sometimes forget the lessons that I learn on the road.

I think my grandpa would be proud that I ran 20 miles this weekend. I think that he’d be proud of me for doing a marathon in under 4 hours and I think he’ll be proud of me when I qualify for Boston. As stupid as it might seem to an outsider, I really do think that I’m changing the world when I go out and run, because I’m changing my own world and isn’t that where all change starts?

A for Effort? No.

2010-05-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading some previous entries and even nostalgically reading my old blog from when I studied abroad in Spain. In general, I really enjoy blogging because I absolutely love to talk and to share stories and this way it's all consolidated in one place for me. I was always kind of all of the place as a kid. I really, really, really wanted to keep faithful journals like my sister or to be dedicated to a diary like my childhood hero, Anne Frank. But I would buy a journal that I thought was pretty, keep going for about 5 1/2 days, start doodling, forget I had it, buy a new journal 6 months later and then start the process all over again. If I try to read one of them, it makes NO sense at all, particularly because it's almost impossible to ascertain when I was writing because I never found actually put the date on anything. You can occasionally tell if it's Christmas, because I liked to write about getting presents, but in general they are a bleary mess of childish melodrama, shockingly awful sketches, and animal print covers. Yup. Animal print.

So now, I currently have 3 blogs, but this is the only one that I update. I still have the one from Spain and I have my sad attempt at being a personal motivator, TrainerMennone, which died a sad death last year. I have an on again, off again relationship with this blog, with monthes going by without a word, your tears staining your own keyboard (which unfortunately, I cannot see, so that doesn't really bother me) with sorrow and sense of loss.

The thing that's bothering me today is that when I look over the last few entries, I'm not really sharing any valuable information. I'm kind of just a) whining, b) chattering, or c) mumbling. You can even mumble in blogs, those are the entries where it kind of wanders, makes no sense, jumps around, and finally settles with some lame attempt at a pithy, witty end. Have I stopped learning? Do my runs teach me NOTHING anymore? Am I just not running enough? I don't really know the answers to these questions, but I need to decide what I'm getting out of this. Running is not about just going through the motions. I need to feel myself run, understand what it is doing to my body. I want to remind myself of the connection I create with the pavement with each step. How else will I ever run 52.4 miles if I don't take the time to understand what running does to me?

I hate it when people half-ass their way through life. I have to remind myself that everything I'm doing is adding up to something greater. Each day is a part of my whole being and making it worthwhile means making every single moment worthwhile.

Whenever I run a race, my dad says to me, as encouragement I suppose, "Win!" It's less of a cheer than a command and I think that I need to hear it like...every day. It's his way of reminding me to do my best and not float through the race. Taking it to heart, I've decided that I'm not going to float through life. I'm going to take it day by day and WIN every time.

Goal for my 24 hour race

2010-05-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

When I signed up for the 20in24 race, I hadn't really decided if I wanted to set a serious goal. The idea of more than 26.2 miles is hard enough to wrap my head around, let alone an actual concrete milestone to hit.

But I've been really thinking about things and I've decided to go for 52.4 miles. Originally, I was just going to go for 50, $10 for every mile that I run to raise the $500 that I'm fundraising for Back On My Feet. But then I thought...well, the reason why I'm doing this is to do more than a marathon. Why not just try to do 2 marathons in one day?

Logical perhaps to me, although I'm sure the reasoning is lost on most people...

Then I read this fantastic article in the NY Times: Diet and Exercise to the Extremes. Did it inspire me to become a vegan? Well...no, not really. It did inspire me to perhaps make a salad to have with dinner tonight though, does that count? Did it inspire me to want to run 100 miles? No, not really. But it does remind me that the human body is completely capable of doing this. 50 may seem like a lot, but I think I can handle it. And who knows? Maybe 100 won't be so far after that.

Oh yeah, I'm still in the middle of fundraising so don't forget to click and donate!!

Also, I'm only 6 posts away from 100 posts in this little blog! If I post something every day for the next week, we can celebrate...haha yeah right.

Incredible!

2010-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon one of the most amazing opportunities in the world: Nike Running Correspondent.

Naturally, I applied, including a quote from this little blog thingy I do here. Now all I can do is wait until July 1st! If you feel nice, post a comment on why I should be the next Nike Running Correspondent so that if any Nike folks visit my blog, they have your recommendation on hand!

Went to the gym during my lunch break today...I tell you, nothing will energize you more for the afternoon than working up a good sweat!

If you're going to pass, you have to commit

2010-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

I’d like to start this post off by saying that I do not have a problem with people passing me. I am not so proud that I think that I’m faster than everyone. Running is a popular sport/pastime in DC and people often pass me. Sometimes it’s someone who I don’t really think could pass me. But, I don’t really get bent out of shape about it. I just like to run.

That being said…I’m really not THAT slow either. I am trying to qualify for Boston, after all. Let’s give me SOME credit here.

Also, important to note, I have a serious issue with space when exercising. I blame my mom for this. It’s in my genes. I hate being too close to someone when there’s all this extra space. Like in yoga class, when someone puts their matt 3 inches away from mine when there could be 6 inches of space between us. It makes me antsy. Anxious. I instantly loathe that person. Obviously, this does wonders for my yoga practice.

The point of this story, my good friends?

The other day I was running. (I can hear your groans as I prolong this moment). I was doing a longer run, about 9 miles, so I wasn’t sprinting or going ridiculously fast. I didn’t have any water with me, so it’s not like I was properly fueling. I got to a nice pass along the Potomac (yes, I still have nightmares about my hour in those deathly waters) and was just enjoying a beautiful run on a beautiful day. I had noticed a pair of runners, a guy and girl, who were a little bit behind me, so I sped up a little to get some room between us.

After I had found my pace again, I was a bit surprised to see the girl come up from behind me to pass me. But, like I said, I am not really proud and didn’t really care. I waited for her to get out of my way.

She did NOT. Instead, she passed me and then got right in front of me, like DIRECTLY in front of me, and immediately slowed down. So that she was going about half a pace too slow for me.

OMG ROAD RAGE.

As soon as she did this, I realized that she had no real interest in passing me, she just wanted to get in front of me. Which a) pissed me off and b) made me paranoid about where the guy was, was he waiting behind me? Were they going to try to trap me and steal me as some sort of bizarre slave who would lick their running shoes clean?

So I had to kick it up and ran around her and kept my pace up for a lot longer to avoid them. I really don’t think they were malicious. But for goodness sake, who does that? In a race…I understand the space issues that come with racing. But in the middle of an open sidewalk, running path? With no one else around? Why in the world would that seem like a good idea?

People, please. If you’re going to pass someone, make sure you can commit to it and really pass them. It will make you a faster runner and a far more polite individual.

PS. Signed up for the 2011 London ballot for international runners. I hope I get in! The ballot closed in less than 24 hours, I’m so glad I signed up when I did! In October, I hope I’m writing a post about how I’ll be marathoning through London!

Please click here and donate!

2010-04-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE!

DONATE $1,000,000,000,000!

I will love you forever!

Something new to occupy my time?

2010-03-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well now that I'm all recovered and bored again, I need to find something to occupy my time while I wait for the Marine Corps Marathon to qualify for Boston. You know, other than train for a marathon, be a bridesmaid in 2 weddings, continue to excel in my job, plan imaginary trips to Europe, clean my house, and take Spanish and/or Italian lessons.

I HAVE FOUND IT!

THE RACE OF RACES!!!!!

BWAHAHAHH!

Ok, stay with me here. I know that it looks kinda crazy. But you have to a) acknowledge that I am crazy and b) understand that I have become quite capable of distinguishing between events that are fun just because they sound crazy and events that I actually want to do. I have been nonchalantly deleting all emails that come to me asking me to sign up for another triathlon, because God knows that I am NOT doing one of those again. Why does a 24 hour race appeal to me? Well...

1) I love to run. I would love to spend a day running! Just all day! No other time committments, no other activities that I will have to do. Just running, running, running.
2) It would actually help me to train for the Marine Corps Marathon and Boston.
3) It's in JULY and I LOVE to run in the heat!
4) SOFT. PRETZELS.

I think I'm talking myself into this...

Euphoria!

2010-03-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

3:59:36!!!!

I feel like everyone should know that I finished a marathon in 3:59:36!! Without the best training, without jet packs on my back, without having to get an IV drip at the end (although I did have to visit the medical tent), I finished 26.2 miles in UNDER 4 hours. My joy peaked throughout the weekend as I celebrated my ability to walk (however slowly) without aid after running my personal best and the acknowledgement that Boston is perhaps actually within my reach. I feel like this is a life changing event and my life has been enhanced greatly. I looked at myself in the mirror on Saturday and thought to myself, “there is more to me than what used to be.”

And yet, nothing has REALLY changed. I got up this morning and went to work. There was no huge celebration for my victory. My boyfriend took me out on Saturday for a falafel dinner and then we went home and passed out. My parents were strangely absent, due to my insistence that this was not an important race and I was not going to do well and didn’t need everyone to be there. Today I am at work and beyond the inner circle of friends that I have made, no one knows that the reason why I am walking so slowly/like a cripple is because I pushed my body beyond normal limitations. My bank account is no larger, my goals in life have pretty much stayed the same. The race felt life-altering upon completion, but now all it serves to do is make my own life, as happy and busy as it is, seem mundane and dull by comparison. No one cheers me on as I complete my daily tasks at work. At the grocery store, no one is yelling at me, “don’t quit!!” I do not put on body glide to face the other commuters on the bus and I do not slurp any GU to help me make it up and down the stairs of my office.

In this race, I pushed myself harder than I had before. For the first 20 miles, I was looking at my watch and pushing myself to make each mile by a certain time. I was IN the race, rather than just participating. I didn’t expect to WIN, but once I passed 14 miles in 2 hours, I knew that I was going to PR. And I wanted it, badly. In this way, this race was better than any other I’ve ever done. After running a race like this, I know that I can never go back to just running a race. This race set the standard for any race that I may do in the future.

For a while I thought I might make the Boston qualifying (3:40). But I didn’t, and in a way, I didn’t want to. I wanted to save that moment. And in a way, I couldn’t. By mile 21, I was pretty much done. Thoughts of quitting flirted with me. The race took an ugly turn for the last 6 miles, through junkyards and over bridges in Anacostia. No one was cheering. I didn’t want to run anymore. I wanted to walk. I slowed down significantly, turning my sub-9 minute miles into over 10 minute miles. By the time I finally found my boyfriend at mile 26, I yelled to him “under 4 hours!!” because I was still barely under the 4 hour mark. He pushed me forward – if I hadn’t seen him, if he hadn’t given me that last burst of energy, I think I would’ve hit 4 hours. But I did. Running past the finish line, I thought that everyone should be amazed by my accomplishment.

After finishing and taking as many post-race goodies as I could fit in my arms (and getting the most BEAUTIFUL medal yet), I tottered around until I found my boyfriend. Then collapsed. My friend GutsyGeise came to show her undying support and I was cranky and unbelievable un-charming to her. After lying in the sun for about an hour, I declared, “I want to go home!” like a stubborn 5 year old and then limped slowly around in a circle before stating “I want to find the medical tent!” I was feeling incredibly nauseous and walking did not help. So my patient companions found the medical tent for me and waited outside while I was given an anti-nausea pill and sat for a few minutes in the shade (the weather, btw, was GORGEOUS and sunny and warm for the race. But almost hot upon completion). Some guy tried to chat with me about the hills of the course and I couldn’t understand why I had to be social while sitting in the medical tent. 3 people were sitting/lying down with IVs in their arms and a tiny part of me felt that they must have run harder than me.

And since then I have basically been sleeping, eating, and walking slowly and unsteadily around Washington, DC. In a small way, this is one of my proudest achievements. It is something that I did on my own that not many of my peers have done. It is an accomplishment that I am savoring, holding as my own. I humbly acknowledge that there are plenty of people out there who can do much better than me, but at the same time I am actually allowing myself to feel pride for this. I find that to be kind of hard to do, but at the same time, I really believe that I earned it. I’m not running around with my medal on (although I did wear it around my apartment after seeing that I placed 982 in the whole race), but I’m not going to just let this be another weekend. I want to work hard and do better and get this euphoric feeling back again. I want to earn it and not just have it be handed to me.

I am ready to qualify for Boston.

IGNORE-ance is bliss

2010-03-19T06:43:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is my marathon and last night I almost couldn’t sleep because my heart was pounding every time I thought about it (perhaps it was the earplugs I was wearing…they block outside noise but amplify anything going on in my body). Today I am going to pick up my packet and I’ve been looking at the map a little. The main goal is not to panic here, because that never helped anyone. And really, I am excited. Even though I’m starting to get a cold. And my legs are somehow tight even though I’ve done VERY little this week (I’m feeling quite sloth-like, a marathon is sounding like good fun).

I find that the best thing to do is not to think about the marathon tomorrow. I know some people are memorizing the map, analyzing the incline on Googlemaps…but I can’t do that. I can’t think about it too much because I will absolutely lose my mind! If I can just take my mind off it, then when someone haphazardly asks me, “hey you’re doing a marathon tomorrow?” I can reply with, “yeah, no big deal (nbg is what the kids are saying)” and people will think I am super cool.

Bwahah if only they knew!

Let's do a marathon?

2010-03-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I will run a marathon.

Why is this not bothering me more? My training has not extended beyond a 15 mile run. That’s still 11 more miles to go! The snow kept me inside on the treadmill which I hate, and left the experience of running outside as a hazy memory. And yet I’m nonchalantly mentioning this as if it’s not a big deal to run 26.2 miles.

Ha. Nonchalant. Last night I woke up and thought to myself, “I am insane.”

Luckily I KNOW that I am insane, so I’m pretty sure that I’ll make it through. Probably not very fast, although I did just realize that the last 5 or so miles are through Anacostia. If you don’t know where Anacostia, DC is, then look it up. I will potentially be running very fast for the last 5 miles.

I got a PaceTat, which is a temporary tattoo that I wear on my arm to help me finish in a certain amount of time. Right now, my goal is to finish in 4:20, which is close to my marine corps marathon time. I’m thinking it probably won’t happen…I’ll probably be slower. But it’s worth a try. I need to do another marathon this summer to use the 4 hour one and then I bought one that is for 3:40 in anticipation of qualifying for Boston at the MCM this year. Depending on how it goes, it could end up as one of my fabulous UNPAID ENDORSEMENTS!!!

I’m considering a running coach for the summer. I emailed him and everything. Then he told me that I probably just need to increase my endurance runs (ie do more of them), so I’m tempted to take his free information and um not pay him for a 3 month package. But who knows? Perhaps if I tank hard enough during this race I will bite the bullet and splurge?

I am BEYOND excited that this is a marathon and not a triathlon. I still have flashbacks of hyperventilation and terror when I even run close to the Potomac. *SHUDDER*

A Time Consuming Hobby

2010-02-28T09:51:00.001-08:00

Why did I pick such a time consuming hobby? No wonder I'm stressed. Other people knit or blog or I dunno scrapbook. Stuff you can break up into chunks or do other stuff while you hobby (can hobby be a verb?). Not so with running...

I've been trying to decide whether I'll stick with the full marathon or switch to the half on March 20th....still can't decide. Off for a 10 or so mile run, hopefully a lot more.

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE (after running 12.5 miles):
I am happy to report that the ducks and geese have returned to DC which means that spring is surely coming!

Snow Blues - SOS!!!!

2010-02-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Today is my second day off from work...2 feet of snow and DC cannot handle it. I've been slacking with postings, partly because I've become dedicated to DailyMile, where I can track my mileage and compare it with other people. But seriously, I just haven't been able to run like I want to. I have to go to the gym and do my runs in 30 minute shifts and it's been driving me insane. I wanted to do 15 miles this weekend and could only manage 10. I honestly don't know if I'll be ready for the marathon in March. :(

I'm amazed that people can run in the snow. I can barely handle walking in the snow, so I think if I were to try to run, I'd end up falling and breaking my ankle. My chances of finishing a marathon in a month and a week are increased by not having broken bones. I just want to move to Florida!!! I'm going stir crazy, pretty much the only thing I want to do all day is stay at the gym but it's so crowded that I can't even handle that!

HELP!!! I'm sending out an SOS!

A To-Do List for Life

2010-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

I think that goals are important. I'm an extremely hyper person who is always doing something and having a concrete goal can sometimes help me focus my attention (but often I am left with bits and pieces of ideas strewn about my brain haphazardly). So every once in a while, I put on paper some of my life goals.

For all of you wondering how this is relevant to running, one of my life goals was to run a marathon - now it's to qualify for Boston. And I ran 5 miles this morning and it's still really cold in DC. Ok, now we're going to focus on feelings and my random thoughts now, thank you.

Is it weird to put my goals on a public blog? It certainly makes me more accountable to completing any/all o them. And I'm sure that some will change eventually. And I'm thinking maybe I won't post all of them. But I'd like to just talk freely about some of the things I want.

Like....

1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon. This is obviously no secret and I'm in the process of working towards this one.

2. Get EMT training. This is a new one from this morning and it was inspired by 2 things. First, last night there was a huge earthquake in Haiti and they desperately need help. I heard on Democracy Now radio this morning (my new ipod has radio, I know, I'm way cool) that if you are EMT trained they will send you to places that have natural disasters. I would like to go to Haiti today and help but without any training, I'd be more of a burden than help.

3. Visit 100 countries. So far I've hit up 20. Let's go, I don't have 100 years to do this!

4. Do an ultra marathon, which is defined as any race that's longer than the traditional marathon. 50 miles? 100 miles? I'm not sure yet. I think I have to do a few more marathons before I try this. And this will undoubtedly happen in another country to help with #3.

5. Do karaoke. I think this is doable. Maybe. Perhaps. If I ever work up the nerve/develop a taste for sake.

Ok this is NOT my full life list. This is more like my adventure list! Which is lame! Because there's not a ton of "adventures" on here! But I don't really like nature/camping etc, so a lot of the traditional adventures are not on my list. Plus I've already done some of it. Like a safari. Already crossed off my list. Also, swimming in the Potomac. Crossed off my list FOREVER.

Still Cold. Harumph.

2010-01-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm still cold. The cold makes me grouchy. This is a grouchy post.

On Saturday, I went out and did 9 miles in the freezing wind. Geez...I didn't even realize how cold I was until I got home. Well...that's not entirely true. I was fine when I was running towards Capital Hill, but when I started on my way home, the wind was just hitting me in the face. It was the kind of wind that takes your breath away and makes you want to puke. Not fun. But it DOES make you feel really hard core. So I muscled through it. and then went home...and wore a snuggie around my apartment...

But it remains cold, which means that I remain unmotivated to go outside at all, let alone for an hour. Will 2010 be the year that I conquer the treadmill? I have no idea, as I still hate all treadmills. I wish that there was an indoor track around here that I could use. As it is, I will have to either face the cold or face the treadmill. Shudder. Horrible prospects!

I have to pick one or the other every day now, because my next marathon is rapidly approaching. Nah, you say, it's not for a while yet! Plenty of time. Oh really? Sign up for a marathon and see if it feels like you have enough time to train. I be you say no!

Right now I am very tired and fat from the holidays...nothing like sitting around a tree drinking wine, er, juice, and eating cookies to make you feel like a runner!

Forecast:: cold

2009-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

It's cold. It's freezing and it will be cold until the end of time. The new ice age is upon us.

Ok, ok, it's just winter here in the district.

But it feels like it's been winter FOREVER already and I am so cold that I am completely unmotivated to run. However, I know that if I do not run, the marathon in March will seem like a HUGE mistake and I certainly don't want to feel like running is a mistake. So I must force myself to get out of bed and into my spandex.

I should buy some new spandex.

This morning I got up at 5 and went down to the Washington Monument and back. It was cold. COLD! I was disappointed to see that the National Tree does not in fact stay on all night for people like me who are up at crazy times. We would like to see some holiday cheer! In reality, December is a great time to run outside even in the cold, because of all the holiday lights that people have up. It's very cheerful and festive, even at 5am. No, really, I'm not joking.

So now all I have to do is convince everyone to leave it up until March...

Last weekend, I did a Jingle All the Way 10k. During that run, I saw a guy with a vest on that said "blind athlete." I realized that he had his wrist tied to a woman who was pacing with him, making sure he stayed on course, and making sure that he didn't trip on anything.

I was so impressed by this! Perhaps one day I will be a blind runner's guide! Perhaps one day I will NEED a guide! So who will sign up for this task now? I want to have this lined up, I have very poor eyesight already, so if the day should ever come that contacts don't fix it anymore, I need someone to be willing to go my pace and tie themselves to me for 4 hours.

Who's in?

A visit to the podiatrist

2009-11-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

Because I am 50, I went to the podiatrist today.

Ok, not really. I went to the podiatrist because I've still been having some ankle pain from the Nike marathon. I finally scheduled an appointment last week because I was TERRIFIED of being sidelined now that I signed up to do another marathon.

Because I am a hypochondriac, there probably was no real reason for worry.

That statement is more true than the first one I made, but actually I think it was a good thing that I went. The podiatrist I randomly selected from Google Maps turned out to be a runner, which is always good in my book. I like it when someone in their profession can actually have some insight in the activities of their patients. (However, that is not the sort of thing I discuss in great detail with my gynecologist, although I suppose you could)

Basically, I have strained my Peroneus, which is a big muscle in my ankle. If I had done too much after the marathon, I could have seriously screwed it up, but luckily I am a cautious, somewhat sane individual (with somewhat sane-er friends who forbid me from running) and I did not do that.

The solution?

Stretching.

Oh, the irony...

4 months to marathon?

2009-11-11T08:46:00.001-08:00

HAHAHAHA! I have signed up for my next marathon!!! Gales of laughter are hiding my nerves. I signed up for the Nation’s Marathon on March 20, 2010. This will definitely give me an incentive to run throughout winter and focus on bringing my time down. My goal is to finish this one in 4 hours or less. Then the next one I’ll cut off the next 20 minutes and qualify for Boston. If all goes accordingly.

What a thrill it is to sign up for a marathon. There’s the initial hesitation – you might go to the site several times, enter your name and contact info, and then when it comes to payment, you chicken out. You might tell people that you’re thinking of it and then laugh, to try to gauge their reaction to your insane idea. Or you might secretly hide it so that you don’t have to hear THEIR laughter. Then when you actually register, there’s a flood of relief followed by imminent panic. Panic then succumbs to reason – you can do this. It’s just 26.2 miles. Then reason dies an instant death to JOY! Another marathon! HUZZAH!

Well…perhaps you were with me until the joy part.

Anyway…the main point here is that next year I will be doing multiple marathons and now I’m well on my way. I will not let cold weather or lack of training time or swollen ankles or black toenails or the swine flu or the bird flu or anything else stand in my way to Boston!

Always reaching for the next challenge

2009-10-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

If anyone is truly an avid reader, you will notice that the top of my blog no longer reads: 2009: The Year of the Triathlon. Now it reads: Goal: Boston 2011.

Yes, my friends. I have decided that my new challenge will be to learn a new skill - how to run fast. In order to qualify for Boston, I must complete a marathon in 3:40:00. This means I have to cut off 43 minutes from my best marathon time and basically run 26.2 miles at a 9.16 pace. That's the maximum I can do in order to reach this time.

How is this going to happen? I'm not really sure yet. I know that I will have to learn how to do 7 miles in an hour consistently. I know that I will have to do speed drills. It's possible that I will have to talk to a coach. But I think this is a good challenge. I'm hoping to complete this at the Marine Corps marathon 2010, which is in general a flat, easy course with lots of cheerleaders!

In the meantime, I will need to find multiple races to run between now and then. I'm not giving myself a lot of time here - the 2011 race is less than 2 years away. This is going to take some dedicated running and I will actually have to focus on my time now - not my favorite thing to do.

Away we go!

Why I Love the NY Times

2009-10-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Why do I love the NY Times? Because they print articles like this!!

What's the moral of the story? Running is not only good for you, but human beings are MADE TO RUN! We are born for it! When God created Adam and Eve, He was like, go, move your gluteus maximus (butt) as I have made it ONLY FOR RUNNING!!!!!

Are you not inspired!? How can you not be? What a fantastic article, New York Times. I applaud you for your efforts in the fight against American Obesity.

Also...I found out today that my birthday is on WORLD RUN DAY! Was I born under a lucky star or WHAT.

Details here

(Please note my advanced use of hyperlinks in this post.)

And so I run another marathon

2009-10-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 18th, I was in San Francisco. I was surrounded by friends and family. The weather was perfect. My sneakers were set.

And I was NERVOUS.

We arrived on Friday around noon. Our hotel was the St Francis at Union Square, which was right where the race started. Nike had TAKEN OVER Union Square for the expo and I knew that I wouldn't be comfortable until I went to get my bib number. After checking into the hotel, my parents, sister and brother-in-law went with me to get the goods.

The expo was...chaotic. They didn't assign you a number based on your time and they actually were letting people pick their corrals. Bad. Idea. As much as it hurts your self-esteem to be in the lower corrals, they work for a reason. The start line is crazy enough without people running in front of you at a madly slow pace. The rest of the expo had smoothies from Safeway, manicures from JetBlue (I declined), and some samples of Kashi, Ghiradelli, and Luna moons. However...there was no where to buy GU. No where to pick up last minute supplies. I couldn't believe that a destination marathon, with people coming from all over, wouldn't have more amenities. We went to the nearby Nike store (my name was on the wall!!!) but they didn't have any either. They didn't even know what it was!!

We went on to do some touristy things in San Fran...my dad took us all out to a really nice restaurant on Friday night and we watched the sun set over Alcatraz. On Saturday, I got to see a very good friend of mine who moved out there! She and her boyfriend took my bf and me around and even took me to a sporting goods store to get my GU. RELIEF! No GU = bad racing for me.

That night, I was all nerves. I made my boyfriend turn down a fancy dinner that my dad (and the rest of my family) got invited to, and he stayed in the hotel room with me and ordered room service. Meal of choice? Spaghetti of course. Still, I felt extremely nervous, almost like it was my first race. My parents stopped by and gave me a new arm band for my ipod, which cheered me up a little. Mostly, I was just ready to run.

Sunday morning came quickly and I was up at 5am. By 6, I was dressed, ready, and waiting! I had my race day Clif bar and went over to my parents' room. they were also ready and a little nervous about finding me. We went down to meet my friend who had braved the nerves and decided to do this feat with me.

The starting line was SO disorganized. Hoards of insane women hungry for Ghiradelli and Tiffany's crowded Union Square. My friend pulled me close to the start and we awaited the starting gun. My boyfriend, who was not there, said that he heard every word of the announcer, he was so loud, and with a burst of Beyonce's "Single Ladies," we were sent forth into San Francisco.

The race, of course, is something of a blur by now. The weather was insanely perfect and the views were absolutely amazing! I was impressed by how many people were out to cheer us on. We went through several neighborhoods where people had come outside to cheer. Nike had set up some pretty cool signs along the course to remind us to have fun.

The hills were brutal. I can't lie and say they weren't. The uphill was ok, especially since I had practiced it. But the downhill was treacherous and by mile 16, I could feel it in my ankles. It was an intense pain, something I hadn't ever really felt before. I also hadn't found my family yet. I didn't find them until mile 19 - after running by the beach, the Golden Gate Park, and the piers. My parents suddenly appeared and my mom ran out to run a mile with me! She carried the sign she made for me with her and got everyone to cheer for me! That was definitely the high point of my race! :)

But at this point, my ankles in severe pain. They felt like they were grinding. Several times I felt like I was going to cry and I could only remember my mother's words, "only 6 miles to go! you're going to finish it!" as I moved forward. Each step was painful and I had to stop to try to stretch them out. Nothing helped. I passed the Ghiradelli stop and couldn't even eat the chocolate. The view stopped being so beautiful...all I wanted was to finish.

And then...I did. In a blur, I was done. I hardly remember it. I passed the firefighters, who looked dapper in their tuxedos. They handed me a Tiffany's box. I took my timing chip off my shoe and turned it in. I found my sister and her husband at the finish line, where they hugged me in spite of my stinkiness.

All I wanted to do was sit down.

Slowly, everyone found us. My parents, my boyfriend, my friend who had braved the roads to come see me. I opened my Tiffany's box to reveal an adorable necklace that says, Run like a Girl. And then my boyfriend and my mother walked with me behind everyone else as I tried to make it to my friend's car. My ankles and the arches of my feet screamed every time I put pressure down on them.

Now, a week later, they still hurt. I'm not really sure why, I think it's because of the downhills. They hurt less now, more of an ache than a grinding pain...but in general I was still pretty happy. I finish in 4 hours and 42 minutes...about 20 minutes more than the Marine Corps. With the hills, I'm happy I finished in under 5 hours! I reached the half point in just over 2 hours. This one is not a good one to try to hit Boston for!!

Yesterday was the Marine Corps here in DC...I went to watch and cheered my brains out! It is really fun to cheer, especially when you know what people need to hear. But it's also really hard to watch and not be able to participate. I wanted to be one of the runners so badly! The looks of agony, the grins at a good cheer, the limping, the bloody spots on shirts where nipple rub had gone too far....oh man, I was jealous.

Somewhere in my race on the 18th, I thought to myself, "I need a new hobby." And at the time...yeah. I thought I did. But this is really what I love to do. I really love running. And I can't wait for the next one!

19 days till Marathon

2009-09-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

It seems like my triathlon was already a long time ago. If you just read my last post, you never would think that I did one. I expected it to kind of be this life changing event. And while I do think that I learned a lot from it, I think that like every "life event," the lessons are just added to the ball of knowledge that you've been accumulating since birth.

It will make a good essay in case I ever apply to grad school though.

Now, it is time for the Nike Women's Marathon! In only 19 days, I will be in lovely California! Running a marathon! To get a Tiffany's necklace! OMG I AM SO EXCITED! I'm trying not to think too much about it, since I will stress myself out if I do. Basically, I know that I can finish it. I'm aware that it will be painful and that my training for this was not as good as for the one I did last year. But I've also decided that this one is for fun.

I might already be planning for next year. I want to do one of the Big 5: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York City. At least one. It would be fun to do all in one year, wouldn't it? Too bad I have to qualify for most of them...

An Exciting Morning in the Yoga Studio

2009-09-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was trying to figure out a workout schedule for this week. I figured I might as well log onto some of the yoga studios I’ve been to so that I could try to sign up for a morning class, since my office location has a shower on site (very important as I try not to stink on a regular basis). I logged into Flow Yoga to check out their schedule and saw there was a Pilates class at 7am…and I realized that I recognized the name of the girl teaching.
She was an instructor at GW when I was there, and I took Pilates with her my junior year. She was teaching a 7am cardio class first semester of my senior year and, being overly enthusiastic after her Pilates class, I signed up. This was spring of my junior year. Summer passed and I started my senior year of college. And realized that a 7am cardio conditioning class twice a week was maybe not exactly a typical thing to sign up for. Naturally, I skipped the first class, planning on dropping it. She remembered my name and email, and proceeded to email me and tell me that she hoped I’d be there the next class.
I never missed another one.
I was SO EXCITED to go this morning. This girl is just so energetic and cheerful without being annoying. She is one of those rare people who can push you without making you go insane. She understands that some days you’re just not on.
I arrived early and was one of the first few students in class. I was sitting there, trying to restrain myself, since I wanted to tell everyone who came in how excited I was.
This probably sounds really creepy…but it’s just amazing how someone can affect your workout. When someone is leading a class, they need to have the energy and the passion to reach out to everyone, but the intelligence and people smarts to back off when their input isn’t wanted. I’ve been to too many boring classes and had to listen to too many weird instructors.
So anyway, I’m sitting in this class, just SO EXCITED to go. It was a great class. She always has AWESOME music too. Then in the middle of the class, she came over, looked me right in the eye and said, “you were in my cardio conditioning class at GW, weren’t you!?” OMG I WAS SO EXCITED. It was like a celebrity recognized me! AND she remembered my name.
Ok, so now I’m seriously thinking about buying a big pass to Flow again. I just really like having an instructor that I could go to on a regular basis and already know. I’ve always been jealous of the people who know the instructors and NOW I AM ONE OF THEM.

Triathlete

2009-09-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

It's really hard for me to blog about this. I'm trying so hard to put the right words into this to convey how yesterday went. I've never had trouble with this before - I just write what I think.

The triathlon was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I thought it wouldn't be that bad. In some ways, I was right. My body, although sore, isn't feeling quite as punished as after the marathon. Everyone said that I was in a better mood yesterday than after the marathon. In some ways, it was less physically challenging. But in many ways, it was much, much worse.

The weekend started on Friday, with a race orientation. I felt strong during that, although I was noticing that everyone was VERY hard core. It's not like running, where people can kind of just sign up on a whim. I've noticed that most people, unlike me, do not just sign up for a triathlon on a whim. Most people are very, very dedicated to it. But I still wasn't too concerned and I left feeling confident.

On Saturday, I took my bike down to the transition area. Wow...there were a LOT of bike racks!!! I was in row 41 and there were a lot of women my age in my area. I managed to deflate my back tire and finally had to ask someone for help. Yeah...it's true. I still have trouble with my tires, haha. The girl who helped me said that last year she had talked to a girl who didn't know how to pump air into her tires and laughed...I failed to admit that I was in the same spot. Silly pride!

Later, my parents arrived in DC and we went over to my friend's house for dinner. My friend Emily and I cooked for my parents and our boyfriends and we had a really nice dinner. I was completely distracted and relaxed - I have awesome friends and family :) I felt really lucky to be able to be with them the night before the race.

Race day arrived quickly. All of the sudden it was 4:45 am and I was awake and drinking coffee. I had my bag packed and ready and at 5:30 my parents picked me up and drove me down to the transition area. I was feeling pretty hard core as I walked in with all the other athletes. I went over to my transition area and waited. I set up my transition towel with my shoes, helmet, sunglasses, race belt...a girl came over and told me that the mechanics on duty would pump air into your tires FOR YOU, so naturally I ran my bike over. He mentioned that my tires were pretty low...I said it must have lost a lot of air, haha.

I put on some body glide and put my wetsuit on to my waist. We were herded out of the transition area at 7am and into the swim pen. Even now as I write this I am becoming apprehensive! What will happen to our young heroine?

Time flew as I waited with everyone for my swim wave to be called. The elite group did the swim in under a half hour - insanity!! We watched them jealously as they came back in to their bikes. I kept telling myself that it would be me soon...but I almost didn't believe it. As we slowly lined up, my dad appeared on the sidelines! I was so happy to see him. He told me my mom was closer to the water and they both cheered me on as I approached the water.

I was high on adrenaline or SOMETHING, because I tried very hard to be excited and not nervous. But as soon as they let us jump in the water, I felt my ego deflate. I could see NOTHING as soon as my head was submerged. Nothing. Just a murky, scary mess. They told us to get ready, to GO! And we were off!

IMMEDIATELY, I started to hyperventilate. Not enough that I couldn't move but enough to make scary gasping sounds. I wasn't scared of drowning, I knew the strokes but I couldn't move. I don't really know why it was so hard. It was completely psychological. I slowly, painfully made my way forward. I won't lie to you dear readers, I barely put my head under the entire time. When I did, it made breathing that much more difficult. I knew that if I got under the Memorial Bridge, I might see my boyfriend and friends. But I was just in a complete blind panic. The bridge I knew was pretty far, so by the time I got there, I was tired and still gasping for my strength. I FINALLY found a kayak to hold onto at a buoy.

USA Triathlon official rules state that you can hold onto a kayak as long as they don't move you forward. I tried earlier to find one but couldn't find one that wouldn't take me far off the course. Honestly, if I had found one earlier, I think I would have told him to take me in. I was petrified, I'm not going to lie. Before I even got to the bridge, I just wanted them to take me out. It was only thinking about all the people who had come to see me, all the people I had bragged to, whined to, that kept me going. At the time, I was doing it for them, not for myself.

At this first kayak, he told me the next buoy, actually visible, was the halfway point. But other than that he didn't really talk much. I finally pulled myself together and with a few hail Mary's, made my way to the next buoy. There was another kayak there and I flagged him down. This guy was much more talkative. I asked him if I was more than halfway. I searched for confirmation that there was an end in site. I told him that I didn't know if I could do it. He asked me if I wanted water, then told me that I was fine. That I would finish. He told me, don't worry, you'll finish.

This man saved me. He saved me and I wish that I could thank him for it. He saved my race. The rest of the way, as I pushed forward, I just remembered that he believed in me, this stranger who I never met, believed in me. If he said I would finish, I would finish. I didn't hold onto another kayak the whole time - I just pushed forward. It wasn't easy, it never got easy. But I knew that I was going to finish.

When I saw the final turn, I knew I would continue.

An interesting side note...I read online that it's easier to just pee into your wetsuit than to find a portapotty. so I figured at the beginning of the swim that I would just do that in the water. But I was too scared the whole time to even pee!! But as I ran out of the water, I knew that I would not make it through the bike ride unless I peed. But I didn't want to stop at a port-a-potty, ESPECIALLY since I was barefoot. So I made an unfortunate decision. As I arrived at my bike, I stood there and peed into my wetsuit. Yep. I peed myself. You make interesting choices during a race like this. I have never done that in any running race, but then again, you don't wear a wetsuit in a marathon.

Then I yanked off my wetsuit and pulled on my cycling shoes. As I tried to run with my bike to the point where I could mount, I saw my friends and family all together, cheering me on! It pumped me up and I was off!

The cycling really wasn't that bad. I think I approached it too recreationally and didn't really push myself as hard as maybe I could have. But honestly, I wanted it to be a little enjoyable. But it seemed to go quickly. I realized that I was pretty far at the end of the pack. Being in one of the last swim waves and being REALLY slow in it didn't help at all. I passed a lot of people on the bike, but by this point I didn't care about time. I just wanted to finish. I saw a woman who was seriously injured at the beginning and a bunch of people who had technical problems with their bikes - flats, broken chains, one woman whose pedal had come off..I knew I was lucky.

By the end of the cycling part, I tried to run my bike in. I was pretty bow-legged. I saw my cheer group again and was cheered up! I knew that this was my time - it was the run!!! But my legs were so sore! I wasn't really anticipating it to be as bad as it was. This transition was quicker and I made it out to the run. A LOT of people were walking it. It was painful for the first few miles, then it kind of evened out. I was really excited to be in my comfort zone.

The run was pretty easy - only 6 miles. I was feeling pretty good for most of it. Near the end my mom found me and ran with me for a little bit! It's amazing how much someone can boost your spirits. Having my mom and my dad and my friends there just changed the race for me. It made it more than just about me. I was doing it for them too. I wanted to be faster so I could see them again.

At the end, there they were, cheering and high fiving me! It was the best to see them there! I got my medal and handed back my race chip and immediately went off to find them.

And now, it's over. It's done. I've done it. Several times during the race I had to remind myself that this was it! This was my race! It was what I'd been waiting for! But at the time it was just so important to focus on what I was doing. And now it's over and I'm convinced that I will never do one again. Never again will I put myself through such torture! IronMan tattoo be damned! Who needs it!?

Well...at least...that's what I say now.

But in reality, I'm proud. It was the challenge I was looking for and instead of quitting I finished. I never could have done it without everyone's support - everyone was out there with me during it in my head. But in the end, I had to buckle down and finish it with my own body, my own strength, and my own commitment.

And now it's over. There's a reason why my blog is called MarathonMennone and not TriathlonMennone. It's back to the marathons for me!

1 day, 15 hours to go

2009-09-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

How did it go from 12 days to 1?

Tomorrow, I will be eating dinner with friends and family. And in a little more than 39 hours, I will be in the Potomac. And in a little less than 45 hours, I will be a triathlete.

Wow. Feeling a little overwhelmed. I haven't really been sleeping well since I'm starting to get pretty nervous. Today I have to go to my race orientation and get my number and my packet. They have a half hour mandatory information session. The whole thing is really intense and professional. It makes me feel like an Olympic athlete! And why shouldn't I, it is an Olympic sized tri! (never mind that I am not actually an Olympic athlete).

I probably won't post until it's over, so I really just want to say thank you to everyone who's offered their support over the last few months and days. I'm really touched by everyone's encouragement and that is seriously what will keep me going through this race. I know that I am very lucky to have people who will come out and cheer me on!! It means so much to me just to have someone remember that I'm doing this. So thank you thank you thank you!

You like me, you really like me!!!! (CLICHE!)

Forward Momentum

2009-09-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's 9 days till raceday and I'm already thinking about what I can do next.

Wait, wait, you say. Is this the same girl who has been awaiting this day with dread? Who has been waiting for the chance to buy a roadbike instead of a racebike so that she can just be done with all this mechanical crap? The same girl who hates swimming? She's actually wondering if she can do an IRONMAN!?!?!?!?

When will it end?? Just last night I had a minor meltdown about how I don't have an "off" button. I don't know the meaning of stop and it wears me down. Isn't this something I'll have to teach myself, by just STOPPING so that I can breathe?

NO! What kind of blog do you think this is? Who do you think I am? Someone who writes a whole stinking blog about running isn't the kind of person who will just transition it into one about cooking!

Now that the initial terror has worn off a bit, I'm convinced that I must own my own wetsuit so that I can participate in half iron mans (HIM) and work my way up to the full Ironman. What does an IM consist of?

Let me tell you:
2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike ride FOLLOWED BY
a MARATHON!!!!! 26.2 miles!

WHO WANTS TO DO IT WITH ME!?!?!?!?!

Rant!

2009-09-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to feel the pressure of last minute training. I don't really want to do anything but prepare for this race, but at the same time, everything around me is a hotbed of activity. Work has heated up for me and we have a company meeting next Thursday that's going to go until 10pm. I've been traveling for my job, meaning foreign cities and no time/place to train. Friends and family have been great at being here for me, but that also means that I feel pressure to actually spend time with them instead of blowing everyone off to train, which is what I really want to do.

That's right. I'm feeling incredibly anti-social and mean, even as I send out emails telling people to come cheer for me. That's selfish isn't it. But it doesn't seem fair that I can't train for this event that has come to mean so much to me. I just want everyone to stop telling me how much they want to see me until after 12pm on September 13th. I want to go to sleep at 9pm and get up at 5 and then train again after work. I don't want to go home to PA or to visit people in their own homes. I want to sleep in my own bed with my stupid cat who wakes me up in the middle of the night. I want to eat cereal and pasta and ignore meat. I want to eat GU every day because I'm working so hard.

I feel like I'm pretty social and friendly the rest of the year, so why can't I just have these next 10 days to do what I want to do? I'll tell you why. Because I'm too nice to tell anyone this in person. So I write it out in a lame blog.

Countdown: 12 days

2009-08-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

I'm slowly pulling myself out of the funk of terror and into excitement. I kind of just want to get this race over with! Also...I'm kind of getting excited!

Today I woke up, went outside and was cold. It was 64 degrees this morning!!! Where did summer go? It is still officially August folks. It's not even fall yet. The fall solstice is not even until AFTER the tri! This is completely unacceptable and I demand that it get warm again. I went out at lunch and bought a long sleeved shirt!

After work today, I'm planning on running. I'm looking forward to a nice long run without worrying about my tires, my helmet, my shoes...I just want to get out there and be able to lose myself in my own thoughts. I went to a new pool yesterday, the Wilson Aquatics Center, here in DC. It took me forever to find, but it was so worth it. I couldn't believe how nice it was! They really did a great job, it was one of the nicest pools I've ever been to, DC or anywhere else. But I was thinking about how hard it is for me to just be able to think while I swim. When I'm running, I'm continually thinking about new ideas for the blog, things I need to do, planning my life, singing along to my ipod. When I'm swimming, the only thing I can do is count the strokes until I can breathe again. That pretty much takes up all my energy. And it makes it SO much more tedious. Time passes so much more quickly when you don't have to think about the same thing over and over again. I tried to think about what I could write in my blog while I was swimming, but the continuous gasping for air cut me off each time.

Still, little snippets of thought made it through anyway. I was really just impressed with this pool. The water was so clear, it had so many windows that everything was just bursting with sunlight. It almost made me understand how people could love to swim, scuba dive, in general, how people love the water. I'm definitely gaining an appreciation through this and I think I'm going to keep swimming even when I'm done training. But I don't know if I will ever love the water. When I was little, I think I was entertained by it. But I don't think I've ever been the kind of person who LOVES water. Water is more of an acquaintance of mine. We have mutual respect. I have a healthy fear of drowning; what's more, I have the waning phobia of fish. Yep. I hate what lives in the water. Seals, sea turtles, manatees, otters...those are all ok. But I don't think they will be in the Potomac. Fish, whales, even dolphins are a bit much for me. Don't even get me started on eels. I have nightmares about being trapped underwater with these creatures. Needless to say, I haven't been to an aquarium in a long time. When I was little, I took swimming lessons, but couldn't wear my glasses (obviously). This meant that I couldn't see anything, making any body of water a murky, scary place. Being able to see underwater in a beautiful pool makes me a little less fearful. But I will maintain my respect for the water in the hopes that it will be mutual on September 13th.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

STILL NEEDED BEFORE TRIATHLON

1. tri shorts - done. ordered today!
2. tri/bike top
3. GU holder for bike & run
4. water bottle holder for bike
5. new water bottle
6. bike gloves
7. new swim cap (must be pink!)
8. portable bike pump?
9. bike maintenance road kit?
10. possibly a new running hat for the mess my hair will be after swimming, biking!!

My color scheme is going to be pink...who would've guessed?!!

I AM COMPLETELY INSANE

2009-08-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just made the HUGE, CATASTROPHIC mistake of looking at the Nation's Triathlon photo gallery.

WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING!!?!?!?!?!?

These photos scared the CRAP out of me! How am I supposed to swim for a MILE?!? Goodness gracious, I have completely lost my mind. If I'm not crying, vomiting, or delirious throughout this ENTIRE race, I will consider it a success. Right now my big fear is that they will be dragging me out of the water, a deranged, babbling mess after I try to doggie paddle my way back. And then what? Only on to a terrifying bike ride of doom.

The weekend forecasts are for rain, meaning that I won't even be able to seriously train.

I am going to die. That is the basic moral of the story. There is no way that I will ever survive this and I am absolutely doubting my sanity.

Advice for Parents

2009-08-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be thinking that this is a bizarre title. I know what you're thinking: sure, she has an adorable, spoiled cat, but that does not make her an expert on parenting. He's not even toilet trained.

Also, I know what the rest of you are thinking. She had a great childhood. Her parents are great people, I know them, I've met them. But does she have to brag?

Stay with me here. Over time I've developed a list of things that are vital for parents to make sure their children learn, as it will help them later in life when they decide to do a triathlon. I'd like to share that list with you today.

Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Child:

1. How to Swim. We're not just talking about taking them in the hotel pool when they go on vacation. I mean send them off to swimming lessons when they are 6. As I spend more time honing my swimming, I've been remembering summers spent at the Ken Gril pool in Shillington, PA, learning to put my face in the water and kick. While I may not be the best swimmer, and I never was as a child either, I definitely have the advantage of at least having the basics down. I can't imagine being 23 and having to start completely from scratch.

2. How to ride a bike. Similar lines here. Every kid should know how to ride a bike. Whether they do a triathlon or just date someone who does, they will want to ride a bike. Now that we live in the age of "green," bikes are all the rage. Also we 23-30 year olds tend to live in the age of "poor," so it's better than a car.

3. How to pump air in a bike tire. This is where my parents let me down. Either they taught me and I forgot, or they never gave me this valuable talk. To make things easier, let's just blame them. Now that I live 3 hours away from them, I turn to my boyfriend to get the air into my race tires. I'm sure he loves this responsibility, especially when I call him in tears because I tried to do it myself and am then staring at the flatest of tires oozing onto the hardwood floors of my apartment.

4. How to be early. This sounds like a stupid one. It sounds like a really lame whine of a morning person trapped in a world of night owls. Ok, that is part of it. But seriously, it can help. When you start working out a 7pm instead of 6pm, suddenly you're riding your bike home in the dark. When you get to a race at 6:30am instead of 6am, suddenly you have no time to prep. When you wake up at 7am instead of 5am on a training day, well, you're out of luck for training. I still remember my dad coming into my room during the summer if I slept too late and opening the blinds. It was really annoying. But in retrospect, it was helpful.

5. How to spend money wisely. Final one on the list here and this one is key. These races that I do are not cheap. The costs of training, traveling, and racing can really add up. I've spent more than I expected to with this triathlon. But I've found some shortcuts that only came from remembering my mom asking me if I really needed the $80 jeans when the $40 pair didn't even need to be hemmed to fit my short, stumpy legs. Ok she didn't really phrase it like that...For example, my bike is a hand-me-down, 1980s racebike. It's hardcore, sure, but it's not top of the line or anything. I saved hundreds of dollars by using this bike instead of buying a new one. I've put some maintenance into it, but I would've spent a lot more if I had gotten a new one. This lesson goes both ways though. I know that there are some things that I just have to buy. Like cycling shoes (I bought them this weekend and I LOVE THEM). I'm doing this race full time. I'm not half-assing it. So I've had to spend some money.

Ok, those are some of the things I've thought of during my long runs and bike rides. I don't really think of anything as I swim, except sea monsters. Those are scary. You have to teach your kids that those don't exist too, add that to your list.

I wonder what I'll find in the Potomac?

An Athlete in Civilian Clothing (thanks MOM!)

2009-08-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I worked from home. I was supposed to go to a meeting that was never confirmed and then I just never put pants on. So I stayed home.

In the back of my mind was my mom's voice, "I sent you a present." I love presents. Presents are fun. I'm also incredibly easy to shop for, since I like almost anything. New underwear? I'm game. A wind-up toy? Favorite gift EVER! Running sneakers? I love you, I love you, I love you! She actually had just sent me new sneakers last week (they are fantastic), so I was really surprised when she called me last week and told me that a present was coming my way.

I'm excellent at guessing gifts. Every Christmas I am prohibited from shaking because I always end up guessing. So I was pretty confident that I knew what this was. It was one of 2 things:
1. a shoe wallet
2. a toy for my cat, Dexter

Why? Because I've been bugging her for weeks about a shoe wallet (I lost mine). And because she bought my sister a cat toy for her own cat this week so I figured she couldn't resist. So all morning and afternoon, I ran up and down my apartment building's stairs to see if the mail came.

By 6pm, UPS came up and hand delivered my package, haha.

The box was not the correct size for either a shoe wallet or a cat toy, but in a traditional sense. You got me stumped, Mom. I eagerly ripped it open, confused, excited, wildly surprised. I stuck my hand in and found...a glasses case.

OH NO SHE DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!

OH YES SHE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She sent me my very own, beautiful pair of OAKLEY SUNGLASSES!!!!!!!!!!

OMG THEY ARE SO COOL. I walked around all last night in them (I ran in the morning). They look so awesome and hard core. I go from civilian to athlete in no time. They are so perfect for my upcoming races!

Let's recap.

1. It is, in fact, possible to surprise me.
2. I look extra cool when I'm running.
3. No longer will I squint.
4. I can now run after work instead of before work.
5. I have the BEST MOM in the ENTIRE WORLD

Product Review: Luna Moons

2009-07-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I decided to go for a long run. I went out for about 3 hours in the heat of the day, which was really dumb. I have a big welt on my left hip from where my fuel belt rubbed. I was very hot and slow by the end and had to walk for a bit. I don't know how far I went but I was out for a looong time.

I decided to try Luna moons, because I've been telling people that they can try the gummies instead of the gels. I've personally been a big GU fan since I started out, but I figure I can give it a shot. I got the pomegranate flavor (when are they in season btw?) and I was excited to try them. I started out running and I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the first 5-6 miles to go by so I could eat one.

Reactions?

They were really soft and chewy, but that was irritating to me. I wanted them to be gummier but at the same time I was frustrated by chewing because my mother taught me to chew with my mouth closed. When you're running and it's 98 degrees and humid out, it's really hard to close your mouth to chew. The gummy stuck to my teeth for a few minutes afterwards, meaning I had to close my mouth again to try to get it out. I thought that was really irritating and I missed my GU, which I can suck down with ease.

However, there were definitely some pluses. They are quite tasty, mmm. Not a weird or bad flavor at all and almost more pleasant than chocolate GU. Certainly more refreshing. Also, I could eat a pack over the course of an hour, meaning that I didn't just eat and go, I could actually get the benefits over a longer period of time. But maybe that's bad - after all, there's only 100 calories in one pack. You need to be getting those in your system during a long run.

I'll probably buy them again cause they're tasty...but I think GU is still the way to go.

In Favor of Running in the Morning

2009-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

I know I've talked a lot about how much I love to run in the morning. I know that very few of you believe me, but recently I've just been overwhelmed by how different DC is at 5:30am. Right up till about 6:45, it is a completely different city. Most mornings, I just go down to the Washington monument and back. For anyone who's been to DC at least once in their life, you must have horrible memories of all the tourists standing around in the intense heat, cyclists trying to get around you, obese children dripping ice cream on your foot. It's nothing like that early in the morning. There are a few other runners who silently give you a respectful nod as you pass, as if you somehow share a bond. Cyclists whiz by you without a word, because there's actually room on the sidewalk. Cars drive by at a slower pace, because there's no traffic and no need to accelerate so early in the morning. Usually as I head back the sun starts to rise over the Capitol and the sky behind the Washington Monument turns a golden pink.

In other news, I've found that I can still register for the Marine Corps marathon or the NY Marathon (2 weeks after the one in San Fran) if I join a charity team. Temptation is great, but I need to focus on swimming. But why not take a stab at another one? After that winter is upon us and it will be difficult to do another one until next year...

Take that, cyclists!!

2009-07-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today I'm writing in response to an article I found in the NY Times. I read something about this a few months ago and wanted to include it, but then couldn't find the study again. The Times pulled through for me though, so here we go!

So apparently, cycling isn't all it's cracked up to be. You can crack a lot of your bones in it. Hahahha. Cough. For some reason (they don't seem to have determined why yet), cycling causes bone density to drop severely, resulting in bones breaking more easily. Which is horrible, since when you're on a bike, you're traveling pretty fast and there's usually/often lots of cars and crazy children on tricycles around. What would be a good way to prevent that? OH OH OH I KNOW!! Add running into your training!

I think triathlons have gotten a bad rap recently. People think they're dangerous and scary, but really they prevent things like broken collarbones (or induce them by bringing people like me in who never would ride a bike otherwise). But seriously, all that cross training has to be good for people. It's forcing me out of my comfort zone and slowly I'm learning to appreciate it. Last night I went swimming and felt like my stroke was a little bit stronger. It made me feel really good, like I had accomplished something. Actually, not "like" I accomplished something, because I really did! I've gone from afraid to swim to eager to improve. Not bad for a fish out of water!

Falling Flat

2009-06-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend: meltdown!

Actually, the weather was lovely, I just almost lost it!

A local bike shop offers weekly group rides (supposedly) for beginners on Saturday mornings at 10am. I figured since the bike has taken a backseat to running (because I love it) and swimming (because I hate it/can't do it), I should give it some love.

With great bravado, I went to the bike shop and waited outside. Since it was a beginner's ride, I figured I would at least be middle of the pack, as I am, arguably, in good shape.

Oh no, no, no. I was met by a LOT of yuppies on fancy bikes with padded bike shorts, clip in shoes, at least 3 bottles of water attached on their bikes, fancy sunglasses...they were intimidating to say the least. I started to feel panicky, wondering if I had come to the right group ride, but no one else seemed to have ever gone to the Sunday ride (which is SUPPOSED to be for intense, crazy cyclists!). However, everyone was really very nice. They were all encouraging, eager to answer my questions and support me in my silly efforts of riding my ancient (CLASSIC) bike through Washington, DC. HA! Victory! I will conquer my fears! I kept telling myself that even if I looked stupid on a bike, even if everyone has to wait for me after a hill or a tough spot, I will still go and do my best because that's how you learn. I'm ok with looking dumb.

So we set off!

And when we got across the street, the group leader pointed out that I had a flat tire already!

So I walked back to the bike store, dropped off my bike, went over to my boyfriend's apartment and proceeded to bawl. Because I am a mature grown up and a tough athlete.

Here's the thing (which I pointed out to my boyfriend several times): I can handle the race being hard. I can handle tough training. I can handle falling off and scraping my leg open. What I cannot stand is not even being able to START my training. It brought me down so low this weekend that I even talked about backing out of this stupid triathlon. I mean, I was looking for a challenge, but I want to be able to actually finish! I guess there's that whole element of, be careful what you wish for. This is a bigger challenge than I realized it would be. Don't ask me WHY I thought a triathlon would be easy, I just thought it would.

In the end, I went out for a run and then came back and got back on the stupid bike. Instead of going for a group ride, I went for a date ride, meaning that my boyfriend helped me get back out on the road. Which was much more fun than a group ride anyway :)

Also, on Sunday I went out to the park by my house and did "yoga in the park." Free yoga! Do you know what a great deal this is?? Yoga at a studio costs anywhere from $15-$20 per session. And it was so much more interesting to do yoga outside. I could let my mind wander a lot more and I didn't really need to listen to the instructor - I just watched what other people were doing and listened to the drum circle playing nearby. I would absolutely recommend doing Yoga in the Park - it is a great way to get introduced to yoga in a non-threatening setting.

Full speed ahead! (again)

2009-06-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

I got back from vacation a week ago yesterday. Israel is a beautiful country! We had a fantastic time. Tel Aviv has a gorgeous beach with a very pedestrian friendly promenade. I was CONVINCED that I would run on in while we were there...and then proceeded to sleep in every single day. It was really hot and we wanted to do touristy things during the day and by nighttime, we had walked about 12 miles and all I wanted to do was eat a bucket of hummus and go to bed.

So I came back last week and didn't even run or bike until Friday. This week I'm starting to feel like I'm actually making some progress. I did about 10 miles on Monday night and another 5 this morning. Tonight I'm hitting the pool (oops, I meant to look up a swim workout...). I have to admit that even with almost 2 weeks off, I still feel pretty good. I know that it can hurt a training schedule to take that much time off, but I didn't stress during my vacation. I can't imagine how that would have affected my time abroad and I'm really glad that I didn't let it worry me.

The triathlon is really starting to nip at my heels, though. It's time to sink or swim (unfortunately that is literal). I need to get my head in the game. I've decided to start twice a day workouts a few times a week. My problem is that my default is to run. I don't like swimming or biking nearly as much, but I need to work on that. Two of my friends are doing bike races, so maybe I'll reach out to them to work out with me! Buddy workouts might be easier on a bike? They certainly seem to be easy while swimming since no one can really talk, but I am still slow in the water.

I need to start a list of "things to buy," so that I won't have to buy everything the week of. Maybe that will be the next post...

No good product reviews, but I am getting a new shoe wallet! I lost it during the Cherry Blossom Run (luckily it was empty!!!) but my mom is getting me a new one at work. Still one of the best buys out there!

Back on Track and a Product Review

2009-05-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend I finally got kind of sort of back on track with my training. Sunday included both a run and a bike ride and Monday had a 2 hour bike ride in store for me.

I also ate like a pig (and ate a lot of pig) this weekend, so I don't know how good it actually did for me.

I felt pretty on target though, only to have a busy week with few workout prospects ahead of me. Drat! Then next week I leave for my vacation (FINALLY) so who knows when I'll actually be able to train? I determined that I have 21 weeks before my marathon, so that poses little risk. I think I peaked in my training too early last time, so who knows? Maybe I'll be able to improve my time. The triathlon will be tricky of course, but I'm feeling more like my cocky old self now that I actually got on the bike and went somewhere. Hopefully I'll be able to get in a swim this week.

And now, a product review.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to give the fit flop my unpaid endorsement yet. After all, I've only had them for about a week and they *were* $60 flipflops. Yes they have sequins on them and they are supposed to trim my bum (quote, unquote), but they are still $60 flipflops in the end.

They are the revolutionary flipflops designed to trim you and tone you WHILE YOU WALK! UNbelieveable, right? Well that's the part that I'm trying to get past. I'm already in pretty decent shape, so I highly doubt that I'm going to see inches melt off my body. But they provide way better stability than regular flipflops and they are actually really comfortable. So why not wear them on my 30 minute walk to work in the morning? And then on the way home? If I can sneak in an extra workout, why not give it a shot?

(also, I have to admit that I've been intrigued by these shoes for a REALLY LONG TIME and I reeeeeeally wanted them. I know. It's so tacky and I fall for gimmicks so easily. Darn marketing!! Also, I am a shoe aficionado. Aficionada?)

I always take remarkably to placebos (hypochondriac, anyone?), so I'm not really the best person to use in a study for shoes like this. I thought that I could feel some glute work on the first day I wore them, now I don't really know. But like I said, they're super comfortable AND they have sequins!

I guess if you have an extra $60 lying around, it's worth it. But if not, I say just get off the bus and walk the 30 mins in the morning and you're doing yourself a good enough favor anyway.

They put sequins on regular flipflops anyway.

The Luckiest Girl

2009-05-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

I think if someone were to examine my life, they might come to the conclusion that I am very brave indeed.

I run marathons for kicks and I sign up for triathlons when I get bored. I’m going to swim in the Potomac. I live in my own apartment when under the age of 25 and it’s not in a building with a doorman and a security guard. I go on vacation to places like Zimbabwe and Israel (to be fair, Zimbabwe was like 9 years ago, haha). I’ve studied abroad and traveled alone. I’ve gone on safaris and gone snorkeling. I can hear you all now. What a brave and exciting individual. Oh yes, and I ride my bike around the streets of a city.

Well, kind of.

To be honest, I’m not brave at all, which my poor boyfriend got to see last night. After my previous bad experience on the bike, he rode up to meet me to go for a ride with me. First, I whined about the seat (I am still sore). Then I refused to leave the park near my house. I was perfectly content to ride around in circles for an hour or two, but he was convinced that I should go out on the road and get a little bit more experience. Did I whine? Oh yes, I whined and I cried a little and I moped and I said over and over again, “I don’t like this!!!!” very mature, very brave. I was absolutely terrified to go out next to the cars, despite his assurances that the idea was worse than the actual act. I saw images of my head bashed open in the streets of DC and homeless men coming to eat my brains (ok I just added that part now).

But I think the worst part is that my confidence has worn a little thin lately. I’m no longer the cocky girl who said, oh yeah sure, I can do a triathlon. Now I’m seriously doubting my ability to finish this race without crying or breaking down. I’m scared to fail. I really don’t want to fail, but I’m scared that race day will come and I’ll roll over in my bed and say, meh, whatever.

So I was very lucky to have someone with me who a) didn’t yell at me when I cried. B) didn’t pressure me into doing it c) waited until I was ready and d) acted the whole time like he knew I could do it. Here’s the thing – everyone is different. Maybe you need someone who can yell at you. Maybe you need to figure this stuff out alone. I don’t know. But if you can find someone who can figure out how to help you and then just do it because they care…well. I feel pretty lucky right now.

Social Networking

2009-05-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

In my job, I read a lot of advertising and marketing journals (who would've guessed that I'd ever be reading those?). The big thing right now is social networking. Social networking is huge! It's everywhere!

FACEBOOK

MYSPACE

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

BLOGS

cough.

Yep, everyone it seems is doing it. All the cool kids. All the dorky kids. All the nerds. We love it. It's a way to connect with others without ever having to speak a word out loud or look someone in the eye. Fantastic!

Obviously, I'm slightly skeptical. When facebook came out, I used it fanatically as a procrastination tool (you could always tell when someone was working on a term paper by the number of changes they made to their profile). Now, I'm more apathetic towards it. I like it, but I don't really care about it. It's a nice way to stay in touch with people so that I can, say, decline invitations to my 5 year high school reunion, but other than that I haven't really gotten into it.

But last night I was feeling pretty bad about myself, as I tried to ride my new bike and was unsuccessful. (I need to get new pedals). I moped a little bit, cried a little bit, ate an ice cream sandwich or two for dinner and then felt fat and completely unable to do anything. My newly framed marathon photos adorn my wall, making me feel so far away from the girl who ran 26.2 miles. So I pulled up the DC Tri Club website and started to peruse. I joined the Dc Tri Club a couple months ago, sending in my $30 and receiving a t-shirt, water bottle, and sticker for it. But I didn't do anything with the actual club. Now I've learned, Surprise!, that joining the dc tri club doesn't make me a triathlete. That requires actual energy and action.

One of the first threads I read in the "forum" (obviously, this is some sort of social networking tool, otherwise I wouldn't be bringing this up) was from some people who live very close to my new apartment. And all the threads were about staying motivated and finding training buddies! So now I'm in touch with some people about biking, swimming together (still on the fence for running since I'm known to be an anti-social runner).

Conclusions? It's important to utilize the resources out there. If it's social networking, so be it. I'm all for the internet. Yay internet! They also have lists of free group workouts that you can go to. How awesome is that? Maybe I don't need to invest as much money into this as I thought...just time.

(Also, it's important to note that I do not endorse eating ice cream sandwiches for dinner. They are a delightful snack, but not a sufficient meal.)

Trying to give it my all

2009-05-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

I think I need to step it up guys. I've let training take a backseat to moving, working, playing, eating, sleeping, showering...there's really no excuse for that. Here I am, trying to help other people train and I'm not even setting a good example.

End Goal: Triathlon is quickly approaching and add-on Marathon is close behind. I think my lack of training has really got me down and I'm starting to doubt my ability to do this. It's one of those things where you absolutely have to invest some time and money into it if you want to finish and finish strong. For me, there is no other option than finishing.

So I think I might have to look into personal training or a triathlon training course. I'm ok with getting help and working with other people and it might be time for me to invest a little more cash into this project.

I'm feeling pretty run down and I think it's time to revamp my training. Any ideas?

Courage

2009-05-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

You know how when you ride a horse, they tell you to remain calm no matter what because if a horse can sense that you're nervous, they will become nervous? I'm very much like a horse. I pick up on people's emotional discharges and even if I can hide it, it gets to me in most situations and makes me uncomfortable.

For example, I moved this weekend. I went from one questionable neighborhood in DC, Southeast, to another, U St/Columbia Heights. I didn't realize that the area where my new house is was considered so...urban. It's right next door to the Embassy of Ecuador, so it has to be safe...right?

But I've had a few people tell me that I still have to be careful. I'm not sure if this means that it's actually a dangerous neighborhood or if it means that everyone still sees me as a 12 year old who looks like she just walked out of a bubble. I've been sheltered, sure, but I've learned to fend for myself. In my opinion, I do pretty well. I play it safe and smart. But hearing everyone tell me scary stories doesn't do much to make me feel good. I love my apartment but now I'm leaning towards "terrified of sticking my nose out the door." Which I don't want to do. Once again, I find myself searching for inspiration in my training.

When I first said that I would run a marathon, people told me to be careful. They told me horror stories of how people die in them and I read scary stories about overhydration, dehydration, wronghydration, etc. There were days when I ran and then threw up in my mouth and it was scary. But I made it through and I ran the marathon. So I guess it really is just doing everything one day at a time and trying not to see it as 26 miles but just one mile at a time. One day at a time and I will be ok. I'm not alone, ever. The people who cheer me on when I run are the same people who will hold my hand in the middle of the night when I'm scared, both physically and figuratively. Being afraid because people tell you to be won't help, because ultimately, you'll just end up flying over a cliff like a crazy horse. If people tell me to be scared, then I better be the one who calls it out and says, no. I will not be afraid and I will not live my life on the nervous energy of others.

thank you, that was very therapeutic.

I want to ride my bicycle

2009-04-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I finally took in the bike that my mom's friend donated to the Sarah Mennone Insanity Cause (ie my triathlon training). It hasn't been used in about 20 years or so (ok at least 10), so it needs some work, but in general, it's a good bike. Someone at the bike shop even offered to buy it (I turned them down since it's a short bike and I'd have trouble finding a frame that small again). I have to wait until next Wednesday to get it back, but luckily I have a sweet boyfriend who offered to rent bikes with me yesterday. We went to a shop in Georgetown, they handed us 2 bikes and shooed us back out. No helmet, no instructions, just be back by 6.

So...they say you never forget how to ride a bike. I didn't forget, but I think there were some experiences that I never got around to as a kid. For example, riding up a hill. Or riding next to cars. I grew up in a residential neighborhood, where if someone whizzed past you over the 25 mph speed limit, your mom probably knew you they were and would ream them out later. Or if she didn't know, your neighbor did, and would follow similar lines. But now if someone yells at me for going too slow or not making it up a hill, if a car honks or swerves too close, there's no one to fix it. A terrifying and necessary realization to come to.

In general, I need to dedicate some serious bike time now that the weather has gotten nicer. My butt is sore, so I must have done something right! I'm looking forward to learning a lot as I move forward in my training.

By the way, does anyone know how gears work?

Talent

2009-04-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

There are several definitions that we can use for this word. Let’s explore.

“A unit of value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver.”

Uhh…I don’t really feel like talking about money in this entry. Although if anyone cares to know, I prefer gold to silver.

“The natural endowments of a person.”

By this definition, my “talent” is encased in my chest. Let’s find another definition that doesn’t require a bra.

“A special often athletic, creative or artistic aptitude; general intelligence or mental power.”

Ah. Let us linger here. This one is much better. I suppose the question of talent comes up quite often when you’re growing up – oh little Jimmy is so talented at coloring. Little Tommy is so talented at singing the alphabet. Etc Etc. Fantastic, but is that really a talent? Is it possible to grow in and out of talents? I suppose like all things they must be honed and refined with constant effort, but the very definition seems to imply that it’s natural, something that just happens. How do we know if we’re talented? I assume that it’s something obvious to other people. I’m always amazed by the talent of other people around me, and it makes me wonder if everyone has one, or if some of us are doomed to go through life with effort without talent. And is that such a bad thing? I’m trying to decide.

I guess what I’m getting at here is that I’m by no means talented at running. It’s not a talent, I have no great athletic aptitude, it’s not that I’m doing something that other people can’t be doing. It’s a lot of legwork. Hahahaha. But seriously people, I’m not fast, I’m not constant, and I’m not anything but dedicated. Can “being dedicated” be classified as a talent? No, that’s more of a personal character trait.

What’s so fantastic about this is that it means that really anyone can be doing what I’m doing. Whether you’ve never run before or whether you’ve run your whole life, you can reach and surpass what I’ve done. What’s so humbling about this is that you can reach and surpass what I’ve done. I am forced to admit that although I maintain a blog and am vocal about my love for running and physical fitness (yay step classes!), I have very little natural talent, in this area, or in other areas of my life. There’s really no such thing as artificial talent, is there. So I am basically a noisy, loud cesspool of talentless waste in our society. How sad!

But inspiring for you! If a noisy, loud, cesspool of talentless waste can run a marathon…..YOU CAN TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

(ok I know this was a self-pitying, whiney post….but don’t worry about me. I have my natural endowments to fall back on.)

The Runner Who Was a Bicycle

2009-04-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

Every runner has run into problems with cyclists. You might love them, you might be one of them when you’re not running. But when you’re running down the sidewalk, street, path and out of nowhere pops a manic cyclist with their dang bell that you can’t hear through your ipod, well, they seem like nothing more than a dinky, but dangerous, car. Personally, it always makes me wonder why they don’t just find a way to stay out of the way of runners since they are faster and consider themselves more agile. I’ve almost gotten hit many a time, especially when I’m down by the Potomac.

But actually, this is a story about swimming.

Last night I went over to the public pool at Eastern Market and got in to do some laps. I was the first person in the slow lane and after I had completed a few laps in glorious solitude, a girl came over and joined me. First of all, I know that some people don’t have any other bathing suit than a bikini, but it really does look stupid in an indoor public pool. Just saying. Then she started doing weird laps – not swimming but kind of walking back and forth in the lane. It took me a while to realize that she was running underwater and it just looked like she was walking because of the resistance. I finally asked her if she was a runner, hoping to gain some great training secret for my triathlon. But she just told me that she was a runner and she was injured, so this helped her maintain her cardio while she couldn’t run. Great. I was all sympathy for my fellow runner, my fellow champion of the pavement.

But we weren’t on the pavement, we were in a 3-4 foot wide lane in a swimming pool and when 2 other people came in our lane (who, by the way, were definitely not slow swimmers, but I decided to find solidarity with them as well), I expected her to move. Not like I thought she would, more like I thought she should. And I thought she’d figure it out, but she didn’t. she kept going back and forth on one side, making us swim around her, almost making me crash into another swimmer once or twice. And she was not going all the way back to the end of the lane when she was done, presumably so that we couldn’t ask her to get the heck out of our lane. There is an area of the pool for people not swimming laps and I really wished that she would move there. I know that when I do my triathlon there will be other people in the water, but probably not going in all different directions? Also the fact that I’m training for my triathlon, not READY for my triathlon, makes a big difference in how I approach working with other people in my workouts. I also realize that not everyone is training for a triathlon, some people are training for other events and some people are just there because they can swim and like to show off. But somewhere in there, we have to find respect for everyone and this chick was definitely not doing it. Therefore, she was the bicycle in our lane and I really wanted to just knock her bell off, if you know what I mean. I’ll share the road with you, but let’s get some space in the lane.

To the spectators...

2009-04-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

To the brave people who wake up early and come out on the course with their dunkin donuts cups…to the kind souls who break out the cow bells and the clappers…to the rebels who bring beer and Dixie cups for the runners, for the thoughtful mothers who put Vaseline on tongue depressors and hold them out as we pass, to the folks who hand out the Gatorade and the water…to my mother who held a sign up throughout my entire first marathon…this post is for you.

I did the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on Sunday. It was a pretty race, but incredibly disorganized. I was really irritated by the lines at bib pickup – it was chaotic, they sent us one way, then herded us another. At the end of the race, the usual corrals that they pass us through like sheep or cows were absent. And it did NOT WORK. Chaos and panic ensued. We sighed in bitter agony as we attempted to find our post race bananas. Don’t mess with a runner who can’t find his banana.

But what also irked me about this race was…well there were 2 things. First, a TON of people in the race had headphones on. It took me a while to get there but I fully support the headphone ban in races. I hate trying to weave around people who are so completely zoned out. I hate trying to comfort someone who is obviously suffering but Nelly Furtado is blaring in their ears. I hate hearing the soft strains of Nelly Furtado invade my race as someone who has their ipod turned up too loud comes up and jogs next to me as if to say, go ahead, I dare you. Rip my headphones out.

I think that this discouraged our spectators from cheering. Or else they didn’t have their Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee. Because they were soooo quiet! One of the best parts of a race is that people are there to yell and scream and cheer! But there were stretches where I just wanted to yell at the crowds, I wanted to cheer on our cheerleaders, to give them some pep to pass back. The Marine Corps Marathon had absolutely the best cheering crowds and I guess I got spoiled. I think it's the nicest, most wonderful thing to do. I hold some of those people in higher regard than myself and my companions in the race - after all, we are the ones who paid money and trained. If we didn't come we would just be copping out. Their presence is a genuine show of support, love, and manic cruelty (who wants to watch people run a marathon?!?!!). I don't think I would even do races if there weren't crowds.

Whenever I pass a race now (if I randomly find one that I’m not running in), I yell and I clap and I pull out my emergency cowbell. Cause believe it or not, hearing someone scream, go runners you can do it! Is way more motivating than Kanye West telling you that he’s not saying she’s a golddigger.

Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm addicted to running

2009-04-02T12:51:00.001-07:00

Registration for the Marine Corps Marathon opened at noon yesterday. To my great horror, I am overwhelmed with the desire to register. Not like, haha that would be fun to do 2 marathons in 2 weeks. It’s more of an urge: could I possibly overcome such a great and wonderous feat? Doing some research on this, I find that I would not be the first person to do this, obviously. Looking at one site, I found a man who had done 6 marathons in 6 weeks for his 60th birthday…and then 7 in 7 weeks for his 70th birthday! Some people do 2 marathons in one day! Granted, the admittance of such acts were under a title of “Insanity at its purest level.” But apparently a common insanity, not one that just strikes every 50 years. This is a daily occurrence! Lots of people do this!

But I am trying to keep a level head here. I think I wouldn’t hesitate if this didn’t occur one month after my first triathlon. Why is it that the triathlon seems so tiny? It’s obviously a much bigger deal, it’s caused much more worry in all of your hearts, and I signed up so that I would have a bigger challenge. And yet I find myself poo-pooing my participation, scoffing at the 10k run at the end (is this a race or child’s play?), mocking the 24 mile bike course (so what if there’s hills? Hills are there to make your butt tight, as I read in a recent posting), and the swim? Well the swim is the intimidating part, but you use different muscles with swimming than for running, so really it doesn’t affect my running ability. Or so I’m telling myself.

Why does this idea thrill me so much? I can’t really say. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I think a part of it is that I’m so intimidated by so much in my life. I’m not sitting in my room plagued by fear and worry, but at the same time there are some things that I just haven’t mastered yet. There are parts of my life that seem so uncertain, so complicated, and so out of control. Or out of my control. Having something like this, having a challenge like this, makes me feel like I’m stronger, more assured. I feel like I’ve found my niche and while I am lacking talent in many areas of my life (I’ve yet to learn to carry a tune for example and although I have convinced myself that I am an excellent dancer, something tells me I am actually only spinning in continuous circles….), I seem to have found some sort of natural ability in the form of self torture/running. Perhaps I’m not fast and perhaps endurance isn’t exactly a talent, but it is a habit, a part of myself that I have honed and developed. And now it is something that I want to test.

There is also the irritating fact that the Marine Corps Marathon is a mere $88. While many marathons are far more, this seems like a bargain and being the faithful shopper that I am, it’s really hard to pass up a good bargain. $88 to challenge myself and for the 4.5 hours of glory running and having people cheer me on, yell my name, and the excuse to consume GU? Man….that’s cheap.

So far everyone thinks I’m nuts…is there ANYONE who would support this? I’m so tempted to do it on the sly, but then again, how the HECK do you run a marathon on the sly?

Public Service Announcement

2009-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

BEEP BEEP BEEP BOOP BOOP BEEP

So I don't think I mentioned this...but I have made it into the Nike Women's Marathon this October!

(yes this is one month after my triathlon)

YAY!!!!!!! Now I will not be jealously grabbing my friend's Tiffany's necklace! But the best news is that 3 of my friends are going with me and to help them out, I've developed a NEW training blog: http://trainermennone.blogspot.com!

WOW!

AMAZING!

A TRAINING BLOG!

HOW FANTASTICAL!

5:30am Coffee Break

2009-04-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

For anyone who keeps up with running literature, or even follows the NY Times, you may have noticed a recent article about the benefits of coffee before running. Caffeine is the only stimulant currently legal to use in running (drat!...wait...what else could you possibly use? I don't even know). The articles that I read said that it's a great way to get a burst of energy (WOW coffee does that?!?! who knew!??) and that many runners will go on a caffeine fast for a few weeks before a big race to get a really good jolt the day of.

So, I got up this morning at 5:30 (actually birds woke me up at 4:18 and I never really fell back asleep) and was going to go to the gym. I thought I'd do a cycling class, but that didn't pan out, but, details, details, who needs them? I figured I might as well have some coffee before my workout since I had gotten up so early with those stupid birds. I made about 2 cups (measuring here, not actual cups that I drank) of delicious hazelnut coffee and gulped them down as I got ready.

Results? Ok first I must admit that I am somewhat of a caffeine junkie and I probably have somewhat of a buildup in my system. I think it was more of a placebo effect and I didn't get anything out of it. Coffee has a bad reputation as being a poop catalyst, but I didn't have that problem when I was working out. Was anyone eating breakfast just now? Bet you're done!

Would I drink coffee again before working out? Yes and no. I do like starting my day with coffee and it does have a placebo effect on me. I don't like have to make coffee before 6am, because it takes a little while and it requires effort, which I lack when I first get up. Jury's still out on caffeine.

A Quickie Post That is Longer than Regular Ones

2009-03-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Lots to cover today, lots to cover. Are you bored at work? Are you tired and trying to stay awake? Are you trying to fall asleep? Are you trying to find inspiration for a run? Find all that and more in today's post....

I guess I'll start with today, since it is freshest in my mind. Today I went to the gym at lunchtime. Why? A few reasons. Sometimes I don't get home until after 9 or 10 because I go to the gym and then run errands after work/make out with my boyfriend. Another reason is that I found an interesting work out for lunchtime that promised to kick my butt in under 20 minutes. Find that workout here: www.fitnessmagazine.com/lunchtime.

I guess it was good. I guess I feel more toned and energized for my afternoon. I guess I enjoyed doing weights, which I haven't done in a million years. I guess it's good to have my afternoon free. But there is something about a 20 minute workout that does NOT do it for me. I called my boyfriend afterwards and he mentioned something like, that's barely enough time for you to warm up. Which is completely true, considering that many of my workouts are over an hour. I don't know if I can really get behind a 20 minute workout, but I'm trying. If I could take one day a week and switch to a power lunch workout (power lunch is better than quickie workout), I could have another free afternoon, which my poor cat would like very much. I feel like a very irresponsible cat mommy, leaving him alone all the time.

So the jury is still out on the Fitness Magazine work out - why don't you give it a try and tell me what you think? Thanks, I'd appreciate it.

This weekend I also saw my cousin, whose wedding I'm in in 2010. We had a really nice dinner and we discussed the idea of blogging. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this whole deal, as much as I love doing it. We agreed that there are strict rules to adhere to when blogging, like keep it related to a hobby or critiques of some sort (movies, books, music, politics...) and don't relate every detail of your life. So I will NOT tell you what we had for dinner, even though it was delicious.

We also realized that we have a lot in common, probably because of genetics. My family, in case I haven't mentioned it before, carries the worry gene. I'm not sure if this is scientifically proven yet, but anyone trying to prove it should contact me and study my family. It seems to run more in the women, but it definitely carries from generation to generation and I think it gets worse each time.

Pondering this later, I realized that running has really become one of the main things that keeps me from going insane. Whenever I'm sad, tired, scared, worried, panicked, anxious, happy, hungry, ok not hungry...bloated, excited, angry, etc, I get out there and run. It alleviates the bad things and enhances the good things. I think being outside and being able to see things that I past and know that I'm getting somewhere is a positive experience.

Anyway, that's the majority of my rants. Congrats to my coworker who completed a 10k in 1 hour, 2 min! Also, I'm currently in the midst of drafting a marathon training plan for anyone interesting. "in the midst" = the idea has occurred to me. I'm willing to personalize any/all plans.

Getting lost is fun!

2009-03-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I got up at 5:45, dashed out the door and ran a half marathon. It was really fun - through DC, it started almost next door to my house. I decided to go for time - usually I go just to finish. But I felt like pushing myself a little bit.

When I was waiting outside in the cold, I kind of had second thoughts. Why the heck am I outside, before the sun is up, on a Saturday morning? Negative thoughts shocked through my system and I had to scold myself a little bit to keep from returning home to bed. But there really is something about that start gun. And once I do one mile, my addiction floods back and I have to do another. And another. I didn't even notice the first 5 miles.

Ok so really, I don't know if I even noticed any of the miles. It was cool to see the mile markers fly by, but I really wasn't paying much attention. I was in the zone - I didn't even realize it then, but looking back now, I see that I was completely in this race.

I don't ever look at the race map too closely before a run. There are times when this is bad, like when you can see people looping back towards you and you're wondering when you get to the turn around, but most of the time it keeps my interest piqued and I stop worrying about when I will get there and more about how I'm getting to the end. I know this would drive some people crazy, but I think this is why I hate treadmills - you always know where you are. I like running outside cause you can get lost - I like getting lost in a race because it makes you more alert.

I tried to convince myself that I didn't want to be doing a full marathon anyway, but it kept bugging me that I had a "HALF" sign on my back and when I finished, other people where doing more than me. We split off from the marathoners right at 13 miles, which is when I began to pick up the pace. I saw the finish line and looked down at my watch - I was going to make it in under 2 hours. As I rounded close to the finish line, I heard the announcer say that we were going to make it in under 2 hours - then he started the countdown. What??? I looked up at the finish clock and there were only 12 seconds left to 9:00am. I really had to sprint to make it in before that time! (My chip start time was actually a little bit after 7:00am, so I think I was pretty well under 2 hours anyway).

Then on Monday, I went over to the pool that is close to my house. I was kind of wary, since it's a public pool in Southeast DC (not hatin' just wondering!). But it was a GORGEOUS pool, a lot bigger than the ones I've been swimming in and it's FREE for DC residents! I only swam for about a half hour, but I will definitely be going back there.

And that is why the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center receives....

SARAH'S UNPAID ENDORSEMENT!

What more could you want from a pool than free, not too crowded, clean, and managed well? I mean you could have lockers that worked a little bit better, but let's not get greedy here. If you happen to be able to get to Eastern Market, this is the place to go. Well worth a commute and well worth a trip, even if it's just for fun. They have those noodles there for you to use. You know what I'm talking about. You know you still use them even though they're for 5 year olds. I know you know.

William H Rumsey Aquatic Center
635 North Carolina Ave SE

Right by the Eastern Market hall.
Cost: FREE for DC residents
Locker rooms available - bring a quarter to make sure they lock!
Showers on site.
Clean locker rooms.
Kickboards and other swim tools available for use.
Lifeguard on duty.

I'll Stand By You

2009-03-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Man, what is UP with the lame post titles?? My creative juices must be getting peed out as I try to hydrate for my half marathon this Saturday...

This week, a coworker registered for a 10k (this will prove to me that you're actually reading this...you know who you are!!!). And my friend in Delaware (resisting Dela-WHERE joke) called me in a blind panic this morning with the statement, "I have a charge on my credit card for that stupid marathon you made me register for!" Whoops. the whole point of getting people to do that was so that I could do it with them! But alas, my credit card remains sadly uncharged, leading me to believe that I will not be joining the ranks of runners in October.

First of all, to both these beautiful ladies, I just want to say, wow, I am so proud of you! It takes a big step to run a race, even if you're just doing it for fun! I know that both of you are going to do a great job and dedicate your time and your heart to a huge accomplishment!

Second, my marathon friend pointed out something interesting to me: running a marathon requires running intensive training. To me, this is great news. It never occurred to me that this could be disturbing for someone.

But here's the thing - it doesn't have to be. Training for a race requires a lot more than just running. You have to cross train or else you run the risk of injury. You have to swim, use the elliptical, do yoga, and take days off. Heck, she will probably do better than me because if you add more cross training it, you learn more about your body and what it can take and what it can't. My downfall was that running became the only thing I would do and it got to the point where I had my on/off button - am I running or not? I found it difficult to vary things and push myself by the end. That's why I'm training for a triathlon.

Which brings me to a very important point. I'm putting this in writing, so you know I have to stick with it.

If you are doing a race and want my support, I'm not just going to be there at the finish line, chugging a beer while I give you a high five. I'm going to be running at 6am with you and if you live in Delaware, I'm going to call you at 5:30 so that you can get on the road by 6. with me. I'll be out there too. If you want someone to jump into a race (cough illegally cough) and be there for you during mile 22, I'm going to be there. I'm training with you, I'm standing by you, I'm celebrating with you, I'm crying with you. I'm not a personal trainer, I'm not trained professional to help you do this.

I'm just your friend.

How to be healthy

2009-03-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling with this myself, to be honest. I try to work out a lot and I've tried to replace my snack bars and granola bars with fruit. I've replaced bagels with oatmeal and I try to drink a lot of water and stretch once every 2 weeks at least. I don't take vitamins, but I have contemplated it on many occasions. I don't sleep enough, but I'm semi-aware of this. Kind of. Sort of.

This morning I got up and went for a half hour run before work. I've been pretty wiped out lately, but I convinced myself that it was a good idea. It felt good to run, but as I was out this morning, I realized that I haven't done a lot for other people lately. I haven't done any sort of volunteer work in a long time and random acts of kindness should be a daily occurrence - it's not something you pat yourself on the back for every few months.

Did you know that people who do volunteer work are clinically happier? Psychologists will sometimes encourage people who are depressed to do volunteer work, because it just makes you feel better. I mean...I think that human beings often need to find a personal gain in order to be incentivized to do something (that's not a real word, I know. work with me here). But if you're going to find personal gain in anything, why not find it in someone else's joy?

Can we ever be really healthy without working out our soul? Yeah, I know I'm entering the dangerous world of drum circles and chants of kum-bai-ya. But I think that people often end up searching for something, even with personal accomplishments like marathons or triathlons. No matter how many races you run, it's your place in the human race that really matters.

I'm sorry, but can we take a minute to applaud my pun?

I feel good (na na na na na na na)

2009-03-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Horrible title for a post. I know. *hides face in shame*

This morning I woke up at 5:05am. BAM! My alarm went off and I was AWAKE. It was awesome, cause usually when I get up for an early morning run, I have to have a little chat with myself to remind my brain why it has to function so early in the morning. Not this morning. This morning I was out the door before 5:20.

There's not a lot of people out that early in the morning. I was out before the buses even start picking up people. Surprisingly, even a lot of other runners seem to have something better to be doing (I can't imagine what???). I didn't even see another runner until I was on my way home. But it was one of those days where it just felt really GOOD to run, when I felt like I could go for hours (silly work) and not get tired. It energized me and now I can't believe I've already been awake for almost 5 hours...

I'm a worry-ier by nature. It's in my blood, it's how I function. My mind is in a constant whirl of "what will happen next!?!?!" It's really irritating. One of the few ways I've found to combat this is running. So even though the worry wolves were nipping at my heels (yes, even at 5:30am they come out to play), I find that I can run away from those thoughts, that it is possible to push them out and just be positive and feel my body working. I felt very alive this morning.

It's spring now, so you can hear birds chirping even at 5:05am. Which is nice when I'm running...but on the rare morning when I can sleep in? Makes me want a bb gun. (bebe gun? beeebeeee gun?)

Variety

2009-03-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

I was planning on going to the gym after going out to dinner after work today (I know...I sound like a lunatic), but having bought plane tickets to Israel, I've decided that I'm too excited and would rather drink instead. Possibly a regrettable decision, but after all, one does not buy tickets for a vacation in Israel just any old day.

So I have made the decision to leave my gym bag at work. This seems unthinkable at first, leave my baby at work???? But then I realized...I don't need anything in it. Which made me realize...

I have like 6 pairs of sneakers. In good condition. Hard core, nike or aasics or some other brand name sneakers. Perhaps overkill? That's absurd you say?

But wait, it gets better. I also have a large tupperware (like 2.5 feet high and 3 feet long) FULL, OVERFLOWING with gym clothes. Sometimes I forget what I have, I have so many gym clothes. I have running skirts and tennis skirts. I have shorts with pockets and shorts without pockets. I have spandex and sweats. I have hoodies and zip up sweater jackets and underamour and overarmour (ok I made that up). I have sports bras and sports underwear. I have shirts that have bras built in and shirts that cannot be worn without one. I have tank tops and t-shirts and 3/4 sleeve shirts and lightweight shirts and heavyweight shirts. I have tennis t-shirts and running t-shirts.

And most of it is brand name, cause my mom works at a running/tennis store.

Speaking of tennis, I got to play this weekend!!

But seriously...this is not a bragging post. This post is really to say that this stuff is, well, kinda necessary. Maybe not for everyone. But it's necessary to have enough clothes that you don't have to do laundry every two days. It's necessary, I would argue, to feel cute when you work out. I would argue that if you have more than 1 pair of sneakers, you can leave one in the office and then there's no excuse for not working out.

Variety is, after all, the spice of life.

Except when it comes to peanut butter. Then there is only Skippy.

A Challenge

2009-03-04T14:16:00.001-08:00

*email sent out to my friends and family today*

Hello Women of my Life.

Some of you may have heard me talk about this before. For some of you, this may sound absolutely crazy. You'll be all, what is she THINKING? But I am issuing you a challenge right here, right now. A smack down. (Is that the right phrase?)

This October is the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. This is one of the most popular races in the United States. It is for women. It is for us. And do you know how they make it for us?

~a ghiradelli chocolate stop
~a change your sock station right when your feet feel gross
~firefighters in tuxedos at the end who
~hand you a tiffany's necklace designed specifically for this event
~massages and facials after the race
~in San Francisco. So we can shop when we're done. And see the sea lions. :-D

It's so popular that the only way to register is through a lottery. This is happening NOW: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/category/events/nike-womens-marathon/

So look....here's what I'm saying. This could be the funnest weekend ever. Why don't you let fate decide? Just register. Go online, fill our your name, etc and see if you're chosen. If you're chosen, then Nike has deemed you ready. If this will be your first marathon, if you never thought you'd run a marathon, if you never thought you'd run more than 10 minutes in your life (stupid gym class), just take a minute and think about what a huge accomplishment this will be. And I will train with anyone who wants to do this. Even if you get through the lottery and I don't.

Just think about it....just register...just do it.

HAHAHAH I SHOULD BE A PROMOTION WRITER FOR NIKE

The backs of my thighs

2009-03-03T05:45:00.000-08:00

I think I've officially decided that I sincerely dislike bikram yoga. Sorry, Dupont studio, but no endorsement for you. I went again on Sunday and couldn't even make it through one pose without having to sit down, EVEN THOUGH I was sitting by a window. For shame, Bikram yoga (of course it's not MY fault). I went with boyfriend and with a friend who easily touched her forehead to her knee...life is so unfair. All those flexible people.

I've found an interesting flaw in my body. In general, running and chasing my cat around my house and cycling classes and occasional swimming (cough) keeps me in shape. I've even started doing ab classes. But the other day I noticed that the backs of my thighs are less than taut. They're not flabby per se, but they're certainly not up to par with the rest of my body. The fronts of my thighs (I believe those are the quads) are, dare I say, ripped. My calves have and probably always will be one of the most muscular areas of my body. My butt, in case you were wondering, isn't exactly a big sack of fat attached to my body either. However, the backs of my thighs, an area often overlooked, need some TLC. Or the opposite of TLC whatever that is. I'm immediately starting to do squats and lunges again at least twice a week (did them on Sunday...still feeling it). But what an odd thing to notice. Why wouldn't the backs be the same as the front? I use my whole leg when I run, in fact, I use both of them. So why is only half how I want it?

Some girls worry about their stomachs. Some worry about their butts. Some worry about their arm flab. Some worry about their whole thigh. But not me.

I'm so low maintenance.

40th Post Blowout!!!!

2009-02-27T06:14:00.001-08:00

How have I only posted on this blog 40 times? I feel like I'm always talking and there should be hundreds of entries filled with my wit and anecdotes.

Maybe it's just that my 40 entries are EQUIVALENT to hundreds of entries because they're so darn long. Some people don't even read my blog cause it's just so daunting (you know who you are). I talk a lot.

Yesterday I got up at 5 to run and when I was on my way back home I heard some weird noises. I had just downloaded some new Britney (do NOT judge me) and I was thinking that she had some funky sound effects that were annoying instead of funky, but then I realized that stuff was hitting me on the head too. Was Britney, the queen of pop, able to add not only sound effects but atmosphere when you listened to her songs? No, actually it had started to hail. Ouch! I was almost home but I congratulated myself on being so hard core to be running in the hail.

Should I keep this entry short?

Do I even know how to do that?

Let's give it a shot...till next time my darlings...keep running.

Bikram Yoga and a Half Marathon

2009-02-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I should save this post for until I have a real opinion on Bikram Yoga. But let's face it, patient we are not, and I am as eager to share my thoughts as you are hungry for my words, so let's get this post going!

Bikram yoga (or hot yoga, as I call it) is a series of 26 stretches and like 3 breathing exercises (ok I don't know that part, but there's definitely 26 stretches. I think. I've never been able to count) that you do in a room heated to 105 degrees at least with 40% humidity. So basically as soon as you walk into the room, you start sweating and you feel like you're going to pass out. Awesome.

So far I've done this a whooping two times. The first time, I thought I was going to pass out or cry during most of it (did I mention this goes on for 90 minutes? yeah didn't think so). I’m pretty sure that I audibly moaned a couple of times, but I don’t really remember. I hobbled out of the studio that night and cursed my boyfriend, who had done it before (and gone with me for moral support) and told me that I would love it. I was downright cantankerous for about an hour after it ended and I vowed never again would I put myself through such torture.

Naturally, I returned 5 days later. This time, I barreled my way over to a window spot and was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor who did not tell me to breathe through my spleen or anything weird like that but rather kept saying stuff like, “why are you all frowning? This is yoga guys, it’s fun, you’re having a good time now!” while simultaneously keeping the class super focused and intense. Being by the window definitely helped, I felt a lot less like I was going to vomit and pass out in said vomit. I guess I might try it again soon. It’s the same poses over and over again, so you just focus on improvement every time. And while that sounds like it could get boring, I guess the heat provides new challenges and torture with each class. But still, no endorsement yet.

AND IN THE NEWS…

Yesterday I quietly signed up for a half marathon. Now I’m loudly announcing it on the internets. Oh yeah and it’s in less than a month, HA! I’m very excited, it’s on March 21, all I have to do is roll out of bed and out the door cause it starts right by my house! So, a quick run at 7am, back before 10. I figured it would be a good motivator and a good experience to have on my running resume, which is suddenly starting to expand rapidly. Let’s see…by the time I do the triathlon, I will have done:

~Cherry Blossom 10 miler, 2008, 2009 (April 5, 2009, mark your calendars!)
~Marine Corps Marathon 2008
~Jingle all the way 10k 2008
~National Half Marathon 2009
~Run Amuck 5k (completely dependent on if I can get someone *cough boyfriend* to run it with me…you run a 5k through obstacle courses, rope courses, over walls, up hills, and through mud IN COSTUME)
~Nation’s Triathlon

I think I need to find some more summer races to do. I also need to find some open water swims since I’ve like never done that. Ever. When I was little and we went to the beach I used to avoid the water and just make lame, ugly sand castles before complaining that I was bored.

OH, I am also in line to get my BIKE, a necessary piece of equipment for a triathlon! My mom’s friend has very sweetly offered her old bike that she used for a triathlon in the past!

Lots of news for you, sorry to have been AWOL for so long. I leave in a few hours for a weekend getaway in London (no joke) and tea with the Queen (joke) so this will kind of be a rest week for me, which I HATE, but it just means that I have an excuse to up the intensity when I return.

Keepin' it PG

2009-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have a really hard time remembering that this is a running blog and not a diary of my private thoughts. At times I have to remind myself not to indulge stories of what I did during the week, how I feel about my dreamy boyfriend or what my mom told me about a friend when I talked to her on the phone. I mean, I know you're all incredibly interested about my life and what I'm doing, but seriously folks, I'm private, like a closed book, and this is a running/triathlon blog. C'mon, give me some emotional space here, I'm not into that whole "divulging my life online" crap.

Ok maybe I am, but I'm trying really hard not to. Let's stick with running.

This week I got up at 5:30 on Monday and Tuesday to go to the gym. I got a week pass at the gym at the Ritz Carlton, and it's pretty....Ritzy. Bwahaa. No, really, it's one of the fanciest gyms I've ever been in, and with good reason - membership costs $165/month, after a $700 initiation fee. WHOA! Hold up, people actually pay that much for a gym??? Apparently they do, cause it's been packed every time that I've gone. Even at 6am. It's a gym for hard core fitness freaks (cough not like me at all), but it's also kind of a pansy gym, to be perfectly honest. Stacks of towels are abundant, in their own little cubby holes throughout the gym. The locker rooms are just beyond belief and the showers are equipped with "spa" products (ok, shampoo, conditioner, body wash...and lotion and shaving cream...the showers are Gold's Gym have some kind of soap foam that you can get out of a dispenser on the wall. And they don't have real doors). Each cardio machine is equipped with its own television WITH CABLE. Some of the machines face out onto the street so you get lots of natural light, but since we're on the 3rd floor, privacy is maintained. There is a lap pool, as well as a pool for water aerobics.

Sure that's all great, but SERIOUSLY???? This is a gym we're talking about here. A GYM. That's where you go to sweat and put yourself in considerable pain and suffering to the benefit or detriment (depending on if you do it right) of your body. This is not a vacation spot. I mean, I guess you should want to go somewhere to work out...but it's just a little over the top in my opinion. I happen to really like my Gold's Gym, with no natural light on the main floor. It looks like it was built in an old warehouse, with pipes in the ceiling and cement walls. It's painted yellow (er gold) and black and white and grey - those are colors that make me want to smack my body around a lot. I'm not interested in being spoiled. The gym is a place to work, it's like an office. Ok, I'm not saying that it should be a painful, bland experience. I'm saying that it shouldn't have classical music playing in the background. If you want that, put it on your ipod and start your powerwalking, cause the kind of music they were playing at the Ritz certainly wasn't for running. Or any sort of physical exertion.

Am I bitter because I can't afford the Ritz? Maybe a little. It's a really nice gym, and I'm not knocking it completely. I think for a lot of people, that's the kind of gym they need. It's so nice and expensive that you want to be there. But I don't really need the "atmosphere" or the background stuff to get me to a gym. I really can't soften up too much before this triathlon. I'm not going to be swimming in a fancy lap pool for my 1.5k - I'll be flailing in the grimy Potomac. It's a nice facility, but you're paying a lot for extras that I think will ultimately just distract me. I'm burying the girlie girl in me and mustering up the crazy, hard core Sarah that lives way in the bottom of my heart and only gets out when I do things like marathon/triathlon training. It's a good thing I do this stuff...I wonder how she would manifest herself if I didn't.

******************Sarah's Unpaid Endorsements: RETURN!!!**************************

YES! They are BACK! And once more, the hideous subject of YOGA rears its ugly head! On Sunday, I convinced my boyfriend to get up in time for a free 10am yoga class with me at Lululemon. First of all, I'd like to point out that this is the most ridiculous name ever for a store. It's a yoga retail store, so it's a lot of work out clothes and yoga mats. I was really skeptical, but they had a guest "Yogi" (hahahahhaha not the bear) who came in and taught an hour long class. And although I might have smirked a little bit, especially during the ohmms, I really enjoyed the class. I felt like maybe I had stretched enough for my week. I think once a week is sufficient...

Lululemon: Logan Circle
http://www.lululemon.com/washington/logancircle

Free community yoga class at 10am on Sundays
Recommended: come at least 10 minutes early to get a spot. Don't bring a lot of stuff with you. Mats are provided.

Hope, Change, and the Military

2009-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Today is a historic day and an exciting day to live in Washington, DC. I'm not down with the crowds (yet) - I'm watching the inauguration on tv and then wandering down to buy some historic pins to give out to people as gifts...haha. Today is the inauguration of our 44th President, Barak Obama. Very exciting, and although I haven't walked around a lot, I did go downtown on Saturday. The streets are lined with people and with security.

I was very affected by the number of armed forces. By the IMF and World Bank, humvees lined the streets. I saw soldiers lining up. And I walked right by them. Calmly, without feeling threatened, I strolled by them. I looked them in the eye. I smiled at them. They smiled back. I saw them as they are - young men and women who are wearing a uniform that stands for the exact same things that our new President stands for for so many Americans - hope.

But I was very humbled by the sight of these soldiers. Yesterday I went running outside, and at Lincoln Park, about a mile away from the Capitol, and I saw soldiers marching by. I can't even imagine seeing that many soldiers on a daily basis. I can't imagine having those soldiers being from another country - imagine what it must feel like to be in an occupied country. How do you feel comfortable running past people with guns? How do you feel comfortable running by people who have the outer shield of a uniform, the cloth that can be so difficult to look past to see the face of a human being. I wasn't scared to run by them and I wouldn't have been scared to talk to them (maybe a little embarrassed since I was wearing spandex). What if I couldn't understand them? What if they didn't speak my language? And how happy must these soldiers be to be walking through DC and not in a war zone? They are surrounded by people who are excited and happy to be here, they are excited to see soldiers - I hope that everyone who passes a soldier gives them a smile, a handshake, something to show them that they are appreciated.

I am not political and I am trying not to judge President Obama yet. I really pray that there will be change and already I see that he has brought hope to our country. But for the homeless man I saw sleeping on a grate steps away from the White House, change is still something to wait for.

Leave the swimmer's ear at home...

2009-01-16T08:18:00.001-08:00

Somehow, by swimming 3 times in the past 6 days, I have managed to get an ear infection. Swimmer’s ear or just a plain old, my ear hurts and I can’ t sleep ear infection. And I am absolutely pathetic. I called my mom at 7am and cried, I woke up throughout the night, went to Walgreen’s the morning and bought drops, called doctors because the drops did squat, and have now convinced Stacey, a true American hero, to take me to a clinic at a CVS near her house after work. Through this, I’ve realized something that may seem like a paradox to you.

I have an incredibly low threshold for pain.

How can that be, you may ask, when you’re training for a triathlon? Don’t I know that I will endure scrapes and bruises and aches and pains and stretched out limbs and twisted ankles and bike crashes? Well yes, I do know that, and this, for some odd reason, doesn’t faze me a bit. I can give blood without batting an eye and I’ll subject myself to hour-long cycling classes at the gym for fun. I’ll run through a cramp and even endure the agony of a yoga class. But when it comes to things like stomach aches (not brought on by strenuous activity), back pain (brought on by yoga, but lasting longer than the class), and apparently ear aches, I turn into a sniffling, whining, bring me juice and toast, immature child. I guess I can only handle pain that I control? Wow, that sounds sadomasochistic!

But really, isn’t there something to be said for that? Don’t you think we are able to handle more if we’re inflicting it on ourselves? I think there’s definitely a difference between good pain and bad pain. And maybe crashing my bike will be bad pain, but it will be inflicted through the attempt to improve my biking skills, therefore making it a somewhat “neutral” pain in my book.

I think another part of it is simply that I don’t get sick very often. I NEVER vomit (I can go years, even have gone a decade…c’mon I only have so many decades to call my own so far), my colds last about 3-4 days tops, and I don’t remember the last time that I was truly bedridden. The worst things that have happened to me in the past 5 years have been the common cold, exhaustion, and the one time that I cut my hand open and had to get stitches. BOY was I hysterical then!! In all fairness, I had chunks of glass in my hand and waited almost 12 hours before going to a doctor…but it really wasn’t that bad. Oh and there’s the time I slammed my finger in a car door and had to have the blood drained out of my fingernail. Fun. But I’ve never had to go to the emergency room (for me anyway) and I’ve never had a medical emergency. So my threshold for this kind of pain is pathetically low and I long for my mom to come take care of me. Or sleeping pills to knock me out. Either/or. Bring on the extreme muscular breakdown that a triathlon will bring…but leave the swimmer’s ear at home.

I Ponder an Unrelated Story

2009-01-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

As the days go by and I sit in my office, I find blogging to be especially entertaining. When I haven't had the chance to talk for a couple hours/minutes, I find the need to say something, even if it's a silent internet rant. And you come and read it, so don't you dare complain or make fun of me for my blogs. You're just as guilty as I am. Shouldn't you be working, not reading my unrelated story?

Unrelated, as in it doesn't have anything to do with running. Actually, maybe it should. Maybe I should be running at the end of this story. I shall call this story: Hugs from Harry.

I don't know if his name was Harry, or why he felt the need to approach me last night. The metro station was crowded, there were plenty of people, many of them who looked far more intelligent than me. Or at least more knowledgeable. But for whatever reason, this slightly scruffy (ok fairly scruffy), older, possibly drunk (gentle)man approached me and asked me if he went this direction if it would take him to the green line. I told him yes and took a slight step back since he was reeeeeally up in my face. Unfortunately, he noticed that I took a step back and quickly told me that he wasn't going to hurt me. I made the vaguely stupid decision to respond rather than run away, and told him that I was just being careful as a woman on the metro. Harry, as I have dubbed him, decided that he must comfort me, a woman on the metro, by giving me a hug. So he hugged me and I'm sure my eyes got very large, and he informed me that no one would ever hurt me, he would watch out for me and no one would ever hurt me, no, they wouldn't get through him. Naturally, my response to this was, "Oh, thank you." Which elicited more hugs from Harry. I have to admit that I didn't ride in the same car as him, and once he let go of me, I did wander down the platform with greater purpose than usual...but as we passed the station where he should have caught the green line, I couldn't help but look out the window and search for him, trying in vain to see if he had gotten off. I wonder if he made it to where he was going or if he fell asleep on the metro and is still riding around this morning. I wonder what I would have learned if I had just sat with him for 4 stops and chatted. I wonder how many people he approached before finally getting an answer to his original question. I wonder why Harry was alone and confused on the metro and I wonder if someone was waiting at home to take care of him. I wonder if Harry had a home to go to.