The Final Countdown

1 week left until the California International Marathon and I have over 2500 miles to drive between now and then.  For the month of December I planned a 3 week road trip during which I will:

2008 NYC Marathon

1.  Have 5 interviews (priority #1)
2.  Run CIM
3.  Need creativity to get in my runs & cross-training
4.  Spend way too much money (not a goal, but a reality)
5.  Meet & marry Ryan Reynolds

I recognize that #5 is *somewhat* less likely than the rest but not impossible.  What can I say?  He's the Green Lantern and rumor has it he ran shirtless in New Orleans every day during filming.  Let's just say that there were a couple months when I was very motivated to get in extra runs.

On one hand, I think the trip will be a blast.  I'm going to see a ton of friends & family I haven't seen in a while and hang out in some really cool cities.  On the other hand, racing CIM after driving 36 hours in 3 days is a recipe for disaster not ideal.  Some serious stretching is on the agenda for every night of the trip.

As for my goals, I normally don't like putting them in writing but that's exactly what I'm going to do next.  Keeping goals to yourself makes it easy to wimp out.  By making them public you can't back down without everyone knowing you wussed out didn't accomplish your goals.  So what are they?

-My "A" goal is 3:35.  A comfortable BQ.  I'll only start off at that pace if I'm feeling well rested and loose.
-My "B" goal (translate as my "I-will-be-pissed-if-I-don't-get-it" goal) is finishing under 3:40.  BQ by a hair but I think this is well within reach.
-My "C" goal is to not sh*t my pants or die.  The former would be worse than the latter, but I would prefer to avoid both.  As I mentioned, I have interviews this week and it is highly likely that some of the interviewers will be at CIM, either running or manning the Medical tents.  I don't want to show up on interview day and have everyone know me as that girl.

Here's one option.

Starting Wednesday, I'll be aiming for Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Albuquerque and some smaller places in between.  It's likely I will fall off the posting band wagon for at least some of the trip, but I'll do my best.  I hope all of you are steadily recovering from the National Binge Fest, otherwise known as Thanksgiving.  In the meantime, do any of you have suggestions for what I should see or do while out West?

Brain Damage

When I visit my parents over holidays or breaks I develop a rare condition called couchus potatous.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I arrive home sleep deprived and then go out every night into the wee hours of the morning.  I believe that this condition causes a type of temporary brain damage that resolves when I return to school.  What have I been doing today?

Yeah.  Didn't get a run in today and I'm not gonna.  It's cold and I'm exhausted.  The most exercise I plan on getting is lifting my beer to my mouth when I go out.  (Bicep curls.  They're tough.)  I can rationalize it as an impromptu rest day.

Do you struggle to get in all your workouts or do you have a harder time taking rest days?

Gobble, Gobble

Gobble, gobble!

Today I ran my first Turkey Trot and my little sister ran her first race.  Yay!  The bad news is that it was freezing, windy and raining.  Since she started running only a few weeks ago she asked that we run the 1 mile race (which was untimed), so at least we weren't in the cold rain all that long.

And since I wore my Garmin, I discovered that the course was only 0.89 miles.  Oops.  No matter.  I'm going to pretend I don't know that and eat generously today anyway.

We're great at choosing good backdrops.
At least it was dry.

 The verdict?  We had a blast.  She did great and we found ourselves running alongside a group of M&Ms with a "bag of M&Ms", a Hershey Kiss and 3 women dressed like turkeys.  (There was a costume contest associated with the race.)







3 things I'm thankful for today:
1.  Being able to run.  It keeps me sane, healthy and thus far has prevented multiple homicides.  (Angry or upset?  Go for a run.)

2.  My sister has found her own joy in running.

3.  As of right now, I can breathe.  This is a good thing.  (Once I've finished shoveling Thanksgiving dinner into my mouth, I may no longer be able to say that.  Hurt so good.)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Black Knight Army Virtual 10k

I broke down and did it.  Today, I ran my first virtual race.  Stefano at Run with the Black Knight is hosting a virtual 10k and, having seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail a million too many times, I couldn't resist.  ("Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left!")  Luckily, this race involved only having to wear black and covering the 10k distance.  No loss of limbs necessary.  That was on the agenda for today anyway.  (I try not to chop off any body parts on runs whenever possible.)



First things first, here's what I wore:

Of course, despite the recent unusually "warm" weather here in Cleveland, after today it's going to get colder and colder.  When I left it was in the high 40s and windy.  So despite my best attempt to dress all in black I had to throw on the outer layer of an old ski coat.  (You only have to wear one item for the virtual race, but what the heck... why not go overboard?)  I also wore my new Bondi Band (which says "Dig Deep") that I won from Julie at Hotlegs Runner.  Bonus.

So I ran out bravely into the tundra and discovered that I was running directly into the wind.  I also made a point to hit all of the hills in the small 'burb my parents live in... If you're running with the Black Knight, I figure it should be something of a challenge.

For the first mile, I felt like I was running in slow motion.  (You know those dreams where you can't move?  Kinda like that.)  It was SO windy, and the beginning of my run took me right along the lake where there's nothing to block the gusts.  Bring it on!

Then, I turned off the lake in order to tackle my biggest hill - down along a creek and back up.  It also happens to be beautiful.  It's a little hard to see, but you can watch the road drop down to the left and then veer back up in the distance.  Missed my hill repeats last week?  No problem.

No hurry?

Then I was back to facing my worst challenge:  the boredom of the 'burbs.  Not much distraction.  It's just me, the sidewalk and the well kept lawns.  At least in NOLA I get to keep myself occupied watching the local crazies flavor that makes the city great.  The best I can do for entertainment here is challenged myself to racing the recycling truck.  Clearly, that wasn't much of a challenge as you can see.  I'm guessing they get paid by the hour - that truck wasn't moving so fast.  Ah well.

I ran a simple out and back, hitting the hills a second time and headed home with the wind at my back.  Mission Accomplished.

But it doesn't stop there.  When I got home, I stole Barefoot Neil Z's idea of using my Garmin for something non-running.  He plowed... I raked the lawn.  Every time I watch my parents rake leaves images of heart attacks swim in my head.  Especially when the lawn looks like this:

But after racing the Black Knight?  No problem!  I was up for the challenge.  40 minutes later the leaves were in the compost pile, the lawn was immaculate and all my limbs were still attached:

Have you gotten in any "cross-training" this week?  What about a virtual race?  What are you doing to ward off the Thanksgiving pounds?

Burning River

"Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface
gases, it oozes rather than flows. 'Anyone who falls into the
Cuyahoga does not drown,' Cleveland's citizens joke grimly.
'He decays.'" - Time Magazine, 8/1/69

We'll begin with a brief history lesson.  The Cuyahoga River is the major river that runs through the heart of Cleveland.  It's best known for being, at one point, one of the most polluted rivers in the country and catching fire in 1969.  (In fact, it is reported to have caught fire 9 other times before that.)  The outrage over the last fire was influential in sparking a slew of environmental regulations, including the Clean Water Act, and helping to instigate the Environmental Movement.

Today, the phrase "burning river" rarely refers directly to the Cuyahoga.  Most Clevelanders would think first of the delicious Great Lakes Brewery pale ale, Burning River.  As with all great breweries, they have a great sense of humor and the label on the bottle depicts the skyline of Cleveland with flames in the foreground.  [shrug]  We think it's funny.  If you haven't tried Great Lakes beer and you find yourself in the area, it's amazing.  They win awards every year.  As a bonus, they're environmentally friendly, use predominantly local produce & other foods in their restaurant and are dedicated to sustainability.  I plan on drinking my fill of their Christmas ale once the California International Marathon is behind me.  DE-licious!  Notably, the brewery also hosts a Burning River Fest every summer that promotes "eco-consciousness" and raises money for a local non-profit that works to preserve the Cuyahoga.

As runners, you may have also heard of the Burning River 100 held at the end of July.  The course runs through many of the national parks found in the Cleveland area.  I didn't start running seriously until long after moving away, so I've never seen the race.  I will say, however, that merely looking at the maps makes my legs hurt.

The reason I bring all of this up is because I was running along the Cuyahoga in the Cleveland Metroparks yesterday.  Despite it's filthy history, the river is much cleaner these days and the parks are beautiful.  There's a huge network of national parks in town, many of which were created in response to the pollution to preserve what wilderness remains.  I actually had to cut myself off from taking more pictures so I could get in a quality long run.  Enjoy!

As much as I don't love carrying a camera on runs, it certainly keeps me aware of the beauty around me.  Where do you run and what is it's history?  Run past anything beautiful, hideous, or hilarious recently?