A new chapter begins...

I went to visit Midcoast Crossfit yesterday. The woman was very nice and explained how it all worked. I would take a sample class first (not at the same level that everyone else is doing) for free and if I was interested then I had to sign up for 3 training sessions where we'd work on form for the essential moves, then I'd be cleared to take part in the regular sessions with everyone else. She asked if I could let her know when I'd come for my free session so she could make sure she had a trainer to work with me and I told her that I'd come on Wednesday. And tomorrow is Wednesday.

I'm nervous. I know I'm strong. Hell, I ran the NY-freaking-marathon in a decent time. But this is totally new for me. I like strength work a lot but I've never done it in such a competitive, intense atmosphere before. But the people who love it, LOVE IT. I think this will be an great improvement to my overall fitness and a strong foundation for the training I plan to do for the Spring and Fall races I'm planning.

But it's new, so I'm lapsing into self doubt.

I put up my pullup bar and I can get 2 solid, controlled ones in. I guess that's not bad for a starting point. I can still do at least 15 straight-leg pushups even without having done them regularly for months. I think I'm at a decent baseline to take this on. Still, I'm not used to working out with other people and especially at such a high intensity level.

I'm game though! Tomorrow is my first session after work. I'm going into this with the best intentions and attitude.

Back on track

Great run today. 6.08 miles, negative split. It's the best I've felt since the marathon and I felt like I could have done a few more miles without killing myself. It feels good not to be struggling and it feels even better to enjoy running just for what it is.

It was also good to get back on my regular running schedule this week of 4 days. It was nice to go easy for a few weeks but I do well when I have some kind of structure. I don't have any races coming up in the near future that I need to be on a formal training schedule for but it's good to be on my own schedule. When those training programs do come up I'll be ready to go.

Tomorrow I go check out something very, very exciting: Crossfit. My uncle is a huge Crossfit fan and in amazing shape and I've been wanting to go since he told me about it last Spring. We live too far for me to go to his Crossfit on any kind of regular basis but one has recently opened up near where I work. This is coming at just the right time for me. I haven't done strength training in months and I was planning on getting back on some kind of program with that. Today's great run aside, my enthusiasm and performance with running have definitely taken a hit since NYC. This is a new fitness endeavor for me, it's hard as hell, and it will work on both my cardio and my strength. Running is a big component of it -- mostly speed work, which is what I've been wanting to work on.

Tomorrow I'll go check out the facility and hopefully on Wednesday I'll be signed up and ready to go.

I hope the Lost and Found pictures are finally up on the NYC marathon site tomorrow. I've held off ordering the 1 -- the ONE -- picture that came out decent because I know my bib was covered on the Verrazano and I remember smiling and holding my arms up for the cameras and I'd like to see what those pictures came out like. If not, I'll order the 1 -- the ONE -- picture and be done with it. There's always more marathons to hope for that great shot...

Thankful

I had a GREAT Thanksgiving yesterday!

I watched part of the Manchester Road Race on tv in the morning and I'm so doing it next year. I had never heard of it and yet it's probably the biggest race in the state -- they had to CUT OFF registration at 15,000 people! It looked like so much fun with al the costumes I saw. I saw a Green Man and the Hanson Brothers from Slap Shot. That is my kind of race! I think I'd like to do it next year. It's about an hour from where I live but I think it would be a lot of fun.

That motivated me to get my pre-Thanksgiving feast run in so I went out and did the hill course from hell. I wasn't paying attention to pace I was just glad to be out there. I wore my new Lululemon vest that I got at the outlets on Wednesday. I did so well there! The vest was originally $98 and I got it for $24. It's very cool looking. I also got 2 running jackets that were originally $160 for $39 each. I picked up some head bands and I finally found a wide mouth stainless steel water bottle that I can fit my protein powder scoop in without spilling any. It's rubberized and it says "Sweat Once a Day." I dig it.

Anyway, the run went fine -- 3.43 miles or something like that. I felt like I could enjoy my dinner without guilt.

It was great to see my family. I am now the 4th person in my family to do NYC. I loved talking about it with my aunt and uncles about it. My dad hadn't seen my medal yet so I brought that and got to show that off too. I loved reliving the experience again.

The food was so good. My aunt is an amazing cook, she really is. I love that she hosts Thanksgiving because it's my favorite holiday of the year and she puts on a fine event.

I've had a really good year and I have so much to be thankful for. I'm very, very fortunate.

Finally

I have been waiting about 7 years to be able to earn this sticker. When I was thinking about marathon weekend, I figured I would have bought one at the expo and would pop it on my window when we left on Monday. Of all the things they sold at the expo I couldn't believe no one had them. So I ordered one off of ebay but I was away housesitting when it came so, alas, 7 years after the dream first came to me to run a marathon and over 2 weeks after actually having done so, I have earned my window decal.

I. Freaking. Love it.

Of course, the day I put it on I passed a guy with a 140.6 sticker (Iron Man Triathalon) on his car. Showoff. ;) Still, I love my 26.2 sticker and I get happy every time I walk up to the back of my car and I see it. It kind of offsets the fact that I busted the passenger side mirror backing out of the garage the other day. Whatevs. I'll get it fixed.

Next year I plan on earning the coveted 39.3 sticker for the other side of the window -- The Goofy Challenge at Disney. It's a half marathon on Saturday with the full marathon the next day. I talked it over with my husband and he's game. We haven't been to Disney in a few years and I have always wanted to earn that Goofy medal. But that's a long way away. Right now I'm just happy with my 26.2 sticker.

I had my first really good run today since the marathon. I did it on the treadmill because I just needed a break from hillwork, which I seem to encounter no matter where I go. It was a nice change because today I did some fartlek training (and yes,that word makes every runner giggle). It's Swedish for "speed play." I did intervals of 2 minutes much faster than I usually run followed by 2 minutes of a regular pace. I spent quite a few speed interval in the 8-something minute/mile range which made the recovery intervals of my normal pace seem easy by comparison. It passed the time, was a solid workout, and hopefully will improve my overall pace if I do this type of workout once a week. I got in 4.1 miles today which felt just right.

Today someone from work contacted me about writing up a piece about the marathon for our company newsletter. I was so flattered! A few people at work knew I was doing it but I'm in a satellite office so I don't have a lot of close friends at this job. My boss knew I was doing it and she passed on the information to the woman who writes the newsletter. So that's pretty cool. :)

Tomorrow is the big annual pre-Thanksgiving outlet trip to Woodbury Commons. It's our 5th year in a row and my friends and I look forward to it for months. It's become a whole thing -- I sleep over the night before, we order food, and then we get up at the crack of dawn to head to NY. Our shopping is an endurance event in and of itself. We are all totally wiped out by the end of the day and we never get to all the stores we want. I'm so looking forward to it!

Back to square one?

The marathon was 2 weeks ago today. Feels like an eternity. It's been such a weird 2 weeks coming down off that high and subsequently getting sick.

I've only been doing short runs this week, partially out of necessity from having a chest cold, partially to follow the recovery plan for post-marathon running. It is unbelievable to me how just 2 weeks ago I ran 26.2 miles and this week getting 3.5 in has been challenging. I just don't feel like I have any strength. I'm getting winded easily. It's so disheartening.

I think a lot of it is mental and I've always felt that way about running and endurance training. When I knew I had to get in 40 miles a week it wasn't up for debate. I went out and did it because I knew if I didn't there would be a domino effect for the rest of my training. The day of the marathon my longest run had been 20 miles (per the training program) -- how on earth did I add on another 6.2? Because that's just what you do when you tell yourself you have to. And now that I don't have to get in those runs my mind is not connecting with my body the way I'd like it to.

I don't think this is an unusual thing to happen. It's just something I need to work through. Even though I feel like I'm starting over again with running I know I'm not. I just have to get back to that place where everything is in synch again. This is Thanksgiving week so it will probably be another low mileage week but after that I don't have a lot going on before Christmas. I am just over 80 miles away from my goal of 1000 miles in 2010 with 6 weeks to go. That's a nice milestone to work on for the rest of the year to keep myself focused without it being too stressful. I've watched that little turtle counter plod along for a year now, it will be nice to see him get to his goal.

Pretty, shiny things

My necklace came from Tiffany this week. Who doesn't love something in a Tiffany blue box? I love it. Since I can't wear my medal every day (and you know I would), this will suffice nicely. It's small enough that you can't even tell what the words say unless you get close. It just looks like a pretty silver pendant. But if you did get close, you'd see this:



Or this:



I guess Tiffany does a collection every year for the marathon (they also create the winner's trophy). Of course they do, it's NYC after all! So you know I had to have a shiny trinket. :) I feel bad for the guys, unless you want a paperweight or a money clip, the male choices were pretty limited. We all need a little reminder of our super powers to wear under our everyday exteriors.

The husband also got me this:



I love that there were so many pretty, shiny things to remind me every day of that amazing, amazing event in my life. I like pretty, shiny things!

I think I'll pick my next marathon based on the jewelry and accessory offerings available. HAHA! It's probably going to have to be Disney, I'm sure they have a TON of cool marathon crap. Yeah...that's a plan!

The K12

I'm totally dating myself but I love the movie, Better Off Dead. To really date myself, I saw it in the movie theater in high school. That's old. It shows up on cable every now and then and it's just as funny now, to me anyway. There's a scene in it where Lane goes to get a ski repaired and the proshop guy is in a wheelchair with one arm in traction and his head all bandaged up. Lane asks him what happened and he says "The K12. After the Olympics, everything just seems so damned easy." (The K12 being some crazy hard trail that becomes Lane's goal to beat in the movie in order to win back his girl)

Today was my first run in a week, only my second since the marathon. I am still coughing and not feeling great but if you don't use it, you lose it. I thought I felt better than I actually did when I got started. But, cocky as I can be, I told myself "Pff. You just ran the NY-freaking-marathon. What's a 5-miler?!" After the Olympics, everything just seems so damned easy.



I wasn't expecting that! I went a new route and the hills...oh, the hills! I started out bravely enough but by end the exertion became ridiculously hard. Nothing else to do in those situations but laugh it off because it sure knocked me down a few pegs.

Truthfully, 5 miles was probably too much considering how sick I still am but I was scared to do less. Whatevs. It's over. I'll know what to expect on Thursday when I repeat the route. Hill work is forced speedwork, that's the mantra. And that's my goal for the rest of 2010 -- to work on speed.

It's all good though. How can it not be when you hit the streets wearing this: