A marathon is just a 10K with a 20 mile warm-up

That is what I told myself as we struggled through the first long run of our training this morning.
Good thing it wasn't hot!

Week #1 of 16....DONE!

The perfect run....

The wind at your back, the sun in front of you, and friends by your side.

Thank you dear friends....the expo...the race...a blast!! Truly the "perfect run"...missing you lots!!!

2011 ING....Here we come!

In our mind....We're Kenyan.....

In our legs.....we're three, white, running chicks...

Inspirational thoughts

I just got the March issue of Running Times* and there is a great article filled with "collected wisdom, served up in bite-sized form".  I thought I would pick out some gems and post some inspiration...

Token Days 

Something is almost always better the nothing.

There will be days when some aspect of reality intrudes 

on you have to scrap your ideal-world

training plan.  That doesn't make scrapping the 

whole affair the logical conclusion.  A 4-miler is 

much closer to a 10-miler than it is to 0 miles for the day.

Need for Speed

Always stay in touch with your basic speed.  You'll

spend a lot more time just getting back

to where you were if you ignore it for weeks 

at a time than you will tending to it once or twice

a week throughout the year.  You don't need to do hands-

on-knees sets of 200s every week to maintain your speed.  Fast, 

relaxed striders toward the end of an easy run or immediately

following one will go a long way toward preserving

your turnover and the increased range of motion

that comes only with running near

top-end speed.

Insurance Policies

Think of ancillary matters-flexibility work, core strengthening, form drills-

not in either/or terms in relation to your running, but in terms of

"yes, and..."  That is, they're not replacements for running, but

a form of insurance policy that will allow you to better

pursue and enjoy your running at whatever level you 

chose to .  Even if they don't improve your performance

-and they almost certainly will-

when done correctly they're going to make the simple act of running 

feel better, especially the older you get and the longer you

have been running.  Most of these activities are easy to 

sneak in throughout the day in little clumps of activity.

Escaping Ruts

When you feel like you're in a rut, make a deliberate effort

to shake things up.  

Head out the door without the slightest plan 

where to run.  

Run at an unusual time of day.  

Drive to run somewhere different.   

Even wearing crazy clothes can be enough to reboot your mental approach. 

Bad Weather

Look, you know you are going to run.  So don't waste time and 

mental energy staring out the window at the horrible

weather.  

Every Run Counts

There are no junk miles.  If you are not injured so badly that you are 

altering your form, or so sick that you feel much worse after

running, then it's all good.  Even if you think a run doesn't advantage your fitness,

it has other benefits-

promoting blood flow, clearing your mind, 

getting you away from the computer,

burning calories, getting you out in nature, helping you spend time with friends,

maintaining the rhythm of good training, and infinitely so on.

Regrets

It's not uncommon to go to bed thinking 

"Darn, I should have run today."

It's not common to go to bed thinking

"I shouldn't have run today."

Finding Time

We find time for the things that are important to us.

Period.

Keeping Perspective

Relax, it's just running.  Of course it can be the most

intoxicating, captivating, meaningful part of your life.

But it still is just running.  

Nobody's making you do it, and you are not going to save

the world doing it.  

So find what you enjoy about running, and then

follow your bliss.  

 *All quotes are from Running Times March 2011, Scott's Original Miscellany by Scott Douglas.

How Many Song References Can You Pick Out?

So, rolling out of bed at 7:30, wondering to myself should I stay or should I go.   i try to decide if I want to go outside or not because after all, this is New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of and there's nothing you can't do.  However, it was not my dream to go outside 'cause i couldn't do it today.  So I decide to go and stumble to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of ambition called Gatorade. I begin my 2-floor descent with my loyal husband who is the wind beneath my wings with his spandau ballet biker shorts to the treadmill and bemoan that I'm all by myself. I plug in my laptop to watch a movie while running and remember that if you step up I'll step up too. I get to the part of the movie where everyone is groovin, and I'm dancin with myself but I almost fall off the treadmill. Sister Christian, but still annoying, is craning her neck to steal my (video) sunshine.  Well, I guess I have to remember that I live in Paradise city where the grass is green and the people are ...."not" so pretty, but, it all just fine.  I guess ain't nothing wrong with that. 

My faithful husband now comes to my treadmill and says he is leaving, and I cry but he says why don't you release I'm begging you for mercy....I say ok....and I guess it's alright because he's going to bring home the bacon, fry up in the pan....and later, I'll never ever let him forget he's the man.....'cause I'm a WOMAN.

I finally come to the end of this crazy run and my hips are screaming and they don't lie.  As I walk away, I say I DID IT MY WAY!!!!!

Brain Tumors and Palm Trees

Arriving in Palm Springs to be here for my sister's brain biopsy is like arriving on another planet.  Hard to believe there is so much snow in New York and nothing but sun in Southern California...
Ted and I went for a run this morning before we travel up to L.A. for her appointment at UCLA.  As we got ready, we longed for the times when we were little....When there was no stress.  When swimming at our neighbors house was the highlight of our day...
No we run to relieve the stress....
Brain tumors and palm trees....Brain tumors and Train Bumors...

Swimming at our neighbor's pool as kids...

Running to Cope

Running outside...will I ever be able to do it again?

Forget the track, I would love to just hit the pavement!  But after the dump of snow last night, it looks like it is going to be a very long time until spring (or we see pavement again)! I have a feeling the Hangover Run will will be cancelled on Sunday...

We are NEVER getting out of the driveway!

The view from my front door

Nicko plowing the sidewalk