Cool runnings

With 18 days to go, I am getting pretty excited about the marathon now! Recently, I have had the fortune of running at some pretty cool locations in the past few weeks. Above, the lakefront in Chicago, on an absolutely gorgeous early October afternoon. It seemed simple just following the path by the lake, but as it turns out it wasn't quite that simple. I followed a girl for a while who was running at about the same pace as me. She looked like she knew where she was going. At one point we entered a little park, which looked like had the path go around it. Well, it didn't. That I didn't know wasn't a big surprise, but after a few seconds of looking around, the girl in front of me turned around and warned me not to follow her, with a smile. We started chatting while we made our way out of the park. Since we had been running about the same pace we decided to keep running together. After a few more miles and a lovely chat, we parted. Now, I had been running in NYC for some 5 years, and this had never happened to me before. I have been asked for directions - even while running, believe it or not - but I never started talking to another runner I didn't know and never ran with a stranger. Ahh, Midwestern friendliness, how I miss it sometimes! Cross fingers for Chicago :)



A couple of weeks ago we ventured out to Staten Island for a half marathon on a very warm Sunday morning. Getting up at 5am, taking the same ferry we will be taking on marathon morning were good preparations. It's a beautiful ride on the ferry going right by the Statue of Liberty. It was a good race, a bit warm but still nice, not much elevation, great place to try for a PR. I was very happy to have been able to run a steady 8:30 min/mile the whole time for a new PR right under 1:50. Pretty satisfied. Also a good omen for 18 days from now.

Last weekend I did the dreaded 20 mile final long run before the big race. It was windy, long and hard, as soon as I stopped running, I couldn't walk another step and had to sit on a bench for a while before literally limping home. Should not have stopped till I got to my door :) It somehow always seems completely impossible to complete anything longer than the last long run. After those 20 miles, I though "how the hell am I gonna run another 6.2??" but somehow in the end, it's all about the mental state. If I set out for 20, I can't run an inch more than 20. If I set out to run the marathon, as I will on Nov. 6th, then I will be able to run 26.2. At least I really hope so.