Week 10 - 15 miles, 35th Birthday, & Marathon Viewing!

What an exhausting (but fun) week!  The turtle is tired. 

On Tuesday, Andi and I dragged our butts out of bed at 7 AM to go running in the park, only to find it was cold and rainy.  Boo!  I quickly decided to do 40 minutes of pilates videos instead.  Yay!  Where all this exercise motivation is coming from these days, I have no idea.  Could it be the lure of fitting into my hot 20-something red plastic pants still hanging in my closet- taunting me like the Ghost of Christmas Past?  Do I dare try them on this year, now that I've shed some lbs. thanks to running?  Stay tuned!

That evening, Andi texted me to ask if I wanted to go running with her and her running trainee Tara at 8PM.  Work-out twice in one day?...Insanity!  Run in the park at night?...double insanity!   Red plastic pants?  Uh, ok.

We did the lower loop twice, which I'm told is 3 miles and change. It was a little chilly, I was kind of tired and my legs felt kinda lead-like (It was Sara...in Central Park...with the lead-pipe), but I got through it with a smile on my face.  I had a bigger smile on my face when I got home and was able to chow down and relax with my favorite guilty pleasure, "The Biggest Loser".  Those people are INSPIRING!

Wednesday and Thursday morning I felt pretty sluggish, and my RHR was kind of high.  No wonder- I've been putting in some definite training, considering I'm still a sort of a beginner.  So I headed off to the gym Thursday night for what I'd planned to be an easy treadmill run.  It turned out to be awesome!  I got a bolt of energy, and I had a really fun time playing with speed intervals mixed in with walking breaks.  I went faster on the treadmill than I ever had before.  It was fun! 

Wait- did I just say the treadmill was fun?  I must be losing my mind.

I started hydrating Thursday and Friday, in preparation for my first ever 15-miler, of which the mere thought was making me really nervous.  I also went to the (free!) NYC Marathon Expo on Friday night.  The prices on gear and stuff were sky high, but it was really fun to see so many excited runners in one place.  I stopped by the Disney booth.  I felt like a member of some elite club when I whispered to the guy working, "I'm signed up for the marathon."

Saturday came.  It was Halloween and I was scared, all right. Duded out with my Nike Plus, my on-the-go hydration belt, my cell phone, & caffeinated gummies, I headed for the group meeting place at Columbus Circle. The group was only supposed to do a 6 mile CP loop, but I was thrilled that I ended up having 2 awesome women accompanying me for the first 8.6 miles. Then I was on my own for the remainder, which was fine. I actually felt GREAT during this run!  My energy levels were steady, and I never doubted that I would finish.  In fact at the end, I felt like I had a few more miles left in me (although I knew better than to take them).  The 15 miles took me 3 hours and 24 minutes.  I was thrilled that it's well below Disney's required pace for the marathon, and I purposely went slower than I think I will on race day.  I did the 15 miles mostly on flat land- I ended up doing the West Side Greenway.  59th Street down to 12th, back up to 96th (through Riverside Park), back down to 45th, and back up again to 110th & CPW!  Whew!  My favorite part was passing a Doggy Halloween party in the park.  Those dogs were dressed to the nines.  I love New York.

When I finished, everything ached except my spirits.  I completed 15 miles!!!  Elation.

Sunday was the 40th running of the NYC Marathon.  I had never watched a marathon live in my life, so I was so excited to go!  I watched the wheelchair racers go by, followed by the Elite Women, and then the Elite Men. If you click on the thumbnails, they'll get bigger and you can actually see the superstars...I captured all three winners around mile 22!

Amazing- and literally 2 blocks from my apartment!  Then we went to Central Park to meet Enrique to watch Ed go past mile 24- 

but Ed was too fast for us and we missed him!  Having a vantage point from mile 24 was both thrilling and humbling.  There are ALL TYPES at ALL PACES finishing the marathon.  We caught up with Ed post-race.  

He was awesome and feeling good, and beat his time from last year!  Ed, Enrique, Jim, and I are all planning to run NYC next year, and I can't wait.

Sunday was my also my 35th Birthday.  This is the year I will run a marathon.

For my birthday, my mother-in-law Marty sent me a pink turtle pin that she found on a recent trip to Mexico. She rocks!  My first actual pink turtle item!

Sarathon or bust!