Brrrrrr....

I just finished my coldest run of the season (33 degrees, no wind) after banging out 12 in 35 degrees and lots of wind yesterday. Not for nuthin', but it actually feels like December.

We put up a free tree left in our hallway yesterday. Yeah, it's kind of ghetto, but I'm fine with that. We normally get a real one, but a lady downstairs left a pre-lit tree in a box outside her door with a sign on it that said "free," so we bit. It's nice. And FREE.

WTF? The NYC Half lottery application is up and that sucker's $79.00. $84 if you count the non-refundable $5 lottery fee. Suck it, NYRR. Last year it was first come first registered and, what? $65? I don't know why they went back to the lottery after ditching it last year.

Screw that!

Stolen from RWOL forum: "I can run through Times Square for free. It's called getting up at 5am."

Today may be a scheduled rest day, but I kicked off "Base Building 2010" in style with 20 minutes of resistance training. I'm also back to Daily Plate, which may or may not last depending on the respective processing speed of my sad, old Dell (that is, spending thirty to forty minutes of my day waiting for "Trader Joe's herbed chevre" to load is just not worth it).

I noted earlier that I'm turning 35 this year. 35 is NOT OLD. But I feel the old creeping up. Partly, it's because my hair is extremely prematurely gray; that makes me a little self conscious (which you wouldn't guess since I refuse to dye it, but that's a completely different issue). Partly, it's the big butt and the belly, but that's not a sign of oldness, clearly, because it's always been there (it slows me down, though, and being faster [while un-youth-related] would be cool). I do not have wrinkles, but I do have a husband who just got his first pair of "I am old so now my eyesight is weakening" glasses, which he did not have before. The main OLD PERSON issue I am trying to eradicate is random aches and pains that are a result of being an old person, not a runner. For example, when I was sick two weeks ago, I spent a lot of time with our old-ish, not so supportive mattress, which has made my back all achey and spazzy and annoying to this day.

THAT MAKES ME FEEL OLD.

Therefore, in the name of old eradication, I am getting all bad ass. More strength! More hills! More miles! Better eating! More general hotness and badassery! I call it "Base Building 2010," but that is actually code for "Year of Hotness 2010." I want to dust boys in their 20's. The slow ones, anyway.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Did you ever look back at diaries you had when you were a kid and feel embarrassed because you were such a huge, giant dork head? I just looked through my archives and I felt like that.

My friends, the moment of truth has come. The moment when I admit to being a budding marathon addict and commit to a spring race.

I was toying with Jersey a bit - and with the entry fee rising by $5 each successive month ($95 as of Dec.1 - not outrageous for a marathon, but that's still a chunk of change), I figured I had to stop the toying. But then I stumbled on a thread comparing NYC to other marathons on RWOL and discovered my new obsession, the Pocono Mountain Run for the Red, two weeks after Jersey, on May 16.

Um, it's $65. And the fee doesn't climb up until three weeks before the race. Great for the non-commital! The two are similar driving distances from the city (one of my main criteria was that it be drivable, so that we don't have to cough up hotel charges in addition to entry fees, shoes, and all the rest) and the lovely Poconos are likely far more scenic than random residential parts of the Jersey Shore. No offense, Dirty Jerze. I'm just sayin'. It's a 400 person race. I don' think I've ever run a race with less than 1,000 people (given most of NYRR's productions verge on 5,000) and I might like it. Or hate it - who knows? But judging by the results, only the fast run alone - there was still company in the 5 hour range.

Besides, it's a big net downhill, crazy fast course. It's a point-to-point in the mountains that's five years old and all proceeds go to the Red Cross. I'm planning a lot of hill and strength training (kind of a hybrid of Glover's Basic Competitor plan from the Runner's Handbook and Higdon's Boston-Bound plan, since this race presents similar challenges.)

I'm super excited! And a wee bit apprehensive. But mostly super excited! Let the base-building begin!

I just ran a nice (windy and semi-torturous but nice) ten in prep for the fabulous Ted Corbitt 15k on December 19. We opted out of the Holiday 4m (Kiernan's got his first indoor meet the next day so he's out, and getting to Brooklyn for a race is kind of a pain in he ass) and nobody but me can run further than five miles, so I signed up. I like 15k. I've only done it once before, but that race was this crazy fast anomaly (at the time, anyway - I ran my 10k pace, which was slower than it is now, but crazy fast to sustain for 9.3 miles, or so I thought) that made me forever love the distance, despite the injury I incurred soon thereafter (which coincidentally ended my first attempted marathon campaign, Jersey '08. Ah, youth.) Anyway, it feels good to have a goal and not be slacking.

I'm changing age groups at the end of December! That's right, it's happy new year mixed with happy 35th birthday to me on December 31, conveniently scheduled to make my age grade much higher for Fred Lebow in January. I'm beginning to get what they say about runners actually liking getting older. Do they say that? I just did, anyway. Ladies of the 35 to 39, you're on notice. There's a new number 256 in the age / gender group in town.

I am in a stuffing recovery program, and have very little else to say. Ooofff.

There's a spike blow-out ($20 a pop) at Running Warehouse, if you're into that sort of thing (or have a kid who is.)

I am getting over the world's most mild flu. Or at least I think that's what it is. My sinuses are bothering me, I'm wicked tired, a wee bit feverish, and have an unsettled (but oddly enough not at all nauseated) stomach. Blah. I also haven't run for 3 days and have a backache around the bra-strap area from lying around in bed so much. Hi, wanna hang out? Blah.

NYRR changed the Holiday 5k to a 4 miler (which it was before moving to Prospect Park, but I guess those events are unrelated...) The Duffy men are apparently unfazed and are planning their respective first 4 mile runs tomorrow. It's a good distance to urge me out of the sickbed and back in the game, so I'll be right there with them, urging a highly conservative pace.

I'm thinking about future marathon vacations that incorporate beaches, a race, and *possibly* Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie. I was thinking more tropical (Jamaica! Bermuda! Bahamas!) but also that I don't really want to run a marathon in those places (not that a Florida marathon is likely to be that much more or less temperate, but likely better supplied, supported, and attended). Also, the Mets! It doesn't matter if everybody knows they suck by May. Spring is a time of hope. Besides, have you ever watched the spring training games at Tradition Field on SNY? Those people on the berm look so freaking comfortable in their green grass and their flip-flops eating ice cream cones while we sit in our freezing, sad, gray apartments each March.

Marathon Guide's most promising lead was Sarasota in mid-March, approximately 100 miles away from Port St. Lucie. This would be for 2011. Any other suggestions on deep-Southern marathons between the last week of February and first week of April?

Me tired. Feeling a little fast lately, and happy I now have running compnay sometimes, but tired.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I just got back from a really nice 8 miler in my new DS Trainers. Awesome! Besides it being the farthest I've run since the marathon (I was needing that!) the shoes worked out really well. I don't think they have enough stability for everyday, but they really encouraged good form & foot strike and were cushier than I expected for being so light. They'll be excellent for speed days and races, which is why I bought them, so I'm pleased.

Speaking of which, somebody on the Runner's World forums found the first two months of the NYRR 2010 schedule! I don't know how he got it or if there's some special trick on the website (this was implied, but not expounded upon). ANYWAY, Fred Lebow is on January 9, and the Manhattan Half is on the 24th. There was no mention of the Bronx Half, which leads me to believe that they've shuffled it around to accommodate the NYC Half. I don't really remember the rest - I think the Gridiron is February 7 and Al Gordon (a 5k again, and I assume still in Brooklyn) was 2/28. I'm in for at least a couple of those.

It was highlighted for me today that working as a government mule is decidedly not where I belong, so I signed myself up for a massage therapy school introductory workshop on Dec. 6. Wish me luck - and a bunch of money to pay for it.

Given the weirdly falling Veteran's Day (Wednesday, a rare midweek day off) I decided to make a mini break of it and take the Monday and Tuesday, too. Thus, today is my Sunday. I've spent what there's been of my last day off so far sleeping late, reading the latest New York magazine, and jogging a nice little bit with Mr. Duffy.

I'm converting my poor husband into a recreational runner. See, he's turning 40 this year and he's starting to feel it, so to the roads he goes (with enforced stretching after, much to his dismay.) I just found him a pair of his favorite shoes on super clearance at Holabird ($60! Ridiculous!) and treated myself to some DS Trainers while I was at it ($79... semi ridiculous; pretty good considering they were originally over $100.) For all of that future speed work, you know.

I think - dare I say it - I'm kind of recovered from the marathon.

See, my body normally works like clockwork. They tell you that a race takes about a day per mile for recovery - for example, 6 days or so for a 10k, two weeks for a half, and so on. My legs seems to have gotten that memo and followed it verbatim, since I will reliably run 13 minutes per mile for six days after a 10k, thirteen days after a half, and then mysteriously burst into 11 minute miles on the seventh (or fourteenth, or what have you) day without expending much more effort than the 13s took before.

Anyway, not this time. After taking a few days, I tried a short run the Thursday after (which turned into one sad 14 minute mile after realizing shortly thereafter that there were some, er, GI issues to deal with.) Then, the aforementioned 3 and 5; this week, I ran 3 yesterday at a distressingly fast pace (it felt good so I went with it, and then was kind of appalled at my splits. "This isn't taking it easy!") then 2 miles at conversational pace this morning, in what turned out to be 11 minute miles. I feel like I'm back as long as I don't push it (my left hamstring and butt cheek tell me, rudely and loudly, when that line has been crossed), which is exciting because I wasn't expecting to be here until Thanksgiving at least. I plan four to six before work tomorrow, and then we'll see what I think about that.

Maybe it's because I ran it slow? The multiple days of total rest after? Whatever, I'll take it.

It's making me excited to build my base up and get to the next training cycle. Jersey registration is $90 'til the end of the month... I'm probably going to go through with it soon. In any case, expect to see the whole Duffy family at the Holiday 5k on December 12, and me at the Half on March 21.

I think I have post-marathon depression.

Sniffle.

No, really! I'm not really sad or any of that. But I spent a good chunk of my morning yesterday annotating Bob Glover's Guide to Competitive Running (don't ask) and am currently, this morning, obsessed with my sore left leg.

Saturday I did an easy 3 with Kiernan and Mr. Duffy. I warned them a lot about my dead legs, ie, I was pretty sure I was only physically capable of 13 minute miles, but they bravely went forth despite my slowness. By mile 2, we picked it up to around 12:15, keeping that till mile 3, when I felt everything on my left from my hamstring down to my calf tighten up, and I backed off. It felt a little better the next day, so I tried 5, which felt fine during but pretty sore all day after. My masseur (Mr. Duffy) went at it with some Icy Hot, and it's basically fine, but makes me obsess.

It's the same achilles / calf tightness/tenderness I was feeling after my last 20 on the CP Bridle Path. Which went away in plenty of time for the marathon, my obsession notwithstanding, and I expect that this will, too. It's just a big bowl of "I told you to take it easy for 26 days!" for me. Wah. I feel like doing more, dammit! But my body doesn't want to. Anyway, ice & anti-inflammatories till then.

In the meantime, it's a 20 on the NYC BRIDAL path! Yay! (See what I did there? Genius, right?) This is Mr. and Mrs. Duffy's anniversary, hooray! We are celebrating by doing what normal, no-kid, non-marathony couples do on a regular day, that is, go out somewhere cheap & tasty and see a movie (we have a standing date to see every Coen brothers film in the theater. Period.) Plus, I'm not at work. What more could you ask?