Feels like Six

I think I might have PR'd (personal record) running home from work tonight. There were several tricks involved in this feat. First, I had to race the cold feels-like-six-degree temperature outside, and by this I mean I had to run fast to keep my body temperature warm and I had to get through wind tunnels as fast as possible. Second, I had to beat that guy with the flashing light on his backpack. Who did he think he was? At some point on 2nd Ave, my chosen route home tonight because I don't like running along the East River in the dark (because someone might throw me in), I was standing still at a stoplight and this guy dressed all in black with a backpack and a flashing light on it, ran past me. Not only did his backpack have a flashing light, but it also had a reflective cover over it. I don't know why this last detail is important, but I'll admit it, his extreme caution irked me. "Where's your helmet?" I wanted to call out to him in my best circa 1985 bonehead accent. Instead, I did what any rational person would do and I sprinted halfway down the block to pass him. I was winded for the next few blocks but I was happy to be winning. But then, something surprising happened and suddenly the sidewalk seemed to split into two sections; one section continued being the dumb sidewalk and another section turned into an awesome asphalt-paved bike lane right along the road, and that joker with the backpack light took the awesome route. He breezed past me, rightfully on the road with his flashing light, which now seemed like his own custom automotive tail light.

I was reminded of a half marathon I ran in the Bronx nearly a year and a half ago. It was a terrible race to start with because it took forever to get there via train from Brooklyn. I got a late start and it kind of threw me off for the next 13 miles. But at some point I was competing with this dorky-looking guy with one of those hydration belts. These things also irk me even though they are eco friendly, and hey, ultra runners have to carry their own water! I think it has to do with looking like you take yourself too seriously. But I digress. This guy would pass me and then a little ways ahead I would pass him, and this went back and forth for the entire race. At the finishing area where I was noshing on a bagel and a banana I ran into Hydration Belt and he smiled at me and said, "Great race! I was trying to keep up with you the whole time!" It was such a great moment! And of course he suddenly seemed super fit. I would tell people later, "Oh man, I really killed it in the half today. I raced this guy with 2 percent body fat the whole time." Not!

Needless to say Automotive Tail Lights beat me down 2nd Ave. and we had to part ways when I turned down Delancey to cross the Williamsburg Bridge. At which point I had to go it alone. And alone I was! There weren't many people on the bridge tonight.

I ran 7 1/2 miles this evening, but according to the Two Oceans Marathon training program I was supposed to run 3.7 miles (or 6 km by their measurement standard). This seems weak. In fact, none of the running days look too demanding for January. I'm feeling confident.

35 at 35

(picture of a t-shirt signed by Ryan Hall, which a friend from work picked up for me in Boulder, Co)

Around the same time that I was turning 35 I found a marathon in Cape Town, SA called Two Oceans, which also happens to be 35 miles long (56 km by their measurement). Perfect! The only trouble is that I haven't been running nearly as much as I should. Yes, I did the NYC marathon (for the second time) back in early November 2011, but it wasn't one of my finest races. The race-organizing folks are calling Two Oceans an ultramarathon, but I kind of think that should be reserved for 50 miles or longer. Instead, I'll just call it "a long f@$%*ing race."

I've completed seven marathons. Back in 2008 I had been living in Brooklyn for a year and I decided that I wanted to train for my first marathon, the NYC...because I'm crazy. It is difficult to get in this race through the lottery alone, so I raised money for a charity that primarily helped people in poverty living in NYC. It was my way of giving back to this city. Not that things had necessarily been easy living here. I was in a relationship with someone who was neglectful and dishonest, I'd gone through many temp jobs and craigslist gigs (no, not *that* kind of gig) before finally getting a job I liked and I'd had a series of unfortunate roommate situation after my first roommate (who was awesome!) had to leave town for a medical emergency. In the words of my girl Dolly Parton, "The Big Apple took a bite out of me." Training for the NYC marathon took my mind off of my troubles and gave me something positive to focus on. But I still had no idea the extent to which actually running the race would change my life forever. It was, in fact, the best day of my life. I'll never forget crossing the start line, running through Brooklyn and right past my then-apartment in Bed-Stuy with my neighbors sitting out on their stoops, hitting Williamsburg and seeing friends everywhere, running into Queens and getting a big bear hug from my cousin who was yelling his head off for me, and then crying the last couple of miles in Central Park because it hit me that I was actually going to finish. For someone who is plagued with constant self doubt, this was undeniably a great accomplishment. Once that medal was mine nobody could ever take it away from me.

Here's where I should post a picture of me running the NYC marathon, but eff-you Brightroom photography and your terrible race photos! All their photos of me make me look bloated and sluggish. But maybe that's just how I look when I run. Instead, here is the photo with my four-legged training partner that I used for my fundraising page:

Since November 2008 I have fought occasional depression and bad decisions to successfully complete six other 26.2s: Chicago (2009); Silver Spring, MD (2010); Paris (2010); Harrisburg, Pa (2010); Napa Valley (2011); and NYC (2011, again).

This being the first blog post I guess I should say that my goal right now is to write about what inspires me in order to get inspired. I also want to sell tons of adspace and become rich!! JK.

I have three months to train for the Two Oceans Marathon, "the most beautiful marathon in the world." Geeez. This morning, on this beautiful holiday day, I ran for 2 hours around Prospect Park, listening to my standard Wolf Parade pandora radio station. It felt like a decent start. I only need to be able to do that times three...and I'll be good to go April 7th.