When I have Severe Pain in my Knee and the Marathon is 25 Days Away

It's Go Time.

We are fast approaching the One Month Until the Marathon mark.  This is no joke.  My Saturday runs are getting to the point where my run time is the same run time as the fifth Harry Potter movie.  Thus far, 16 miles is the farthest I've ever run, and it was DIFFICULT.  The end was a bit of a struggle, but once it was done I felt pretty good about myself.  This past weekend's 12 miler was comparatively easy.  Maybe because I spent the entire week prior resting my legs (and the rest of me) here:

Yes, Jay and I just returned for a 5 day 4 night vacation in the Dominican Republic, and it was awesome.  Beach/pool lounging, delicious beverages, and 85-90 degree sunny days.  Sadly though (and solely my fault) there was no running whatsoever.  So I was pretty surprised and happy with how my run went this past Saturday in 39 degree overcast New Jersey.  This upcoming Saturday is 18 miles.  EIGHTEEN MILES.  So I guess it's time to buckle down and start getting really serious about this.  T-40 days until I am officially a marathoner. 

Yikesville McGillicuddy,

CQ

PS:  There will be no real race review of the Turkey Trot I did on Thanksgiving Day, as I don't remember it very well.  Thanksgiving Eve was, as usual, abundant with libations.  Henceforth, I was still rocking a fairly high BAC when I crossed the starting line.  And the finish line.  Somehow managed to PR though!  29:19:00.  I'll call it a win.

The Trenton Half Marathon

Last Saturday Alison and I ran our second half marathon in a month (and second half marathon of our lives), The Innaugural Trenton Half Marathon in... where else... Trenton, NJ.  Our home town.  Now, Trenton gets a pretty bad rap from the media thanks in part a corrupt mayor and the History channel show Gangland, but aside from all that it really is a pretty cool place.  The history around there is awesome.  George Washington chilled in Trenton for a significant period of time during the Revolutionary War.  There are buildings still standing there that date back to the 18th century.  Loyalists and Patriots were shooting muskets at each other in three piece suits (cuz that's what soliders wore back then) in and around Trenton.  And it's pretty if you really take a second to stop and look at it. 

All that being said, despite living there for 23 of my 26 years of life, I never got a chance to look at it like I did last Saturday.  And armed with a running partner whose actual job title is "Historian" (so cool), I got my own private walking running tour. 

As for the actual race, it got off to a bit of a late start (around 45minutes late), but other than that it was really awesome.  They kept the course interesting.  It crossed two bridges, a few miles were in a completely different state, it went through a beautiful (albeit VERY hilly) park, down the cobblestone streets of the historic district, and the home stretch was literally that.  A home stretch from third base to home plate at a minor league baseball stadium.  So cool.  Granted, a majority of the race was running down highway 29, but even that runs along the Delaware River, so, hey, water views!  I must say though the best part of this race is that Alison and I absolutely KILLED it time-wise.  I beat my previous (and only) half marathon time by almost five whole minutes, clocking in at 2:03:48.  Somehow Alison (the jerk) beat my by two seconds even though we were running side by side the entire race, but oh well.  That time made me think it might be possible for me to finish a half sub-2 hours, but we'll have to wait a while to see for that one, as the Disney Marathon is now officially less than 2 months away and it's time to start lengthening my runs significantly.  In the meantime, I'll hang up my SUPER cool medal from Trenton on the awesome medal rack I got from my parents for my birthday yesterday.  That's another thing!  The SWAG from this race was incredible.  Awesome tech half zip pullover instead of just a plain tshirt, race packets were handed out in a reusable drawstring bag with the race logo on it, and the medals.  Oh my the medals.  No seriously, these medals are awesome:

Legit.

Next race on the agenda is the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot I'm doing.  Just a little 5k.  But I will DEFINITELY be back for more half marathons.  I love that distance.  Long enough to be a challenge, but not so long that you're completely out of commish for days following.  Lucky for me RunDisney puts on 5 half marathons per year, so I have all of those to look forward in the future to in addition to running the marathon in January.  That is, if the marathon doesn't kill me.

Good work, Trenton,

CQ

PS:  I realized the other day that on January 13th I will be EXACTLY 26 years and 2 months old to the day.  And I will be running 26.2 miles.  I didn't even plan that.  How fitting. 

Saaaaaaandy, Cantcha See? I'm in Miseryyyyy

Bonus points to whomever can name the musical my title is derived from.  But seriously, suck it, Hurricane Sandy.  You are such a piece of crap.  You destroyed my favorite shore town. You left me in the dark for a week.  I'm going on five days with no heat, hot water, or use of my stove/oven.  You totaled my friend's car.  Set fire to another friend's apartment building.  Gave me a three hour commute to work.  You killed a bunch of people.  Left a HUGE number of people homeless.  You cancelled the NYC Marathon.  You made Chris Christie use the word "hunker" more than I thought humanly possible.

YOU PUT A BOAT ON MY RUNNING ROUTE.

This past week and a half has been awful, and now I'm looking out my office window at snow.  SNOW.  Will it ever end?  This is getting seriously ridiculous. 

But, as the purpose of this blog is to talk about marathon training, I'm gonna talk about marathon training.  This hurricane has affected my marathon training.  Negatively.  If the boat in the above picture wasn't enough of an indicator, I will now tell you that although I WAS able to get 10 miles in last Saturday, I haven't done any of my weekday short runs in about two weeks.  Speaking of my last long run, I took both the boat picture and this picture along the way: 

I took this picture at around noon on Saturday.  On a beautiful Saturday on the waterfront in Hoboken.  This area is usually overrun with people on a day like that, and there was NO ONE.  THERE.  It was creepy, and this storm successfully derailed my attempt at gaining some normalcy by running, even after it was over.  So in conclusion, and to repeat my first point, Sandy:  YOU CAN GO F YOURSELF.  And as I run the Trenton Half Marathon on Saturday, I shall pretend that the pavement is your dumb whore face, and I'll stomp the crap out of it for 13.1 miles and approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Hate,

CQ

The Slowest 6 Miles I've Ever Run: Brace Yourselves, Pictures are Coming.

This past Saturday was a GLORIOUS fall day.  Perfect in every way weather-wise and topped off by one of the best weddings I've ever been to in my life.  Since this wedding took place in my hometown of Ewing, NJ, I was fortunate enough to run with Ewing resident, running partner, and FiveHundredandTwelvePointNine blog staple:  sister Alison.  We started out early-ish for a Saturday, about 7:45am, where Alison picked me up from the hotel I was staying at for the nuptuals.  We got approximately three tenths of a mile down the road when we saw this: 

This picture is from Google Maps, I did NOT think that this overcast

 disgustingness was a perfect fall day.

That picture depicts a 4 lane busy road, an off-ramp, a complete lack of sidewalk, and way in the distance is a very large and foreboding hill.  NOPE NOPE NOPE.  We turned right around, got in the car, and and drove off to greener (and redder, and yellower, and oranger... you'll see in a minute) pastures. 

Take 2 of this run started at about 8, and this time we kept going.  The point of this post is that being outside is awesome.  Being outside in the heart of fall when the temperature is right and the leaves are changing is phenomenal.  About a mile in, we saw this tree:

Looks like it's on fiya.

Had to stop and take a picutre of course.  Then we realized that the entire street was really pretty and we should probably get some action shots:

Goooooo Al!

We were only about a mile and a half in by this point, mind you, and it's like 8:20.  So we kept running to pick up some time.  We then turn onto the canal path, and somehow ended up in what seemed to be Narnia, Terabithia, Middle-Earth, or maybe it was a serial killer's dreamland, who knows.  But this is it:

The Instagram filter was just too good to pass up for this one.

Goooooo CQ!

By this point we're REALLY losing time, so we put our camera phones away and make it a good three more miles before we pass this beauty:

Gate to the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf.  Would be a real shame

if it was a school for the blind, cuz that scene is gorgeous.

Picked me up a nice phone background, too.

Soon after leaving this lovely scene, we were running along, phones away, chatting it up, when suddenly Alison screamed, jumped, and made a horrifying face.  She nearly curb stomped a dead deer with her Mizuno.  (If you don't know what a "curb stomp" is, I do not suggest you look it up, horrifying images may be found).  Anywayyyy, since we were rapidly approaching 9am and NOT so rapidly approaching 6 miles, we took one last picture of a pretty awesome tree against the sky, picked up speed for the last mile, and finished at about 10 after 9 in the morning.  Said tree:



Glorious.

When all was said and done, it took us an hour and 25 minutes to complete a run that should've taken roughly 55 minutes.  But these pics are pretty sweet, and considering we ran 13.1 relatively fast miles last weekend, I'd say we still did good.

Please never leave us, fall,

CQ

The NJ Side is Pretty Too

I ran 4 miles after work yesterday along my usual path, the Hoboken/Weehawken Waterfront Walkway.  It was a REALLY nice fall night (the kind that makes you want to sniff burning leaves and beat a chainsaw-wielding actor wearing a mask in the face with your purse on a haunted hayride).  The sun was just setting and let me tell ya, it was definitely picture taking time.  Considering I live on the banks of the Hudson River, my camera lens is usually pointed due East toward the Manhattan skyline.  But yesterday I swung it around and pointed West at the state I've lived in my entire life.  The view wasn't too shabby.

Taken with an iPhone, no less.

This morning I showed my coworker/bestworkfriend (heyyyy KimboSlice) the pictures I took last night.  She said she was jealous that I get to see the sun after work, as she works 9-6, and I work 7:30-4:30.  Made me realize that training this winter is gonna be brutal.  I wake up, it's dark, I leave work, it's dark.  I had best invest in some reflective gear and/or a headlamp.  Boooooo.

Winter, you're a jerk,

CQ

PS:  Admittedly, the NYC side got some documentation as well:

First Half Marathon: Check.

Well, I did it (we did it, actually, as Alison ran with me)!  And it went better than I thought it would.  Yesterday morning was the Seaside Half Marathon.  It was a very flat out and back along the ocean in Seaside Park, NJ with a little over 1000 participants.  Apart from a fairly boring ~7 mile stretch along a tree/dune lined road in Island Beach State Park, it was pretty enjoyable.  I felt good the whole way and only slowed a little at about the 7 or 8 mile mark, but never walked or stopped.  I call that a win.  I also call finishing under my goal time of 2:10 at 2:08:35 a win.  So yayy for my first half completed.  Boo for the fact that my watch has been off distance-wise this whole time I've been training.  When I finished it had the mileage at 13.97, not 13.1, so that sucks.  But at least I know now to tack on an extra bit to be sure I make the required mileage for training runs.  Oh well.  Happy to have finished.  Ecstatic to have beaten my goal.  Petrified to run twice that distance in January.  I leave you with this Instagrammed-up picture of my bib from yesterday.

Trenton Half Marathon is next!  26 Days until then, 89 days until Disney!  Oh, also registering for a little Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning.  Chances of running hungover and/or still a a few sheets to the wind from the night before:  high.

Races=Fun,

CQ

The Fear has Arrived

So the other day I ran a super crappy 5 miles for my last "long" (but seriously, 5 miles isn't even close to long anymore) run before the Seaside Half Marathon.  It did NOT go well.  It was the exact opposite of my run the previous Saturday when I ran 13.1 miles and didn't even look at my watch until I had already gone 7.  This time I set out from my apartment and made it an entire 1.73 miles before I started staring into the face of my Garmin like it was the friggen aurora borealis.  I might be in trouble.  I mean, I'm GOING to run this full race this weekend regardless of how I'm feeling, but my less than ideal run this past weekend makes me wonder my attempt on Sunday will look something like this:

"Ok.. here I go!  Nope."

T - 5 days,

CQ

Documentation of a Long Run

Long runs are so great.  Nothing like going outside on a Saturday morning, running for a couple of hours while seeing sights, listening to some great jams (Mumford & Son's new album Babel is on repeat on this clown's iPod), people watching, and burning enough calories to shovel copious amounts of the abdominal region of your favorite porcine beast into your maw upon your return to start your weekend.  But lateley I've picked up a new habit of taking pictures while running.  Usually only 1 or 2 per run, but it's kind cool to go back through my photos and realize that I wouldn't have some really cool pictures if I wasn't out stomping on the sidewalk's grill.  The following is a collection of some of these snapshots:

Running the Party with Purpose 5k.  I think Sam and Drew might be in this one somewhere, but it's like Where's Waldo.

Early morning run in Seaside Heights.

Instagram-filtered pre-work 8 miles. 

 Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges on what was supposed to be a 10, but turned out to be a 12 mile run with Emily.  We ran to brunch.

 

This past weekend's 13.1 miles.  Running Level = Half Marathoner (finally).  Bring on the races.

(Note:  please ignore the litter/pollution.  I didn't do that)



I'm now officially "tapering" for the Seaside Half Marathon, which is in 11 days (excitement level = high), so I only have short runs from now until then.  But I will definitely be taking a picture or two during the race.  Although last night I had a dream that I was running this race. I tripped over some loose planks on the boardwalk, slammed my face into the ground, and crossed the finish line looking like this chick.  Here's hoping that dream does not become a reality.

I'm a crappy photographer,

CQ

The Must Sees

The Disney Marathon is by no means the Boston Marathon.  From what I've heard, there's very little chance that seasoned runners are getting a personal record on this course.  It's a great "beginner's" marathon since the pace requirement is a snail's pace 16 minute mile.  You can essentially take 7 hours to "run" this race and not get picked up by the sweeper vans.  That said, I still have a goal.  I'd like to finish this race in under 5 hours, ideally at or under 4:45.  The challenge comes here:  the characters.  As I've mentioned before, Disney positions their characters at fairly regular intervals along the course to entertain the runners in the dull sections and provide a some pretty unique photo ops.  Being a HUGE Disney fan, I love seeing the characters, and getting pictures with them is awesome.  But, seeing as how I have a time goal in mind, I'm gonna have to be INCREDIBLY picky about who I'll stop and take a photo with.  I will be stopping for (and ONLY for) the following characters if I see them on my journey:

The Beast

And I will not be stopping for the frou-frou human version of the beast.  That's lame. 

Donald Duck

He's a total jerk, who doesn't love that??

Phineas and Ferb



This one is for my nephew, Grant.  He's a huge P&F fan, and I feel I'd be doing him a disservice if I didn't stop and say hi to these guys.  (Doctor Doofenshmirtz would be a very welcome added bonus)

Launchpad McQuack

Admittedly, this one is mostly just for obscurity's sake.  I mean, I'm pretty sure the Launchpad costume collects a lot of dust behind the scenes at WDW.  But I do genuinely love him as a character.  When I was little, I used to think his name was Lunchpail, so, there's that.

THAT'S.  IT.  Nobody else.  I got a time to beat, and lucky (or maybe unlucky) for me the chances of me meeting any of these characters aside form Donald are slim.  Bring on that 4:45. 

**Note:  when I come back from my trip with a stack of 30 race day pictues of me and a bunch of princesses I will neither be sorry nor ashamed. 

Not Ponytails or Cottontails but DUCKTALES (ah wooo-ooo),

CQ

Ugh

Last week was NOT a great week for me in terms of exercise and keeping on schedule (and blogging, apparently).  Missed Monday's run cuz I just didn't feel like it, which once in a while is a legitimate excuse, and one that I haven't used at all yet during this training.  Fine.  But then the next day I had a work event in the evening, so no kickboxing for me.  Wednesday I did my four miles, but it was a struggle, then Thursday came around and I got sent home from work because I was sick, so no kickboxing then either.  Skipped the long run Saturday because I didn't want to get up early since I had a full day of fun at Great Adventure and 30th birthday celebrations for a friend of mine (who never does anything half-assed) planned.  Ended up doing an abysmal (read:  hungover) 8 miles on Sunday afternoon.  Then yesterday I was supposed to run 4 miles, "but it's a holiday" and I'm worthless. 

Last Week Me

Yesterday came around.  I felt like garbage.  Weak, fat, and tired.  I never want to have a week like last week ever again.  So I took back kickboxing with a vengeance (I hadn't been in a week and a half), then once it was done I went upstairs to where the treadmills are and knocked out that four miles I was supposed to do the day before.  BOOYAH.  I think an hour and forty five minutes straight of working out and sweating more than I ever have in my life really gave me the push I needed to get myself back on track.  I have a serious test coming up on Saturday as I'm spending the weekend down in Mantoloking with my best friends from college, and I'm due to run 9 miles.  I have a few things going for me though in that my homeslice Merrill is in marathon training mode as well (she's running the Amica Marathon in Rhode Island in October), AND I'll be only a couple of miles away from my favorite running spot, the boardwalk in Seaside.  Bring it on.

This Week Me

Roll Out,

CQ

My Whackadoo Idea

So.  This is completely crazy and it's gonna cost me an arm and a leg, but I don't care one single bit.  I'm doing it.  I love Disney (especially Disney Parks) probably more than any non-breathing thing on the planet.  I also love running.  There.  I said it.  I love running (thank you for that, Emily).  Running the Disney World Marathon this January has the potential to be the single greatest experience of my life.  I'll be running.  I'll be in my favorite place on Earth.  There will be full-suit Disney characters cheering on the sidelines.  There will be fireworks.  MICKEY FREAKING MOUSE will likely high five me as I cross the finish line.  And then, I'll get this:

It's so very cool. I NEED one.  I'll get one.  When Disney revealed this medal, my jaw hit the floor. And then I started looking at the other RunDisney race medals, and Get ALL The Medals (Plan 1.0) was born.  Between now and 2018, I will obtain each medal RunDisney has to offer.  This will require the following:

7 Trips to Walt Disney World
2 Trips to Disneyland
18 Flights
157.2 Miles Run
~1 Zillion Dollars

There are 8 RunDisney races done annually (excluding the kids/family fun runs). 

1)  Walt Disney World Half Marathon
2)  Walt Disney World Marathon
3)  Tinkerbell Half Marathon
4)  Princess Half Marathon
5)  Expedition Everest Challenge (5k including obstacles and a scavenger hunt)
6)  Disneyland Half Marathon
7)  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler
8)  Wine and Dine Half Marathon

On top of those 8 race medals, there are three additional medals to be won. 

1)  The Goofy Challenge Medal.  You get this if you run the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Full Marathon in one weekend.  We're talking Saturday half marathon and Sunday marathon.  This one is gonna be rough, but it's happening.
2)  Coast 2 Coast Medal.  This one is for completing a half marathon-distance or farther race in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland within one calendar year.
3)  Chip and Dale Marathon Relay Medal.  This one is for completing the WDW Marathon as a team of 2 or more (each member does their share of miles, total miles for the team is 26.2).  WHO'S WITH ME?!



So there it is.  I don't care how insane/stupid/unlikely/financially irresponsible it sounds.  I'm doing this.  5 years. 13 total medals.  If you'd like to join me for any of these races, I will welcome you with open arms.  If you'd like to scoff, keep it to yourself. 

Better prep that medal rack, join the Disney Vacation Club, and make good friends with some sort of airline representative (and/or move to Central Florida). 

Every Mile Will Be Magic.

CQ

I am Invincible

So writing this post might be a mistake.  It might, as my brother would say, put the "KAI-bash" on my making any more progress in the form of a serious jinx.  But I just had to point out that running is not difficult anymore.  I ran 10 miles in the Spring twice, and on both occasions, upon completion I thought that my legs were gonna straight up fall off, my entire body ached, I immediately collapsed onto the bed and passed out for hours, then subsequently took 45 minutes to find the right position and trejectory to roll myself out of the bed and into a standing position, and it took approximately 6 days for my body to feel normal again.  Then I ran 10 miles a couple weeks ago... and nothing.  I felt fine.  I didn't need a nap.  I swam in the ocean, took a few short walks, and drank some beers afterward.  The run immediately following that was comparatively short at 4 miles, but, again, nothing.  Then yesterday I ran 6 miles and absolutely nothing.  I barely even broke a sweat.  Am I becoming superhuman??  Or is this just the way the human body works?  Am I IN SHAPE!?  Because last time that happened I was 16 and in the prime of my stellar Field Hockey career and I hadn't yet discovered the gloriousness of copious amounts of red wine on a weeknight.  I absolutely do not remember what that felt like.  So if this is it, it's nice.  I only hope that after 26.2 miles I'll feel good enough to tackle my favorite Disney rides without so much more as a 20 minute power nap.  After all, I'm gonna need to hit all the good ones to make my dream of a ride photo collage of myself and my sister holding up our medals come to fruition.  You can see a preview here:

Feelin' Good,

CQ

Ode to my Post-Run Meal

Back to Life, Back to Reality

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  Vacation is over and I am pissed.  9 glorious days on the beach was incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating, but I coulda used a few more days.  It is painful to be sitting in the office today (although it's nice to be rocking a pretty legit tan). 

On the running front, I (along with the sister) ass-kicked my vacation.  My training schedule had me running 14.5 miles for the duration of my stay, but I somehow ended up doing 30.  4 miles the first Friday (what would normally be a rest day, but I couldn't resist the call of the springy boardwalk), 8 miles on the SWEALTERINGLY hot first Saturday, 4 miles Monday, 10 miles Wednesday (sans iPod even!), and 4 miles this past Saturday added up to a pretty successful trip down the shore.  Not to mention it afforded me the ability to eat delicious treats (read:  10...TEN!... gloriously cajun-y buttery, and slightly dangerous "Jean Lafeet" crabs in one sitting) without as much guilt.  I wouldn't have changed a thing. 

This morning I thought I had nothing to live for now that vacation and the olympics are over, but I guess these three races that I've been training for and writing about will suffice.  152 days until Disney, 88 until the Trenton Half, and only 61 until Alison and I head back down the shore for the Seaside Half.  Also, it's now officially Shark Week, so I guess I was just being a bit dramatic. 

Photo

Not So Happy to be Back,

CQ

Smart Decisions, Small Successes, and Pet Peeves

So I did not run on Monday.  Big ol' non check for Monday's 3 miles, but I have a good reason.  I was sick.  Out of work sick, and as I didn't feel like barfing on the treadmill (or the sidewalk), I decided to skip it.  Here's to being smart, listening to your body, and knowing when not to push yourself. I did manage to run this morning before work, so I'm chalking that up as a small success.  However, to make up for the missed 3 mile run on Monday, I'll be running 4 with my sister in beautiful Seaside Park, NJ this Friday.  That's right folks, I'M GOING ON VACATION.  You may remember my mentioning a nice little annual trip previously.  That time is upon us again.  After I get through this workday, what is sure to be an awesome Mumford & Sons concert in my town this evening, 5:45am kickboxing tomorrow, and tomorrow's workday, I'm boarding a locomotive to head down the shore for 9 full days of beach lounging, food eating, game playing, margarita drinking, a little paddle surfing, and a LOT of running.  Take this as my formal apology that my blog title is soon to be a big fat lie.  I plan on far surpassing the mileage set out by my schedule in the next week and a half.  I'll just have so much time and so many miles of beach at my fingertips that it would be silly for me not to take advantage of it.  So I'm gonna.  As will sister Alison.  Maybe I'll take a day or two off, and spend a couple days cross training, but the beach is really the best place for a run.  Looks like I'll hit that 512.9 mile mark way before I was planning to.  I'm ok with that. 

I also thought I should mention that throughout this month+ of consistent running and working out, I've come across several new things that really grind my gears

 1)  Kids smoking pot on the waterfront walkway between Hoboken and Weehawken.  I am so sad to say that this has happened more than once.  I mean, are you joking?  This is a highly trafficked area, and I've seen one or two drug sniffing German Shepherds nosing around those parts in the past.  Never while these hoodlums are puffing on doobies, unfortunately.  If I wanted a contact high while running, I woulda followed Matthew McConaughey while he was getting in shape for Magic Mike. 

2)  Run-Puffers.  Now, admittedly I don't hear this too often, cuz I always run with music.  But runners who make that "CHOO, CHOO" sound to breathe every other step really need to realize what they sound like:

3)  The windowsill at CKO.  This thing has GOT to go.  I mean, this would be easily fixable if I was willing to look at other people and/or the wall during kickboxing class.  But I'm not, and I want a view, dammit.  So I always choose a window facing punching bag.  This becomes a large problem when I front kick the crap out of it and it goes careening into the windowsill knocking my keys and water bottle off and undoubtedly damaging gym property.  JUST GET RID OF IT!  They're the kind of windows that are set into the wall anyway, the brick is their windowsill.  Unnecessary. 

4)  Olympic commentators making negative comments during a perfectly good gymnastics routine.  JUST SHUT UP, Elfi.

Feels good to get those out in the open. Feels REAL good that my next run will be here:

Peace Out Real World,

CQ

You Know that We are Living in a Material World

I like stuff.  Stuff is fun.  It's cool to go find stuff, hand over some pictures of dead guys, then take stuff home with you.  This is not to say I'm completely materialistic, I just really enjoy stuff.  New stuff especially.  So last Friday, I took a short stroll from work to The Running Company and picked up this gem:

Garmin FR70

I've been thinking about getting one of these bad boys for a few weeks now.  It's nice to have a way to easily glance down and check my time/distance without having to go through all of the unlocking, sliding, app finding, and opening I have to with my phone (plus I don't want my precious iPhone to shatter).  I couldn't tell you how excited I was to run on Saturday morning (even after a particularly boozy company outing to the Mets/Dodgers game at Citi Field Friday night) and test out my new toy.  I ran 8.5 miles and barely felt it at all because I was having so much fun looking at my right wrist and watching the miles, calories, and seconds tick up for a full 1 hour 28 minutes and 35 seconds.  This is why, especially for a runner, stuff is great.  It can make you so excited about going for a run, and that excitement is crucial if you want training to be fun and productive.  That said, I've compiled a list the stuff (besides my Garmin) that I own that has previously gotten or does currently get me excited to hit the pavement.  In no particular order:

Fuel Belt Handheld Water Bottle

I'm terrible at hydrating myself.  The entire time I was training for the Broad Street 10 Mile I didn't carry water with me ONCE.  This time it will be different.  I brought this with me on my 8 1/2 mile run on Saturday and I was SO glad to have it.  Plus, look how pretty that blue is!

GapFit G Stride Running Shorts

These are the only shorts in the world that do not ride up in every possible way.  Also the only shorts that do not induce the dreaded chub rub.  I have three pairs.  I need more.  While we're at it.... Gap's "Breathe" line of tank tops and tshirts are phenomenal too. 

Lululemon Run Swifly Tech Long Sleeve

Oh my, this shirt.  There are few items of clothing I own that I love more than this shirt.  Obviously I'm not using it much right now in the middle of July, but in March, this thing was spectacular.  And, come on, THUMB HOLES. 

Nike Free Run 2

I love my shoes.  So much.  Especially now that I just recently washed them.  Roundhouse kicking a bag in it's rib cage a hundred or so times a week really makes your shoes dirty, but now they're sparkling clean.  These aren't the EXACT shoes I have. The mesh on mine is white and the gray overlay is much lighter, but you get the idea.  Also, the foot pod for my Garmin fits right into a little slot underneath of the left insole.  Unfortunately, these are fast approaching the end of their life.  I'll likely need to get new shoes between my two half marathons this fall.  I think that these particular Nike Free Run 3's are in the cards for me. 

Race Bib Display

And finally... I don't actually have this yet, but I want to get one or make one.  My bibs are just sitting in a drawer in my bedroom.  I don't have many as of now, but they're swiftly increasing in number and I'd love a spot to put them where I can look over and feel some sort of accomplishment.  Plus, farther distance races usually have medals, so I need a place to fling my bling.  That was awful.  I apologize.

So that's about it for now.  I'm sure as I get further into training I'll find about a zillion running related things that I just HAVE to have.  And I'm sure the subsequent runs will be awesome.  But for now, these are the things keeping me excited to run.  Hmmm... food and merchandise.  What a consumer I am.  AMERICA!

You're Welcome, Economy,

CQ

Adjustments

I did not stick to my training schedule AT ALL this week, but I will still get every last workout I had planned done (so help me Hosanna in the Highest*).  My calendar (and the sidebar of this blog) had me running 4 miles on Monday.  NOPE.  I had the Party with Purpose 5k scheduled for Tuesday, so I went to kickboxing instead.  Tuesday came around, and when I was at the starting line of the race I realized that, NOPE, I won't be making up for that 4 miles I didn't run the day before as 3.1 miles ≠ 4 miles.  Then yesterday at around 4:00pm, the windows on the trading floor at work went dark and a MASSIVE storm showed up.  Hail, huge gusts of wind, thunder, lightning... all of it.  Luckily it didn't delay my transit home and I made it there in plenty of time to get to 6:30 kickboxing class.  NOPE.  Gym + flood waters = closed gym.  I was bummed.  I wanted to punch a bag in it's face, and I didn't get to.  So as I moped on the couch last night, I vowed to myself that I would wake up at 5am to get my 6 miles in before work. Alarm went off at 4:45am... I shut it off... backup alarm went off at 5am.  I hit snooze.  I laid there for a grand total of 30 seconds before I did a mental face slap (then a real one to wake myself up) and said NOPE I am not gonna disappoint myself.  So I did it.  I ran 6 miles at ass o'clock in the morning on a weekday.  Unheard of for me.  Then, when the announcer lady in my headphones told me I had hit 6 miles, I ran another .9 to make up for Monday/Tuesday.  BOOM.  Now, all that's left for me is 8 miles on Saturday, then kickboxing on Sunday to make up for the non-kickboxing Wednesday and I am golden.  Take that, wrenches in my plan, you've been eradi-CAIT-ed

 

Awwwww Yeah.

Still Happy with Myself,

CQ



*Speaking of...  From the ages of approximately 42 days old until I was 18, I went to church at LEAST once a week.  For a large chunk of that it was twice, since my Catholic grade school required us to go to mass every Friday as well as Sundays.  Not to mention monthly "liturgy" at Catholic high school.  But (apologies, God) I can't say I've gone to church more than 10 times since I graduated high school.  A couple of weeks ago I went to a friend's wedding in which the ceremony included a full Catholic mass.  For the most part, I was boppin' along getting a real hit of nostalgia as I mouthed along with the priest during the consecration.  But then... something happened.  He said something different!!  I was completely thrown off as THEY'VE CHANGED THE WORDS TO CHURCH!  Can they do that?!?!  I was pissed.  Thus ends my rant the ol' RC Church not keeping mass as it was in 1996, sorry if it was a bit irreverent.  I'll go to confession.

Excuses, Excuses

I am the best.  Really, I am.   Friday night, Jay and I went down to Deleware for a fun beach weekend with my college friends.  Because of this, I had countless reasons to skip my long Saturday run. I was in a strange place, I had been up until 2am the night before, drinks were involved, it was hot... and I'm sure there are more.  But I DID IT, dammit.  I woke up to a very quiet beach house at 7:09am, got dressed, and walked my GapFIT attired self out the door and onto the pavement for what turned out to be a really nice 6 mile jog in Ocean View, DE.   I kept up about a 10 minute mile the whole time, and was back at the house in plenty of time to enjoy a long beach day and beyond with my friends.  So basically, I'm pretty happy with myself.

"I'm that star up in the sky I'm that mountain peak up high,

Hey I made it, I'm the World's Greatest."

I will attempt a continuation of being awesome tomorrow night when I participate in the Party with Purpose 5k.  I'd love to finish in under a half hour, but we'll just have to see whether or not my greatness has a limit.  I'd like to think that it does not.

From the Mouthpiece of my Own Horn,

CQ

PS-- In regards to my previous post, I have secured reservations at Le Cellier.  BRING ON THE CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP. 

The Payoff

Yesterday, I officially booked my 5 day 4 night stay at Disney's Polynesian Resort for marathon week.  My sister, Alison, who will be running along side me, Jay, who will be cheering us on from the sidelines, and I will be checking in on January 12th.  Alison and I will run a quick 26.2 miles that Sunday morning, then we'll all be hitting the parks.  I love Disney World.  My family is (somewhat) fresh off of a 4 day stay at Bay Lake Tower this past Thanksgiving, and I've been dying to get back ever since for the rides, shows, atmosphere, and most of all, the FOOD.  GLORIOUS FOOD. 

By my calculations, I'll be burning somwhere in the realm of 3,000 calories on race day.  I plan on taking those calories back.  And quickly.  By force if necessary.  I've compiled a list in my head of items that I MUST consume during those 5 days in the 407.  It's time to put them on paper.  Thanks to my favorite blog of all time, The Disney Food Blog, I can show you every morsel of food (and one drink) that I will be stuffing down my gullet in 185 days.  So here goes. In the order of "Yeah, I'm totally gonna eat that", to "I'm gonna build a Scrooge McDuck Vault, fill it with this food, put on some swim trunks, and do laps in it":


#10:  Frozen Banana with Nuts, all parks.  Now, this obviously isn't a strictly "Disney" food, but the first time I had one of these bad boys was in 2002 when I was strolling through Animal Kingdom with my high school softball team (Go Irish.).  Since then, this frozen monkey fodder on a stick has become synonymous with the House that Walt Built.  So, yeah, I'm totally gonna eat that. 

Photo Credit:  Erin Foster, Disney Food Blog

#9:  Hot Dog from Casey's Corner at the Magic Kingdom, Main Street.  Ok so not so much the hot dog itself, but more that glorious bright orange goodness in the top righthand corner of the below picture.  That is cheese. Melty, liquid, lava-hot cheese that comes out of a faucet-like pump.  God knows what KIND of cheese it is, or if it even has any real cheese in it, but that stuff slathered over a Casey's Corner plain hot dog is off the CHAIN.  (Or should I say, leash?).  So, oh yeah, I'm totally gonna eat that.

Photo Credit:  Chef Big Fat Panda, Disney Food Blog

#8:  Grey Goose Lemon Citron Slush at Epcot, France Pavillion. Oh my.  I had this deliciousness on my last trip to the Dis.  It is no joke.  It's Grey Goose vodka (obviously) and some sort of lemony-citrusy flavor blended into a smooth icy adult beverage.  Now, admittedly I drank this immediately after I finished a very large Radeberger Pilsener at the Germany Pavillion, so I was feeling the effects of the beer in conjunction with the slushie, but this drink was boozier than I expected.  Boozy, refreshing, and delicious.  Perfect way to unwind after running for 4 1/2-5 hours, yes?  So, you better believe, I'm totally gonna drink that.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog

#7:  Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, all parks.  No explanation needed.  If you go to Disney World and don't eat this adorableness, you might be a complete whackadoo. So yeah, I'm not crazy, and I'll totally be eating that.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog



#6:  Egg Roll at Animal Kingdom, Anandapur Local Food Cafe.  Egg rolls are egg rolls in my opinion.  There isn't too much that distinguishes one from the other.  But I must say that this one is distinguishable.  It's greasier than most egg rolls, which to some would be a turnoff, but I think it's what makes this one so good. Throw in the fact that you're in one of the most impeccably themed sections on Disney property and you got yourself a nice little snackeroo of fried cylindrical asian goodness.   So, shì, I'm totally gonna eat that.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog

#5:  Turkey Leg, all parks.  Now, I've never actually eaten one of these because, in reality, they are menacing and kind of gross looking.  But the fact that I have never even had a BITE of one is what intrigues me.  It's quintessential Disney.  I like Disney.  I like turkey.  I like prentending to be Fred Flintstone.  So I gotta do it.  This will be the trip.  So, yeah, if Alison helps, I'm totally gonna eat that. 

Photo Credit:  Illuminating Epcot



#4:  Tonga Toast at the Polynesian Resort, Kona Cafe and Captain Cook's.  This is another treat that I have never actually eaten, but it is most definitely happening this time.  I'm staying at the Polynesian, so it will be readily available.  Tonga Tost is, as I understand, banana-stuffed french toast coated in cinnamon sugar, then deep fried.  Yep.  Sounds like a perfect way to start the day to me.  So, heavens to Betsy, I'm totally gonna eat that.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog

#3:  Giant Peanut Butter Oreo Cookie at the Magic Kingdom, Main St. Confectionary.  This may have been the greatest sweet treat I have ever eaten.  It is ACTUAL Oreo chocolate filled with an impossible to describe peanut buttery center.  I absolutely HOUSED mine last time.  The cookie was just the tiniest bit softer than a normal Oreo, which is the epitome of perfection. I'd like to build a sword out of these and swallow it creepy sideshow style.  So, sweet Lord Baby Jesus in a barn, I'm totally gonna eat at LEAST two of these. 

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog

#2:  Fried Chicken at Fort Wilderness, Hoop Dee Doo Revue.  Now, as far as this list goes, this item is a bit of a cheat.  You see, I'm not actually going to get any of this as Hoop Dee Doo sadly won't fit into our schedule/budgets this trip.  But this fried chicken.  Oh this fried chicken.  I would fry MYSELF if I were first dredged in whatever the heck it is they put on this stuff.  It is by far the juciest, crispiest, most flavorful fried chicken on the planet.  I DARE you to find better fried chicken.  You won't.  Stop trying.  So, yeah, (if time/money allowed), I would totally eat ~16 silver pails of that.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog

#1:  Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup at Epcot, Le Cellier, Canada Pavillion.  This is another one I've never had, which may make it seem odd to some that this is at #1 on my list.  But it's cheddar cheese.  In soup form. And I recall saying that I'd rank these in order of  "Yeah, I'm totally gonna eat that", to "I'm gonna build a Scrooge McDuck Vault, fill it with this food, put on some swim trunks, and do laps in it", so this is the one.  I don't even have to taste it to know.  Every single last reivew I've read on this stuff (and I've read many) has made it akin to liquid gold.  It can apparently be blamed for Le Cellier reservations being harder to come by than a Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes marriage contract (topicaaaallll!!).  I cannot wait to shove my post-marathon face into a steaming bowl of this stuff.  This soup is the reason why I will be wide awake at my computer at midnight on July 16th (Disney suggests making your dining reservations 180 days before your trip, and this one especially WILL fill up if I don't take that suggestion) to make a reservation at Le Cellier.  So yeah, you had better believe I will eat the absolute CRAP out of that.  And I'll probably never be the same again.

Photo Credit:  Disney Food Blog, Photoshop Credit:  Alison

So, there you have it.  10 reasons why I'm running this marathon.  Forget getting in shape and the feeling of accomplishment.  These are the best reasons I have.

Bon Apetit,

CQ