Turkey, Car Rides, Hills and Headwinds (and whining)

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Did you know that the average person consumes the same amount of calories on Thanksgiving day that the average marathoner burns on race day?

Following my first strength training session in about a hundred years, Tuesday night brought my usual running date with Mary Ann - 5 along the marathon course. My poor legs were pretty sore from strength, but it felt good to stretch them out a bit, and of course the conversation and camaraderie was welcome. Wednesday once I was finally able to shut down my work computer, I unfortunately had to turn my attention to packing, laundry and pie making, instead of the spin workout I had planned. But it's the thought that counts, right?

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and early when the alarm went off at 6 for the Gobble, Gobble, Gobble and dear reader, my heart just wasn't in it. I needed a little more shut-eye and to be quite honest, wanted more than 4 miles that day. I ended up doing a little more than 6 at a later hour; 4 around the river, plus about a mile each way to/from the river from Noah's place in Charlestown. I felt quite satisfied when I finished, although secretly I was wishing for a pint of beer and my friends at The Burren, rather than a quick shower and a car ride to Weymouth.

I stuffed myself silly at my parents' house, including the two pies I had baked the night before, then Noah and I hopped in the car and headed up to his parents' house in Chestnut Ridge, NY, for Thanksgiving #2 on Friday- but not before doing hill repeats that morning - YUCK!

Then, because there's no rest for the wicked, and also because we ate more than 2 people should in a 24 hour time period, we faithfully got our long run in on Saturday. After haggling over the total mileage, we settled in on somewhere between 8 and 9. I grumbled and complained about doing fewer than 10, but in the end was glad to stop when we did - the course he had plotted out to take us through some fancy neighborhoods and scenic areas ended up being VERY hilly and challenging. Plus, it was crazy windy that day and we seemed to be running into a headwind no matter what direction we went. If memory serves me, about a half a mile from the finish I declared at the top of my lungs that I hated him, then proceeded to explain for the remainder of the run just how much I hated hills, especially the day after doing hill work. Is there no justice? There certainly wasn't for poor Noah.

The rest of the day, thankfully, was lazy - a hot shower, homemade turkey soup, sitting by the wood stove reading in side-by-side armchairs (the picture of domestic bliss, as Noah's dad called it), a fiercely competitive game of Jenga, then dinner at a sports pub with some friends. We got back in the car late that night to beat the torturous Sunday-after-Thanksgiving traffic, finally hit Boston around 1:30 am and today was workout-less.

Tomorrow I'll try to make Vic's strength class again, kick off what I'm considering the official beginning of my training for Boston and take back my fitness. After all, Noah threw down the gauntlet today to try and lose 4 pounds by Christmas - and I'll be damned if I don't match it.

Strong Like Bull (or full of it)

Yes, I realize it's been a long time since I've blogged. Blame it on my job; it's been a busy and hectic fall at work.

Since my last post, I've gone on a destination run with Noah in beautiful Vermont, up near Killington. We took off on Saturday the 7th to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and a scenic 7 miles took us by a few babbling brooks, a rafter of wild turkeys (bet you didn't know that's the proper word for a group of turkeys, did you?), George the blue heron - he must have hitched a ride on our roof - and a few butt ducks that could be heard hovering closely behind Noah... Legend has it they are known to come out of hibernation following breakfast sandwiches and coffee on the road.

It was quite a bit colder up north, but the chilly air felt wonderful in my lungs, making for a strong run, and making the fireplace in the lobby of our hotel even more welcoming than the proprietor was when we walked in the front door - if that's possible.

Since my last post, I've also had a few great runs (last week's 7 on Thursday and 9 on Saturday both left me with a smile on my face) and a few notsogreat runs (the week of the 9th I struggled).

Most importantly, since my last post I started strength training. Last night, to be exact. I'm committed to doing this whole marathon training thing properly this year, and I've finally admitted to myself that running and spinning alone may not keep me injury-free. So last night I attended a strength training class, hosted by Vic at Boston Performance Coaching. He's also the resident strength and conditioning guy at BU, so he REALLY knows his stuff and after an hour with him in the gym my whole body felt like spaghetti. No major muscle group was spared and today I'm feeling it. It's a good feeling, though, and hopefully as I get stronger and fitter, the miles will feel easier.

Up next, the Gobble Gobble Gobble on Thanksgiving Day in Davis Sq., then a destination long run on Saturday in a TBD location near Noah's parents' house. But not before I have not one, but TWO Thanksgiving dinners. Bring on the stuffing!

Grand Total

Today, a coworker of mine attended a memorial service for one of her younger sister's best friends. She was only 19 and another young victim of ovarian cancer. The coworker relayed to us through puffy eyes how tear-jerking and moving the memorial was, and with each detail the rest of us welled up listening to the story.

I walked back to my desk sniffling and wiping my eyes, thinking about how it's right around the "angel-versary" of my friend Chris, for whom I run Boston in memory of every year. Then I saw a new email from DFMC, subject line "DFMC 2009 Grand Total Announcement."

Drum roll please...

"One hundred percent of the team’s grand total of $4,025,688 will be directed to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute."

That's FOUR MILLION, TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY EIGHT DOLLARS. All raised by a group of 550 people.

It breaks my heart to hear about families ripped apart and young lives cut short by cancer, but it lifts my spirits to know that the DFMC team is out there doing our part to make a difference, and that there are countless groups out there doing the same. Together, I KNOW we will find a cure and someday have our grandkids ask us what cancer was. Until then, we can give.

Run Strong, Guys!

I just rolled out of bed and, as Katy Perry suggests in her song, am shaking the glitter off my clothes from last night's Halloween escapades. My friends Jeff, Tyler and Sarah, on the other hand, are in the middle of running the NYC Marathon - and kicking major ass, might I add.

At the 10K mark, Jeff clocked in a 38:34, Tyler was at 40:54 and Sarah 49:05. Just plain AWESOME.

Keep on keepin' on, guys! Right foot, left foot! Show those New Yorkers what Boston is made of!