Run, Eat, Drink. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

How was your Labor Day weekend? Are you as sad as I that it's over?

The weekend started for me with the last summer half-day Friday we get for work. :::Sigh::: It was fun while it lasted.

To enjoy the day, mourn the passing of summer, and celebrate the beginnings of fall (my favorite season!), Kelly and I sat outside our favorite neighborhood joint and enjoyed our first Sam Adams Octoberfests of the year.

Hello lovelies. You make it much easier to say goodbye to summer!

Now, Kelly brought up an excellent point. Should one be drinking beers when one has an 18-miler to run tomorrow?

The correct answer? Probably not. My answer? As long as you drink plenty of water with them (and while you run), you're good to go. 

Training is, has been, and will continue to be a very important part of my life. But it's not the only part. And I think with all these years and years of training, I'm learning more and more to balance the two and to have a bit more fun with it. Back in 2011 when I started training for these shenanigans, I would get incredibly nervous every single Friday for my Saturday runs. I'd really stress myself out! I still have my moments now and again where I get some butterflies before I start, but I've learned to make them more butterflies of excitement versus butterflies of terror and fear. 

So what do you need to be excited instead of scared? Here's the list:

1) A good route (that I know includes bathrooms and water fountains!)

2) My fuel belt, stocked with water, gatorade, more gus than I need, a credit card, my ID, money, my keys, and my cell phone (oh....just that?)

3) Good clothes that I know will work (i.e. not chafe me awkwardly and will hold up to the sweating)

4) A stellar running buddy

College roomie Jen is an excellent candidate for #4, and she did not disappoint for this, the longest run to-date of the NYC Marathon (Alleged) training season.

I had planned out that good route I mentioned which would bring us from my apartment, down the East River, over the Queensboro bridge, into Queens for a hot minute, over the bridge to Roosevelt Island, circle the island twice, and then back. Phew! It's a good route that is mostly flat except for being able to practice the dreaded Queensboro, which we will hit on Marathon Day (maybe) at mile 16-17 before entering Manhattan. It's a loooooong slow incline, which makes it a doosie!

View of the Queensboro bridge from Roosevelt island

The day was incredibly humid, but we muddled through by taking it slow and steady, having lots to catch up on to distract us, and stopping often for water refills (as I was loosing liquid at an impressive pace).

Hey, cool lighthouse!

Obligatory Roomie selfie (with my fancy PMC hat)

If you've never been to Roosevelt Island, it's worth a try! You can get there via the F train or the tram (or via running...) for those of you in NY.

I haven't been in over a year when I did this route for the first time with Team For Kids. Something new since I've been before is the FDR Four Freedoms Park which opened in October of last year.

This park resides on the southernmost tip of the small island (less than 4 miles to run around) and is a monument to FDR and the four freedoms he spoke to in his 1941 State of the Union address.

I thought it was a lovely park and I love the four freedoms ideal (as shown etched on the stone in the picture above) that the park stands for. We stopped a bit to be tourists, and Jen and I really enjoyed it as a fun, unexpected surprise.

After the run, I refueled on bagels and Gatorade, stretched, and took a long nap next while Archie looked on.

Enjoy your nap. I'll sit here and stare and wait. Don't mind me.

I weirdly woke up, 18 miles and 3+ hours done, feeling fine. Like, just slightly sore but not as incapacitated as I usually am for these types of endeavors.

Maybe it was the slower pace or the nice long nap or additional stretching...or maybe the fact that I know my childhood bff Diane was arriving any moment for a visit!

Diane and I on the 3rd of July this year in Boston. This is basically us in a nutshell.

While here, we did a lot of eating mostly in the Asian genres (she has lived in both Japan and Korea, so I look to her to expand my food horizons!) and maintained our tradition of late-night Karaoke singing along with some of my other pals.

I like to do the private room Karaoke with a small group because I will not sing in a public forum. I know I'm not necessarily the "greatest" singer of all time. Close. But not the greatest.

However, once I get in that little room and get that mic, I'm like:

And then I'm like...

We also did unlimited Sangria brunch on Sunday. So basically I ran and then we ate and drank and ate and drank and ate and drank....forever. 

Now I am watching one of the great movies of our time while I gear up for a short week ahead.

Next post will be after I run my 10th (Ah!!!!) Half Marathon in Plymouth next week. 

Archie and I (yes, he is a Jewish cat), wish a sweet and happy New Year to those celebrating! L'Shanah Tova!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

On Friday afternoon I got an amazing surprise email. Roommate Jen who I ran with last week was willing to come into the city and run with me again on Saturday. I was beyond thrilled to not have to do 18 alone, because I've never completed more than 14 miles solo and I was scared! 

Jen is so funny, because she kept apologizing and asking if it was "okay" and wanting to ensure she wouldn't mess up my pace or wasn't asking me to start out too early. I found it hilarious because A) we're basically the exact same pace and B) I would go ANYTIME to not have to run alone! 

A lot of people thrive on that alone time, and so do I...to a point! But more than a couple of hours of alone time running makes MeriG into a bit of a looney toon. I am not super into listening to music when I do long runs, instead opting for nerd-time rocking out to NPR. [Becoming more informed whilest running makes me feel super productive!]

But my ideal is to run and chat with friends, because it makes the time pass so much faster and is great for Quality Time. So, yeah, Jen. I was "okay" with you "crashing" my run. 

And as far as the early start was concerned? A 5:30am wake-up call and 6:30 start time is admittedly gross. But it also allows you to see views such as this...

View of the East River at Sunrise

And when you see a sunrise like that on a crisp, cool Saturday morning with a wonderful friend? It's still a little gross to be awake, but it makes it pretty worth it as a whole.


We started at my apartment and ran to the East River. Running through and beyond Carl Schulz park, we ran along the river up until the path ended at 125th and then retraced out steps back down until the path ends at 60th St (1st 6 miles).

Seriously!!

Roomies on the run!

From there, we ran down 1st Avenue and re-entered the East River path in the 20s. We took this path around the Southern tip of Manhattan and up the West Side, ending in the 60s on the West Side.

Pretty bridges on a pretty day

See the Statue of Liberty yonder!

The weather was absolutely stunning. A still, sunny, 40-degree day. I had properly bundled up (a feat that I've been having a bit of trouble with with the winter running!) so I was even too warm for a lot of it. But mostly comfortable and cozy.

Thumbs up in front of Jersey

Lookin' classy in my favorite new Purple Brooks 1/2 Zip pullover

I'll post sometime soon about what I've learned about winter laying, because I think it would be helpful for newbies. Look for that sometime in the upcoming days!

Even though I've done this route a bunch of times now, I came across this cool quote as we ran near Tribeca on the West Side. It reads: "I can said without wind. I can row without oars. But I cannot part from my friend without tears." I thought it was really poignant and beautiful.

Perhaps the best part of the run, though, was trying to explain to Jen what SantaCon was. She hadn't heard of it, so as we ran I told her about the masses of thousands of people dressed as Santa who descend on the city and spread joy [read: create drunken havoc]. I don't think she quite believed me.

Well, at 10 am as we were finishing our run, we ended right at Pier 84. Which happened -- previously unbeknownst to me -- to be the exact starting place and time of SantaCon.

Thousands of Santas coming from all directions to meet at this spot. I guess she believed me in the end! I've never actually participated in SantaCon, and I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition for "Old Me" (who always wanted to do it, but always had a conflict) and "New Me" who finished an 18 mile run at 10 am on a Saturday. Fascinating.

Three more long runs until taper starts again for Miami! Eek!

Was your weekend full of running? Or of drunken mayhem? 

Gadgetry and Gizmos

It's weird. When people ask if I'm training for Miami already the answer -- I suppose -- is yes. But it's honestly gotten to the point where I'm so used to running these .long distances on Saturday mornings that it doesn't feel abnormal. It doesn't feel like so much effort like it used to. Does this mean I'm officially [shudder] becoming one of those runners I used to say I'd never be? Those people that say that 10 miles is no big deal and mean it? What has happened to me!

I am still trying to work out my schedule from now until the end of January. I'm actually struggling -- believe it or not -- with holding myself back right now. I want to run 14, 16, 18 miles (gross, right?) But I have to force myself to stop at 10 or so the past couple of weeks. Otherwise, I'll have basically 30+ weeks of straight training, and my body won't be able to sustain it.

Yesterday I decided to do  my therapy session (err...I mean run...) on my own rather than with a group. I started at my apartment on the Upper East Side on 1st and ran West all the way to the water, entering at the Boat Basin (for you NY-ers following along in the audience). This straight shot across is exactly 2 miles.

I ran north along the water, with the highway on my right and Hudson on my left. It was a gorgeous, crisp fall day (although a bit windy) and I was enjoying the view and nerding out to some NPR on my iphone. I continued on this for about 2 miles and then turned around and headed back south, retracing my steps.

From there, I passed where I had started (mile 6 or so) and then continued south for a mile and a half. This got me to around the 40s on the West Side, at which point I turned around and retraced again through Riverside Park, one of my favorite places to run in the city.

In the 70s-80s, aside from being really clean with a separate path for biking and running, it has really nice, unique landscaping, sculptures, and structures that are just nice to look at and focus on during the run. Really recommend going there if you're in the city.

Once I got back to the Boat Basin once again (mile 9) I simply ran home to get to 11 miles. My favorite part of the run was probably the cut through in Central Park. 

I challenge you to find me something so Autumnly delightful. Can't be done. You lose.

When I first started running, I was pretty religious about mapping out my route in advance. I'd get nervous and want to know exactly where I was going and where my mile markers were. I'd use Map My Run in order to plan my runs, study the map, and then go and do what I had routed. But along the way, what if there is a detour? Or things aren't as they seemed on the Google map? Or you run into a rogue ogre or trolls on a tollbridge or someone you once went on a bad JDate with? I felt like I needed to be able to make changes as I went.

Over time, with enough routes under my belt, I found I didn't have to be such a planner about my runs. Which is nice. One less thing to be kray about. From experience, I could know more about the terrain, where bathrooms are (can be key), where to find water fountains (until they get turned off for the winter...fail!), and what is going to have stoplights vs. a straight shot path.  That said, I did / do still want to know how far I'd gone. 

I also started caring more about my speed as opposed to just distance alone. I know some people are really good about just knowing how fast they're going. I am not one of those people. Because I have a propensity to lie (I am running a 5 minute mile! I am qualifying for the OLYMPICS!)

This is why I bought my Garmin watch. You can get ones with GPS (more expensive) or without (less expensive). I have -- and recommend -- the Forerunner 70.. This non-GPS version comes with a foot pod that you attach to your shoe, and the data goes into your watch. You can download this data (if you  want) later to analyze pacing, timing, etc.

I bet he doesn't think two GPS sources are too many. Go, go Gadget!

Your watch can be set to show different fields depending on your preferences. I have it so it shows my current pace, my current total mileage, and current total time. But you could do average pace, heart rate (it also comes with a monitor for that), or others depending on what your goals are.

The only caveat I'd make is that you have to be careful not to obsess too much over tenths of miles. The watch, like all apps and other devices, is not perfect. This post From one of the running blogs I follow demonstrates that two Garmins can show different mileage and pace. So use it as a guide and not as 100% mantra.

But you might ask, MeriG? Do I need a watch at all?

No, Dear Reader, you might not need to invest in a watch at all. Turns out they have these fancy iPhone "machines" (as my Mom calls them) that have things called "applications." It's basically one step down from the Hoverboard.  

For running apps, MapMyRun is decent, and Nike+ is pretty great. But I recently found a new one I wanted to share because I'm obsessed with it! It's called RunKeeper and can be downloaded for free. Join me as I show you the glorious-ness, won't you?

Unlike some of the other apps I've used, you can select what type of run you are doing. Speed workout? Steady? How many miles as your goal? Do you want to warm up and cool down? It's awesome. Here I opted for a 5 mile steady workout, which included 5 minute warm up.

As you run, it tracks your speed by the minute. Egads, so much data! After your run, you can be like, at minute 42, how fast was I going? The answer is a 8:52 pace. I'M SO FREAKING FAST I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT.

My average for the whole run was 9:25 (you see on top) and I burned off enough to indulge in some yummy cornbread at brunch.

mmmmmmmm Cornbread.............

Sorry, got distracted. Back to the review:

Like the other apps I've used, it will track your route. But what I like about this is that it shows you the mile markers really clearly along the way. Very nice.

Here's my route throughout my parents' neighborhood. Please don't stalk them and kill them. Thx.

You sign up for a profile when you start, and this allows you to track your progress over time. Once I add more mileage, it will add on to the 5 miler. I also have my "Goal" to run 26.2 miles at some point (yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what she always says...)

You can choose to sync up to Facebook or not (like most of the apps).

What this does differently, though, is it keeps up with your individual records. How far you've gone when using the app, how fast, how high an elevation...kind of cool!

All in all, would definitely recommend. A couple of other cool features:

* Like Nike+  (and some others), you can choose a playlist to play as you run from your phone. However, what I like about this versus Nike is that when you have alerts (I have mine set to tell me when I've hit mile markers and my average pace), the music continues to play on RunKeeper (just softer). Nike will just stop the song entirely. It's a small detail, but I like it.

* On the homescreen of this app while you're running is a big button for "coaching." When you press it (which is very easy while running to minimize phone fumbling), it will tell you the mileage and speed so you don't have to wait until you actually hit a mile marker (because I get curious!)

Anyways, I hope this helps. I know I was overwhelmed with all the apps and gadgets and just possibilities when I started, so hope I can help some other novices navigate this space. 

Do you use a Garmin? An app you like? How do you manage your runs and pace?

Purple Arm-Warmers. The New Little Black Dress?

Last Saturday was the longest training run of the season, capping out at a whopping 20.6 miles. And -- yes -- the point 6 matters when you are running these types of distances. I want full credit.

The run started bright and early at 7 am, which is also about when sunrise hits. I arrived in the Park at the team's designated starting point about 20 minutes early to have time to pee and prep. It was pitch black and 37 degrees.

I was like this:

Although I wore a billion and a half layers to the start -- similar to what I will do on race day -- for the run itself which started in the morning's twilight (with the temp rising to a smoldering 40 or so) I just wore my shorts, TFK tank, and a new addition to the wardrobe: the purple arm warmers.

My pace group before the run. I am the one circled in yellow.

How SEXY are those PURPLE ARM WARMERS!?!

Don't answer that.

Wait, do. If the answer is: Super, Meredith. Super Sexy.

It's like sleeves without a shirt. Genius. The rationale is that I can have my jersey visible and not have to worry about taking clothes off and on while I'm running. And who doesn't like to show a little shoulder?

And we started, and it was great. The route was really cool. It went a little something like this:

We started in the park, ran to the East Side and down first until we could get on the FDR, around the tip of the Island and up the West Side Highway. From there we went through Riverside Park, cut across around 120th and then headed down into the North side of Central Park and back to where we started. Actually a really cool loop, and one I would highly, highly recommend for those who need future NY training runs.

I warmed up seriously after just about 1 mile. Gave a really good indication of what race-day will be like (the temps were pretty right on-par for average Nov. 4th) and why you see runners looking like they are wearing nothing but they seem fine. Because they are. Because they are running far.

I ran next to my friend Jazmin the entire way, as she is a perfect training partner for me. We are a really good pace for eachother, and we have plenty to chat about. There also were a lot of others near our pace (we ran an average of about a 10 minute mile for the run), and with plenty of water fountains along the way it was a nice lil' day.

J and I with our respective matching outfits: white hats, tanks, SAME Lulu shorts and warm warmers. TWINSIES!

The run was supposed to be either 20 or 22 miles (depending on what you wanted to do). I really did have every intention of doing 22 when I started...but then when we hit 20 POINT 6 the coaches were there and basically were like, "Meh, run it...don't run it...it's up to you. Feel free to go down the road a bit and back." Um. I decline. Evidently at this stage of the game we have done all the training we are going to do. The extra mileage would have just been psychological and -- frankly -- I am A-OK.

So what does it feel like after you run that many miles?

At first you're kind of in a state of shock. Immediately after I basically dove into my duffel bag and chugged a muscle milk because your body is just dying to consume some calories. Dying. There is also a stiffness. The TFK coaches are great and they stretch you out after (which does immediately help for sure), and it's great to continue doing that at home and for the subsequent days after these runs. Because the aching and soreness can be quite, um, apparent. What else? Oh, yeah. Sometimes you've lost a toenail or you have a massive blister or an unfortunate chafing situation. That hurts. You take care of that as soon as possible.

But ultimately -- despite all of the above -- I actually was feeling pretty darn great! The emotional joy of accomplishing something that rationally your mind says "uh-uh, that seems improbable" is really cool. It's a mixture of elation and lunacy. I imagine it to be akin to childbirth. Everyone says after, "yes, it hurt...but it was so worth it! It's the good type of pain!"

They are liars and -- to be frank -- I probably am too.

Michele, Me and Jazmin: Lunatics All

So now, with 18 more days to go, what am I doing?

Well, as far as work-outs go, we are officially in the "taper" period. Meaning that I am running easy workouts and no more crazy weekend runs. I mean, I have one more 12 left. But that's not crazy anymore.

I just read that last paragraph again and I understand that I need to punch myself in the face for writing that. Aligned.

Okay, so this week I do a few runs, and then next week same. The week before the marathon I take it super duper easy leading up to race day.

What else? Okay, so lots of stretching and healthy eating (meh?) and staying away from sick people. Now is note the time for my body to become a wonderland of disease.

Also prepping for race day. I want to have every single little detail ironed out before that weekend. When am I going to go to the expo? What food exactly do I want at my home that morning and to pack with me? What clothes am I wearing that I will throw away? Where will my parents meet me? And the important question: WHERE IS THE AFTER PARTY? (More on that to come this week for those interested!)

I hope you, too, are getting as excited as I am! It's been a long road and I couldn't be more excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I'll be sending out an email soon to friends and family on tips/tricks on where and how to watch me on Sunday, November 4th. And where and how to enjoy a beer with me after.

Let's do this, ladies and gentlemen. It's taper time.

An Ode to Central Park

There are rare moments in New York City when you stop and think to yourself: Man! I really like living in this New York City! This moment might finding a new Food Truck parked directly in front of your office when it's raining (mad props to "Seoul Truck" and their Bibimbop). Or it might catch you when you discover a particularly entertaining subway performer that doesn't make you want to kill yourself and all the people around you. This moment happens to me most often, however, when I take run on a particularly lovely day in one of my favorite places on earth: Central Park.

I've been to a lot of cities. And -- with the exception of Vancouver -- New York City absolutely wins for having the best design of a park within a city. (Seriously, if you haven't been to Vancouver, you should. Their park is sweet). Think about it though: NYC without Central Park? Would be...horrendous. Truly awful. I guarantee we would all kill each other zombie apocalypse style.  The park's design in the middle of Manhattan gives New Yorkers a place to do their thing! To relax, to exercise, to play the sporting games, to enjoy a carousel ride or -- perhaps -- to enjoy a small musical number:

For me, Central Park is the preferred venue for MeriG's training runs. What makes the park so awesome, you say? A couple of things. 

First, it is located near my apartment. Actually, rather, my apartment is located near it. I made sure to live near the park when I decided to move back to the UES after business school because I am a calculating genius.

The park is also great to run in because of all the public amenities such as vendors and bathrooms. Both are key. The vendors are great because for certain length runs I just bring a few bucks and then can purchase a Gatorade inside. No water bottle necessary! Genius! Bathrooms are just always a good idea. Minimal explanation needed on this one.

But what really makes it a phenomenal running locale is the multiple options. To do a full loop on the main road of the park is 6.1 miles and is a great 10K option for anyone. But what's great is that there are cut-offs that can make your run either 4 or 5 miles if you take them. Here's a map so you can see what I'm talkin' about: 

http://www.theplaza.com/pdf/CentralParkRunningMap.pdf

By the way, I had this linked from The Plaza's website so that it reinforces how truly elegant I am.

This map shows that there are other options you can take which have become my personal favorites. One is the loops around the Reservoir, which is a bit over 1.5 miles. You may recognize this path as a favorite of Sex and the City's Charlotte York. Or you may recognize it from the photos I took on Saturday that I have posted here:

Seriously...how could you not be obsessed with New York on a day like that? Ridiculous.

I also love to run on the Bridle Paths of Central Park. There are various interlocking paths of different distances (between 1.5 and 2.5 miles) that are on dirt, which can be much better for your knees. The only thing is that they're a bit rocky and have branches and stuff, so you really have to be careful. I took a nice little   fall a couple of weeks back which was -- I can assure you --both graceful and attractive.

Simply delightful.

The way I personally like to do long runs is to do combinations of the different loops. As an example, for my 10 miler on Saturday I did the full outside loop (6.1) plus almost a full loop of the Reservoir (~1.5) plus a Bridle Path loop (2.5). I think this makes the run a lot easier because you're not repeating the same thing multiple times. Plus the different terrain mixes things up. I like the mixing up of things, you see.

This is a cool picture I took because it is from the rare point where all three loops run parallel. I'm standing on the Reservoir Path, next down is the Bridle Path, and below that is the Central Park road.

I think Central Park is -- in part -- what fosters so many people in this city's love of running. It really is a great communal place that you can be alone in your run, but also with people (I am so profound I really can't even stand it). Great for people-watching, great for options, and great for over-priced Gatorade, I feel very fortunate to live next to a park that attracts tourists from all over the world. 

Truly, if ever I was going to break out into an impromptu musical number, the Park would be my first choice in which to do so. You can quote me on that one. 

An Unnecessary Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

Funds collected to date: $1661.40 (63%)
Amount needed to reach pledge: $958.60
Long run: 14 miles (total weekly mileage = 30)
Weeks to Go: 13

This week I ventured where I have not ventured before: Running greater distances than a half marathon.

I was home in Plymouth to volunteer with my Dad for the Pan-Mass Challenge on Friday. Volunteering was amazing but -- unfortunately -- it consisted of me being on my feet for quite literally 12 hours straight. Without a break. Not exactly a "rest" day, so to speak. That night after plenty of stretching, moaning, and groaning, I passed out in my childhood twin bed. To be clear, I did not regret volunteering because I felt so privileged and rewarded to put in time for such an amazing cause. But at the same time I felt like I might never walk again. In other words, confidence was low.

The next morning at an ungodly hour, I was up and ready to rock n' roll. I actually felt pretty strong except for some aching feet. Helping me out was the fact that the weather was border-line glorious at 7 am: minimal humidity and only 70 degrees.

Following I have decided to create a pictorial view of my 14-mile run through Plymouth so that you might experience what I experienced that day. My amazing mom decided to join me at the beginning of the run and would be waiting for me at the end.

Here I am, ready with my cool fuel belt to start the run at Nelson Beach:

Caption: Hey! I'm wearing a fanny pack!

I started my run doing a couple back and forth passes on this cute mile-long dirt path from the beach to 3A near Cordage Park (for those of you brushing up on your Plymouth geography). Yonder in the photo you can see Myra doing her own laps on the path. Adorable!

Is that the Mayflower? And Plymouth Rock? THE Plymouth Rock???



Why yes. Yes, it is.






After a jaunt in ye olde historic Plimouth, I ran down a hilly Warren Ave to the beach and reached mile 7 right here:

It took absolutely all my willpower at this stage not to pack it in, call it a day, and pass out face first into some questionable Plymouth Public Beach sand. So, I had myself a Gu, turned around, and started heading back towards the downtown again.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of Gu. If you ever told me even one year ago that I would be "that" runner who eats multiple of these "foods" (I can't in good conscious call them food with out a solid set of quotation marks), I would tell you that you, sir, were mistaken. Gu? Like...Goo? Really?

Really.

I ran by my old high school next to which the town is finally building the new high school. Let me preface by saying that this old high school had problems. You think your school was crappy? Well, we had our English classes in things called the "Portables." In essence, we learned the fine nuances of literature and linguistics in old, dirty trailers. Need more examples? Our music room was so small the woodwinds and brass couldn't actually practice together at the same time. Swear to god. One more? One time I was walking down the hall with a friend, and a huge chunk of ceiling fell out merely inches in front of us causing not only a near death experience for her and I, but also some significant ceiling and floor damage. The response? There would be a waste barrel in that spot for the remainder of our tenure at PNHS.

Why don't I just let you be the judge. Old high school:

New high school:

"Wow. Missed out on that one," I thought as I hit the 10 mile mark.

From here I ran back to Nelson Beach, consuming my second Gu on the way, to see what Myra had been up to in the 2 hours and 20 minutes it took me to run in this adventure.

She had clearly been suffering.




I actually had felt pretty good for the majority of the run, but the last mile was -- frankly - absurd. I feel like this is where the mental aspect comes into play, because as soon as I hit 13.1 I could almost literally feel my organs, bones and muscles start to freak out. Things got incredibly difficult, and I actually questioned if I could run that last 0.9.

But then, I was rescued -- as so many runners are -- by the one and only Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" blasting through my headphones. Yes! I too am on the edge of glory, Gaga! And I can do this!

What, I ask you, did runners do before iPods and Lady Gaga? I don't even understand.

Once I completed the run, what I wanted to do was die. What I did instead was some quality stretching like a champion. I wasn't going to post these photos Myra snapped away while using an iPhone for the first time ever. But, after deleting the 1,000 mistake photographs she took, I actually thought I looked pretty athletic in these and wanted you to see living proof of this as well:

Seriously! I look like I just came from the pages of an awkward Women's Health magazine or something, right!?













My tale is almost complete, but not before I tell you about the absurdity of what happened next. I went home and took an ice bath. A bath. In ice. You think running 14 miles hurts? Oh, no no no no no no. Getting your naked tushie into a tub of freezing ice water and sitting in that water for 10 minutes: that is pain. You are supposed to do it because of lactic acid build up, and it's evidently quite important for recovery.

To quote Jack Dawson of Titanic fame: "...water that cold, like right down there, it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe. You can't think. At least, not about anything but the pain. Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you."

But go after me Leonardo DiCaprio did not.

While in that water, I cursed every running blog, magazine and website that had ever told me to do this. I swore to kill my coaches that had recommended this torture. I questioned if this was actually perhaps a cruel joke and how much of an ass I would have been for believing that this was appropriate.

And then I got out. And proceeded with my day.

But I will tell you: it actually worked. 24 hours later, I really felt quite good! The downside is now I know I have to do this every week. Lugging bags of ice home after long runs. Alone. Up three flights of stairs. To a bathtub I'll evidently have to start cleaning on Friday nights. Harumph.

To conclude this story of photographs and words, I am really excited I successfully and safely broke the 14-mile barrier. Special thanks to Mom and Dad for listening to me whine, fueling me up with yummy food, and being incredibly supportive this weekend as I continue the madness.

Oh and of course, an extra special thanks to my sister Allison for being super-sketchy slash absolutely hilarious: