Training Begins!

Today's the day! I officially start my training today. I didn't run today, because it's a "rest" day, but I went to my usual spinning class. I really like spinning, so I decided to keep that in my routine on Mondays and Fridays until it feels too hard. I'm also not doing every, single run on the training schedule. They recommend running 4 times a week, and I'm going to do 3. Deal with it :) That's how I've always trained. Also, my sports doc said to not run two days in a row, which would be impossible not to do with the program.

Anyway, I feel good, and I'm excited. I did 5 miles on Saturday with no complications. It felt great. I'm taking care of me and just enjoying each run as it is. I'm not thinking about time at all. I am thinking about the celebratory Dave Matthews concert after the half marathon!!

We threw Tara her bridal shower on Saturday. It was so wonderful. All of these big celebrations get me thinking about where I'm going and what I'm doing, which is always scary but fun. I can't not think about those nights in college when me and my girls would sit around and wonder why we couldn't find a nice guy to take us on a date to the Union Building or maybe The Olive Garden. It's funny how life turns out. If I learned anything, it's that you can't plan a darn thing.

Life without Peter is still hard, but the pain isn't as sharp anymore. Boots is so comforting, and we love spending all of our time at home with him. Ok, just got a sad pang. Maybe it's still a little sharp.

Short week this week! Happy day that we decided to be tough Americans!!

Goodbye, Peter

We lost our dear cat, Peter, on June 17, 2009. He just dropped dead. He had a heart murmur, but nothing had been wrong. I wasn't home, because I was out to dinner with old friends whom I hadn't seen in a while. One announced her pregnancy. I was on a high. Then Michael called. I rushed home, we rushed to the Penn Vet ER, but he was gone. I miss him so terribly. He was only 5-years-old. The house is so empty without him.

Our other cat, Boots, is missing him also. He is completely attached to us, which is very comforting, but we can tell he's hurting just like we are. Poor Michael has been so strong for all of us. I wish I had been home with him. He is the best person I have ever met, which I always knew, but he is showing it so much through our grief.

In the meantime, I try to find the happiness and be grateful for what I have, which is a loving family, a beautiful pet, and fantastic friends. And I'm still running! I did 5 miles, my longest run since the marathon, on Saturday, and I felt great. Life goes on.

September 20

I signed up for the Philadelphia Distance Run! I am excited to train for another event. Wait, who said that? Yes, I'm ready. I hope my knees and everything else is as well, but I think I'm good. Training starts on June 29. I have a schedule, and I'll try to do the best I can. For now I'm just enjoying my runs, staying stretched out, and enjoying life.

I went on my longest run since the marathon, 4 full miles, on Saturday morning in Port Chester. I felt really good afterwards. I think I'll know a lot of people doing the race, so that will make it even more fun. Plus, we have tickets for Dave Matthews that night. Talk about a post-race celebration!

On to the next run...

Why I Am

Sometimes change is good. I ran a different route this morning for my 3 miles, which has become a nice standard twice during the week. I also listened to the new Dave Matthews CD while I ran, which is a change from my usual Preston & Steve radio show routine. What a difference it made! I was sluggish on Tuesday morning when I did the same distance. This run was really enjoyable and reminded me why I love running. I didn't think about time, I drank in my surroundings, and I must admit, I bopped a little, to my new favorite song, "Why I Am."

I'm also reading this great book called Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr. It is about a collegiate track runner, so it has nothing to do with my type of running at all. However, it's a cool read and makes me feel really laid back about my own workout routines. Then this morning, I read this lovely piece of prose about running at night, which I might have to try soon:

"A passerby might have thought him in a trance, but he missed nothing in his darkling backdrop: the smells of winterblooming flowers, clean coolness of blackjack oak, damp pepper of Spanish moss. The sounds were of early-evening TV silliness, dinner, children's squabble. He was a shaded meteor plumbing a twinkling universe. The night made even more acute the runner's senses, lent more poignancy to his aloneness, made his fast pace seem even faster, generated an urgency, a subdued excitement in the act of solitary motion."

I know exactly how that feels.

I've decided to start training for the Philadelphia Distance Run on September 20. It's a half-marathon and one I've done twice before. It was my first TNT event, and I love the course. Plus I have tickets for Dave Matthews that night, and 8 days later we leave for Florida. Nine days later, I turn 30, but we'll ignore that.

The training starts in 2 weeks. I'm excited! Plus, I might have my bro-in-law with me on the run. He expressed interest, so naturally I'm pestering his twin, my hubby, to join us.

It was a good morning :)

Reunion

Last night we had a reunion of the Spring TNT team who did the NJ Marathon. It was SO much fun! There were 10 of us and lots of raucous laughter, funny stories, and touching moments. I had felt like such a bad mentor, because I had not been able to go on the training runs. Nothing helps you bond with people like running for miles and miles together in the freezing cold. However, despite my absence, the whole team made me feel so included last night. Heather, a survivor who originally did not think she could take on the half marathon, proudly announced that she'd be doing the Philly Full Marathon in November. She then gave me a photo of the team right before the race, which I treasure. Everyone talked about their "battle scars" as well as their magical finish line moments. It was inspirational and an absolute joy.

I met my friend, former boss, and neighbor, Ruffian, for a morning run at 6am today. She just did her first big race, The Broad Street Run, and she's a great athlete. I was proud of keeping up with her. We did 3 miles in the cool rain, which was actually nice, and we finally got to catch up. I hadn't seen her in so long. My knees felt a tiny bit sore, but nothing big. As my doctor said this week, this is just something I run through now.

I think I want to do the Philadelphia Distance Run this September. I love the time of year of this race and the course. Plus, my mentee, Abby, is a mentor this season and will be doing the race along with some other coworkers and friends. Here we go again!...