Pigs Are Flying

So, get this – someone asked me for running advice. WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!? Pigs must be flying, people.

See, I told you...

I was flattered, to say the least, and I thought I’d share the question and answer with whoever reads this in case it helps him or her. Of course, I did tell the question asker that I hadn’t been running for too long so she should also seek a second opinion. If this question doesn’t pertain to you, then please stop reading and go to your nearest Target and start shopping for what I call “necessary luxuries.” Thanksgiving decorations? Yep, you need that.

A necessary luxury

Here was the question re: getting injured before a goal race (was I injured?): So you were able to do your race, just not the way you trained and planned? At this point, I’m not sure which is worse – not running, or running and not hitting my goal time. I’m running a half in less than a month, and I’ve been training my body and mind to run 1:38. I got the impression from that you’re similar to me, in that running isn’t just a sport or way to stay in shape. It’s a lifestyle for me, and it’s a direct reflection of how I view myself on any given day. How did you deal with the mental angst about not being able to run your perfect race? I haven’t been HURT hurt since high school, so for this to happen before this particular race makes me very disappointed. I appreciate your email and any advice on how to combat the mental frustration. I hope you have a happy Thursday!

Before I outline my answer, I want you all to know that I did, indeed, have a happy Thursday. Why? I got to babysit for my favorite family and put all 3 to bed, including prep for the tooth fairy.

I want to know who invented the tooth fairy...

Even better, the Cool Haus truck was outside their apartment so, obviously, I got myself an ice cream sandwich before sitting. It was sweet potato ice cream and a pumpkin cookie. An autumnal ice cream sandwich, right?

Back to the point. So, basically, I told her how I dealt with my disappointment and also warned her that I am no running guru or the like. This was just how I got through my experience.

I will put my answer in bullet points so as to make it easier to read:

• So you were able to do your race, just not the way you trained and planned? Indeed. My goal was 3:35. I ran 4:05:33. I’m not a mathematician, but that’s off by about 30 min or an episode of Modern Family.

Buying season 1 of Modern Family was the best thing I ever did.

• At this point, I’m not sure which is worse – not running, or running and not hitting my goal time.  When I knew my leg wasn’t 100% in the few days leading up to the marathon, I thought about running the marathon vs not. I kind of knew deep down I probably wouldn’t be able to race it like I had trained. I tried to trick myself into believing some magic could happen, but I’m also a bit realistic to know that inflamed tendons don’t just heal magically and that two weeks off before a marathon isn’t ideal. So, I thought about which would make me more sad – running NYC slower than I wanted or not running at all. The thought of not running NYC and missing out on that experience was much more upsetting than running NYC slower than I wanted. That ended up being pretty much a no-brainer for me. Who wouldn’t run the NYC Marathon if given the chance?

I mean, if Katie Holmes ran it, it must be something that I must do.

• I’m running a half in less than a month, and I’ve been training my body and mind to run 1:38. Before I go on, you should get the Believe I Am training diary. You know, it was disappointing that I didn’t get to run the race I dreamed over for several months. I made a lot of physical and mental jumps in the months leading up to NYC, which made me, I think, a much stronger runner, one that could potentially run a 3:35 marathon if the stars aligned correctly. My ITBS was untimely, but I take it that injuries are part of the game if you’re a runner. I like to think that all of the hard work I did leading up to NYCM doesn’t really disappear and it didn’t go to waste. That work is still in me, somewhere, and it will be expressed, for lack of a better word, someday when I’m healthy. All of that work was going into making me a better runner in general – not better for just one race.

Raise your hand if you have one!

• It’s a lifestyle for me, and it’s a direct reflection of how I view myself on any given day. I’m not sure if I’m taking what you wrote in the wrong way, but I would caution against having a result be a direct reflection of yourself. For me, I don’t like to have anything fully identify me. Sure, running is important to me, but sometimes I don’t even like calling myself a runner (mostly because I think people will assume I’m good if I say that). I love goal setting and I love working hard towards a goal. However, I like to do that in other areas of my life, too.  I like to scheme ways to raise more money for cookies. I like to figure out what I want to achieve in my professional career. What you wrote struck a chord with me because when I was an undergraduate, I really let me test scores define me. I was obsessed with how well I did in school, although somewhat rightfully so as I did want to be a competitive med school applicant. My obsession with scores, however, became unhealthy as my mood and happiness was directly determined by how I performed. I finally learned to really “let go” of test scores in medical school when the first two years were pass/fail and I’ve been a lot happier ever since.

Love myself a scan-tron sheet.

• How did you deal with the mental angst about not being able to run your perfect race? I haven’t been HURT hurt since high school, so for this to happen before this particular race makes me very disappointed. It is disappointing. I’d tell you to look at the whole picture. Here is what I did or have been doing.

1. I looked at all the successes I had along the way in training for NY. I had some great PRs and a lot of mental breakthroughs (here are some of the links about them). Actually, before I got injured and was worried about my time goal in NY, a wise person told me the following – “No matter what happens in New York, every positive moment you’ve had and each good race and PR along the way…that’s proof that you’ve scrambled the egg. You can never unscramble an egg.” I had a lot of fun along the way, too, scrambling that egg. The process of training for a big goal was fun for me, and I hope it was for you, too. No one result can take that away from you.
2. I’d say make sure you have something else to focus on after the half. After the marathon, I started on a new, cool project at work and really threw myself into that. I’m now researching what I can do for my IT band/SI joint and what spring races I want to do. I’m dreaming and scheming again, which is fun.
3. I got to this point in my tennis career, if you can call it that, where I realized you aren’t going to show up to every match with everything perfect. Some days, your forehand will feel all. Other days, you’ll feel like you can’t miss. So, I decided that the best you can do is try to 100% out of what you came with that day. Serve isn’t 100%? Then, try to get 100% out of that 80% serve you have that day. Does that make sense? I say go do the race and do the best with what you have on that day. If it’s an injured you, then try to get 100% out of the injured you. That may not be your absolute, maximum 100%, which is what you were training for, but its 100% of what you are that day, and that’s really all you can ask for. Sometimes your 100% that day is only 80% of your maximum potential because of circumstances like injury. As long as you try to get 100% out of what you have that day, you can’t lose. (Well, technically you can still lose a tennis match, but that’s besides the point.)
4. People will come up and congratulate you in the week after race no matter how you did. Use it to build your confidence. People at work, who had no idea what my goal was, tell me my time was amazing when I tell them. Most people don’t even ask me my time. I’ve gotten hugs and high fives and, instead of explaining myself, I’ve used it to pat myself on the back a bit. I hope that’s a good thing.

Of course, I told the question asker that I had my definite sulking period and almost threw my running shoes out the window. And, apparently, I sound a lot more sane about things when I write about them, which is why I like writing sometimes. Trust me, I was definitely pretty hard on myself the few days after the marathon in my sulking period.

I guess time heals all wounds. Yet, I hate to say the NY Marathon was a “wound,” because, I mean, I ran it and finished. I had a lot of people cheering for me (all of those people were for me, right?). I got to experience it. In 20 years, I want to look back on the NY Marathon with fond memories, not angst. It was a beautiful day for a marathon and I ate a burger, onion rings, and fries after. I’d say it was a pretty good day.

I'm sorry people, this is the best marathon pic I have!

If you have any recommendations for my question asker, put them below! And, thanks to the question asker for letting me post this!

Until next time…

Still Sulking

Listen, people. I know I am being ridiculous. Running, while important to me, is a hobby – nothing more. There is no reason I should be upset or in near tears when I think about the NYC Marathon. Anyone want to give me a deadline on the sulking period?

Apparently, I wasn't upset here (yet). You know why? Because I saw Ali, Lauren, and Emily all reppin' the sweat squad.

[Seriously, huge thank you Ali, Emily, and Lauren and all the other cheerleaders I saw - Jaime, Jackie, Kimmie, Jess, Courtney, etc - and my virtutal cheereleaders, too many to name]

Mile 18 or so pick me up. HUGE THANKS!

So, yes, my whole crying on the way to work this morning thinking “all of my hard work went to waste” is quite ridiculous. At the moment, it’s the way I feel and I feel somewhat stupid now making my marathon goal 3:35, then putting that out there, and then failing miserably. I have a hard time thinking “oh, it was that IT band thing,” because I’m sure someone out there has PR’ed in a marathon on a bum IT band.

And then I saw this cute puppy on my way to work, which made me instantly feel better. I feel weird calling it "work," considering I don't get paid. Oh well, it's fun, regardless.

Or maybe I’m just slightly psychotic. Someone had the office told me “I’m sorry you’re injured,” and I was like “oh this IT band isn’t an injury, its just an annoyance.” I’m very rational right now, obviously. Like when I almost threw my running shoes out the window this morning – very mature.

Someone at work did validate me by telling me she has similar marathon experiences in not being 100% content with her time. She made me feel so much better and I’m convinced we’re the same person although separated by 6 years in age(we have similar test scores and everything). She told me to not let it ruin the whole experience for me because, at the end of the day, the NYC marathon is a very cool experience.

Anyways, if you know me and how I follow gymnastics obsessively, you would know that I, course, know the slogan of the gym that produced the last two Olympic All-Around champions, WOGA (World Olympics Gymnastics Academy). In true Russian fashion, the motto of the gym is “Train Hard Or Go Home” and “Hard Work Never Disappears.”

I want to raise my kids in Dallas just so they can be good gymnasts...

I like to think the latter one is especially true. Sure, I worked hard for 3-4 months and it didn’t pay off on the big day.

However, I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to judge anything by just one day. I don’t think a surgeon would judge his or her career based on one case.

Similarly, although I spent 3-4 months training for the NYC Marathon, I had a lot of little successes and breakthroughs along the way. I learned how to get rid of negative thoughts at the Boilermaker, I learned that humidity does actually suck the life out of you in New Haven, I learned that focusing on enjoying yourself can lead to big PRs when you least expect it, and I learned how to, finally, appreciate tempo runs. I learned that the physical often follows the mental (ie Believe I Am), that you don’t have to do crazy long runs really early in a marathon training cycle (thank you, RC), and that the whole “training for a marathon” thing can actually be pretty enjoyable, at least in my book.

I still die for the Boilermaker.

[P.S. I have to give a big virtual shout out, hug, and high five to Steph (the RC). She is awesome. She gets a thumbs up from Meggie. And a pointer finger. Although I don't think she reads this blog. Irregardless, she's cool.]

Look at the RC go...she is so fast.

I haven’t found the actual marathon to be enjoyable, yet. It’s kind of a lot of eggs in one basket for me, for a race. But, I figure, that’s kind of how I felt about running for a long time — I thought it was pretty miserable. I figure as long as I have the desire to do a marathon, I’ll keep trying.

So, yep, I think this post actual ends sulking period. Meggie isn’t a quitter, last time I checked. I have some really things going on at my unpaid work, have more time to scheme ways to raise money for Cookies For Kids’ Cancer, and can start planning my marathon revenge.

Also, PS – everyone I have ever met from Oregon or who has lived there at some point is super tiny. I want to know what on earth is in the water there that is making them all so skinny. I want some of that. Or a mild bout of a tapeworm or something. It can’t be just all that running and stuff they do over there, right?

TELL ME: Your comeback stories, your revenge stories, your war stories, your glory days, your successes, how a sport has once been terrible to you and then you loved it again…I need to be inspired. 

Before I go, I ‘ll give you one of mine which has been helpful to me in my sulking period. My junior year of college, I think I won two matches all of the fall season, culminating in a particularly terrible match that I called my “waterloo.” That fall, I felt like I couldn’t hit the side of a barn if I tried. I thought very seriously about quitting tennis that winter, because I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. That spring, I took all pressure off of myself and focused on very basic things. I got all conference that season in both singles and doubles (first team doubles, second team singles, in case you were actually curious.) So, I guess things can turn around.

One of the only pics I have of me playing tennis...I'm sure there are more somewhere....

Until next time…

P.S. Did you buy picky bars, yet?

Dear Self…

That’s right, I wrote a letter to myself. I can’t take credit for the idea. I stole it from former UCLA gymnast and 2011 World Team Gold Medalist, Anna Li. Here’s one of her floor routines, just so you can know who I’m talking about.

Anyways, I remember reading that Anna Li wrote a letter to herself before her senior season at UCLA, writing to herself how she hoped she would feel at the end of her collegiate career. I’m not exactly sure why she did it, but I thought it be a good, umm, writing exercise?

I wrote a first letter to myself a few weeks ago, before the whole IT band thing happened and my main focus, at the time, was achieving my time goal. It helped me focus myself on what I wanted to feel like at each part of the race and how, ideally, I would like the whole thing to play out. It was actually the first time I used the lined, journal side of my amazing Believe I Am Training Journal, which I still insist that each and everyone of you reading this buys (for the guys, its ok, pink is totally in for guys, too).

The back cover - can we call this super hero "Super Taper?" Yes?

However, I’m thinking I need to write a new letter to myself. For a few reasons…

First, to be honest, I’m very overwhelmed by this whole marathon thing. I’m not exactly sure why, either. In past years (when I have not been running it), I thought the energy was awesome and was jealous of people who were getting to run it. Now that its me running it, all the runners descending upon the city, ads, events, etc, make me anxious. Suffice it to say that even though I haven’t been running much, my heart rate has definitely had some spikes in zones it would only see while running. So, I think writing another letter to myself would help me refocus myself on what I actually want to get out of this whole experience and will help, umm, un-overwhelm me.

If I mention heart rates, I obviously have to show a picture of an EKG.

Second, one would reason that I need to change my expectations slightly considering I’ve run 3 times in the past 2 weeks. Of course, because I am very competitive and pretty stubborn, my A goal hasn’t changed. But, I guess my level 0 goal is to finish, considering I may have that knife in the knee happen during the marathon at which point I most likely wouldn’t be able to run the pace I would need to achieve my A goal. Plus, as all of you all reminded me, there are so many variables in a 26 mile race that it’s best to have multiple goals so there isn’t one “do or die” goal you have to hit.

I’m pretty stubborn and know my competitive self a little too well. I will probably be slightly disappointed if I don’t achieve my A goal. I’ve dreamed of it since August. It’s hard for me to let it go.

I will be enormously disappointed if I don’t finish. Yet, with my IT band thing, it is a very real possibility. I need to come to terms with the fact that I might have to readjust my goals depending on how my leg handles the race.

In my first letter to myself (which is a lot of rambling, fyi), my over-arching theme (or recurring thought, I guess) was that I wanted to walk away from the experience with a smile on my face. This may be the only time I get to run the NYC marathon and I don’t want to take it for granted or be ungrateful for the experience.

I don’t think disappointed and smiling really go together. So, clearly, I need some sort of attitude adjustment. One of the reasons I like writing blog posts is that it helps me process things in my life by turning it into a cohesive (well, not always) post. I find writing therapeutic and cathartic at times. So, I will probably be writing a little letter to myself in the very near future about how I want to feel come Sunday evening. You best believe it will also be in my Believe I Am Training Log.

Maybe I should print this and pin it to my bib or something...

Emotionally, I’m excited, terrified, anxious, scared, uncertain, yet thrilled to be taking part. Although I’m sure I seem like an ungrateful, competitive whiner, I truly am excited that I get to run in one of the greatest marathons in the world (and possibly the largest, I think). It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Physically, I feel very well rested, but with a lot of pent up energy.

Leg-sically, I ran today for 20 min. Its better, but its not perfect. I can definitely feel some friction, but its much better then previous runs last week and its not too painful. I’m hoping adrenaline will provide some analgesia on Sunday and I won’t notice a thing. I also plan on icing and taking ibuprofen (until Saturday when I will switch to Tylenol because it doesn’t affect your kidneys like NSAIDs do, just an fyi)

A nephron, which is the "workhorse" of the kidney! If you want an explanation of why you should take Tylenol before and during a marathon, I can tell you. And It has to do with this little guy.

Mentally, I have to take it one day at a time. I’ll have to take it one mile at a time on Sunday and keep reassessing my situation as I run, I guess.

So, that’s where I’m at people.

Oh guess what I also did – I’m pretty sure I freaked out a real life Kenyan runner. I saw Sally Kipyego, who was with the RC and, of course, I recognized her and screamed, “OMG!!! I LOVED YOUR INTERVIEW ON FLOTRACK! YOU ARE AMAZING! CONGRATULATIONS!”

I’m sure she thought I was a real life Buddy the Elf.

I wanted to ask her to give me all of her secrets, besides being Kenyan. Missed opportunity.

TELL ME: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WRITING A LETTER TO YOURSELF? EVER GET OVERWHELMED BY A RACE? MOVIE RECS FOR WHEN I BEGIN HIBERNATION PERIOD?

Until next time…

P.S. Aqua jogging gets old very fast.

Baby Sweat

Oh yeah – that’s right people. I ellipticalled for 20 minutes today and it was exhilarating. My little nucleus accumbens was firing like crazy I’m sure. What’s the nucleus accumbens you ask? It’s a little nucleus (think of it as an activity station) in your brain that is sometimes dubbed the “reward center.” This little guy also plays a crucial role in addiction. The neurobiology of addiction is actually fascinating.

Just so you can know where the nucleus accumbens is.

Ok, I’ll stop nerding out on you all.

Anyways, so I went back to Dr. Levine for some more ART and he says my IT band feels better. BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO RUN TOMORROW.

His reasoning is as follows. Today was the first day that my leg has not hurt walking since I re-aggravated the ol’ IT band last Thursday. Since it appears the IT band is on the upswing (or so we hope), why would I want to run tomorrow and potentially mess up all the healing that’s taken place since last Thursday? A reasonable person wouldn’t want all that tortured rest period ”super-taper” going to waste, now would they?

Surely, you've haven't forgotten about super-taper, right?!?

The problem is I haven’t exactly been reasonable and rational lately, which is probably why Dr. Levine asked me, “So, why are you wearing running clothes right now?”

BECAUSE I WANT TO PRETEND I’M GOING TO RUN — THAT’S WHY.

Ok, lies – I was wearing running clothes because they’re more comfortable than real clothes and, as always, I want all the world to know I <3 Sweat.

20 minutes of sweat is better than no sweat, right? I'm sure Ali agrees.

So, I’m trying very hard to listen to what other people tell me to do and not to let the crazy person that has invaded my body take over, which result in me taking myself on a 6 mile run that could potentially deter me from MARATHON GREATNESS. And, we don’t want that, do we?!?

I mean, this is completely what I anticipate myself looking like all marathon long. You see the resemblance, right?

Seeing as I have to do something before I lose my mind (and 20 min on an elliptical isn’t going to cut), I’m going to go senior citizen tomorrow and aqua jogging. I’m just really upset I don’t have one of the following awesome swim caps for the occasion.

Exhibit A --- and these models do NOT look like senior citizens to me...

Exhibit B --- she also does not look like a senior citizen.

I know, you can’t win them all. The NYU one I got from my friend who is the assistant coach (shout out to Spenser Popeson) will have to do. However, cool swim cap or not, I have to do something to burn off my excess energy so I don’t take off at the start of the marathon like a kid running from house to house trick-or-treating.

Paperclip, Paperclip's Older Sister, and I

Well, at least that’s how Paperclip – excuse me – Buzz Lightyear trick-or-treated last night.

Quick Tangent: Speaking of Halloween, best trick-or-treater at our  house last night was the girl whose father said, “Well, she’s really enjoying this, but Daddy’s getting his cardio – whew!” I almost wanted to yell, “Sir, do not take your cardio for granted!”

See, I have seriously morphed into a legitimate crazy person.

In case I don’t write between now and the marathon, I want to give big good lucks to the following: Kelly, Susan, Lindsay, Emilia, Celia, Lauren, Shannon, Gia, Skinny Runner, Betsy, Katie and Mike. If I missed anyone, I’m really sorry!

If you’re watching the race, you need to cheer the loudest for Lauren (Fleshman). Yell something about Picky Bars or sparkly headbands or beer…or something like that. Or just your usual “Go Lauren!”, yet, I feel we can all get more creative than that.

If you watch the 5K the day before, you need to cheer very loudly for the newly engaged couple, Steph and Ben, who I usually refer to as “the RC” and “the RCF.” You can yell something like, “Oh my word, your ring is blinding me!” or “Is that the guy that can talk like Donald Duck?!?”

All three will be really skinny. I am sure this will help you distinguish them from all the other professional runners.

Ok, now for the question I will pose to you all – WHAT NAIL COLOR SHOULD I WEAR FOR THE MARATHON? Possibilities include:

• Smokin’ Hot by Essie (gunmetal color)
• Lapis of Luxury by Essie (which was “belief blue,” but its very summery)
• Carry On by Essie (a deep plum, but that’s the color the IT band injury happened with so I’m thinking no)
• black (because it’s fierce)
• orange (because it’s my lucky color)
• Rock the Croc by Essie (because its my favorite “fall red”)

If I can find it, I may go with the new “Baubing for Baubles” by Essie – which is a deep sapphire blue, so it can be the new “belief blue.”

I hope its not so new that I won't find it....

ALSO, TELL ME: What was the best Halloween costume you saw? And Kim K divorcing already? Glad I caught the wedding special before that happened!

I saw a Jamaican bobsled team. Very clever.

Until next time…

[P.S. I'm sorry if this post made no sense whatsoever.]

I’ve Become One Of “Those” People

Literally, people, this not running thing is for the birds. I never thought I’d be one of “those people” that goes crazy not running. Who am I?!?

I keep trying to think of IT band friendly activities that do not include shopping. Today, I resorted to “inversion therapy.”

Exhibit A:

It started to bother the ol’ leg after about 15 minutes and my back realized I’m not the young spring chicken I was just a few short years ago before I started running so much.

[The above was Aug 2009. I think I'd die trying that now.]

I did some arts and crafts:

Snaps for Katie who ran MCM today!!! (And Lauren, Christy, and everyone else!)

I went to visit Paperclip, who was playing hard to get. He knows he loves me.

Dressed to watch the game - GO VOLS! Or not, since they aren't doing so hot this year.

I researched way too much about Derek Dooley’s pants, which are awesome.

FEAR THE PANTS. I hope Dooley doesn't get fired, because I like his enthusiasm.

Ally and I got pedicures.

The flip flops go with my "Knoxville attire," which basically means I wear sweats all day and ridic shoes.

Yes, those are furry flip flops. Don’t lie to yourself. You want some. And, yes, that is a Halloween scene on my big toe. The lady asked if she could do it and I told her ,”Do whatever you want! Go to town!” I commend her dexterity.

Slightly tacky, yet awesome. Hey, you only live once and this will most likely get destroyed in a week.

I mean, if not now, when?

I went on a 2 mile walk with my mom. The leg felt “twingy,” which is a legit medical term, in case you were wondering. I was thinking of trying out some tennis this afternoon, but that walk made me think twice.

So, I’m back to lying supine and reading “The End of Normal” by Stephanie Madoff Mack.

Really easy and gossipy read. Dig it.

I keep trying to tell myself that is not always your situation, but how you look at the situation that really matters. All the work was done when my IT band decided to stage a mutiny against me. Instead of thinking this little hiatus will make me sluggish and slow, I must think that it’ll leave me fresh, excited, and ready to go in a week. If I think the former instead of the latter, I’ll lose it, big time.

Now, I’m off to do some more handstands.

Until next time…

The Weather Matched My Mood

Today was one of those days I just want to stay at home at watch Rachel Zoe all day…rainy, misty, kind of cold. Perfect reading day, actually. You know, one of those days you want to spend in your snuggie or, better yet, HEATED HUGGIE.

This look is dead sexy. Straight off the runway.

Dog clothes freak me out. Dog snuggies are even worse.

The weather actually perfectly matched my mood. I ran for 50 min today which, in hindsight, was too much, seeing as my knee/IT band/angry tissue started hating me again and hurt with walking and bending. I had violins following me around all day and, at a few points, almost cried, at which point I reminded myself that I was being ridiculous. I really wasn’t freaking out so much over the fact that running 50 minutes reaggravated my IT band or whatever. I was more sad that all of my hard work was going down the drain.

True Life: I was terrified of pool drains as a child after I watched a 20/20 special about kids dying from getting their hair caught in them. I've been watching 20/20 from an early age.

I was talked off the ledge by a few nice people and realized that I still have 10 days to get better and that, in reality, I just need one good day of running. That’s it. If gymnastics taught me anything, its that you can definitely throw some tape on whatever ails you and suck it up for one day.

I was brainwashed as a child to think this had magical properties.

I also went back to Dr. Levine today after leaving a message that probably sounded like a anxious person yelling, “CODE RED: MY LEG IS FALLING OFF.” I got ice and stim and feel much better. Dr. Levine told me to focus all of my energy into my leg being 100% better. That means no running, elliptical, biking, or anything with a bending motion that hurts my knee until Tuesday. No tennis because the torque isn’t good for the SI Joint. I can swim if I so choose. Basically, I have to treat my body as if its a princess.

But, duh, we already knew I was a princess.

Cinderella is the bomb.

So, this has led me to the perfect Halloween costume: SUPER-TAPER.

Duh, Super Taper is a super hero.

Super Taper’s powers include: resting, icing, not being sad or freaking out, foam rolling, healing, movie watching, book reading, and relaxing.

Thankfully, I’m going home this weekend so I’ll have my partner in crime (my sister, Allison) to accompany Super-Taper in my marathon movie sessions. Allison hates running so she will want to hear nothing about it, which is fine by me.

So, that’s my plan – focus on 100% getting better, not freaking out about not running, not being sad because I will run NYCM come hell or high water, and judiciously picking out the best movies to watch all weekend.

TELL ME: WHAT ARE YOU BEING FOR HALLOWEEN? ANY MORE MOVIE RECS? TV SERIES YOU LOVE THAT I SHOULD START?

If things aren’t better by Tuesday, I encourage any of you to come join me in singing kumbaya and meditating or something while also seeking out doctors who can shoot some cortisone all up in there.

And, for those of you who have asked medically related or anatomy related questions, first, you should speak to your actual healthcare professional always, seeing as I’m not a real doctor nor am I an expert in the musculoskeletal system. However, I’ll do my due diligence for you and get back to you. I’m no soft tissue or anatomy maven, but I do know good places to look for answers.

Until next time…

Ways to Waste Your Time

Today my goal was to rest, send healing vibes to my left leg (a skill taught in medical school, obviously), and not think about the “what ifs” ie “what if this happens to my leg during the marathon?” Normally, my “rest days” are the day I run all my errands, so I’m walking around and there isn’t much resting. Today, however, was a true rest day meaning I spent most of it not moving, minus the hour or so I spent cleaning and organizing my apartment.

To keep my mind off that little race in two weeks, I found some fantastic ways to completely waste your time. Now, I could go all conventional time wasting with facebooking and twitter, but that’s so passe. I know there should be an accent on the e in passe, but I don’t know how to type that end. I’m sorry.

one 

The twitter fail whale was a "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" question the other day. Just an fyi.

These time suckers will completely consume you and you will forget about whatever it is that is keeping you in the supine position.

1. GYMNASTICS DOCUMENTARIES, FLUFF PIECES, AND REPLAYS

Thank Jesus for gymnastike today. They put up a BBC documentary today on the British women’s national team leading up to the 2008 Olympics.

And here’s one of my all-time favorite fluff pieces on John Roethlisberger from the 2000 Olympics.

And here’s one on Nastia from the 2008 Olympics:

You can watch replays of competitions on USA Gymnastics’ youtube channel or scout the latest Chinese underage talent that will compete illegaly in the Olympics.

While a fabulous bar worker, He Kexin (the gold medalist) was NOT 16 in the 2008 Olympics. I think her adult teeth were just coming in.

2. BABY NAME BLOGS

No, I am not with child nor am I having a child any time soon. However, I have been obsessed with baby names for as long as I can remember, meaning that, yes, when I was 12, I wanted to name one of my boys “Bradley” because I liked that character on Home Improvement. Thank God I wasn’t 16 and Pregnant or my kids would’ve had some very 90s names.

This was a good look, that's for sure.

I won’t share my current children’s names, as I don’t like it when people already don’t like the names of my unborn children, but the girls are J and C and the boy is L. You can guess what they are if you want. That’s right, I’m having two girls and a boy. Now, they just need a father.

http://swistlebabynames.blogspot.com/ <— can waste so much time here

http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog <— I bet baby name wizard doesn’t have a wand. I do.

3. PIPERLIME.COM

First, Rachel Zoe has her “picks” on the site, so, obviously, I frequently visit. However, I find piperlime to be the ultimate in online shopping. There is so much stuff there, its like getting lost in a department store, but not. I always go straight to the “Girl On A Budget” section, because I am poor. Another fabulous Rachel Zoe spoof:

4. FIGURING OUT WHICH GOLDEN RETRIEVER YOU’RE GOING TO GET YOUR DAD TO GET YOUR MOM FOR HER BIRTHDAY

We got our last dog, Baxter, may he rest in peace, from the Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue. So, I stalked the website today seeing which dogs might be suitable for my mom, which my sister could then talk my dad into getting for my mom.

RIP Baxter. I hope they serve tons of wheat thins to you in Doggie Heaven.

My mom might kill us because Goldens shed so much and all that hair keeps her vaccumming all day long. And you wonder where I got my cleaning obsession from.

I got a Swiffer Wet Jet the other day. Its pretty awesome.

Some other time wasting activities: The Kardashian Wedding Special (seriously, 2 hours) and re-reading the tome that is the September Issue of Vogue.

TELL ME: SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE LAZY DAY ACTIVITIES?

The leg still feels weird. Whatever. I may or may not be running tomorrow. I’ll assess tomorrow. I’m too focused on the upcoming Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion Part 2 to think about my leg.

Until next time…

Wizarding What’s Up Wednesday

Lots of things rocking my world this week. What’s not rocking my week – being on a plane right now with some “mild turbulence” to boot. I’m focusing on the fact that this plane cannot fall out of the sky — or so I have been told.

1. ALL OF YOU REMINDING ME TO HAVE A,B, AND C GOALS

After my last marathon, when I was “disappointed” with a 21 min PR that didn’t quite reach my lofty goal, a wise person told me that the marathon is such a long race, that you must go in with A, B, and C goals as there are so many variables that are out of your control. Seems like I forgot about that little tidbit pretty quickly. Thank you all for reminding me with one of my “OMG, I hate time posts” that I need to have A, B, and C goals.

You all are so wise.

2. BIC BANDS

You, too, can get your sparkle on.

It stayed on my head for 18 miles. I approve.

3. OISELLE BLACK ONYX TIGHT

Rolls Royce of running tights

I tried these bad boys on before I left for Orlando and it literally felt like I was putting butter on my skin.  The material is so smooth and soft. Its amazing. Go run and buy yourself some before the sell out (remember the rundies ran out? And my sadness?)

4. THE PEABODY HOTEL’S COMMITMENT TO DUCKS

I stayed at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando and never wanted to leave because its nicer than where I live in NYC. The Peabody Hotel is all about the ducks – at the original hotel in Memphis, they have a duck parade every day where the ducks walk to this fountain. Everything had ducks on it at the hotel – the soap looked like a duck, the coffee stirrers had ducks on the end.

 

Quack Quack

I like when people commit to things – you go Peabody Hotel.

5. THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

I luckily had 2-2.5 hours after the end of the conference and before my DELAYED flight to go check out Harry Potter’s hood. It was everything I imagined when I dreamed up my own Harry Potter theme park in the 7^th grade, but obviously not quite as cool as mine.

Hogwarts!

In mine, the castle was a hotel and you got sorted when you arrived to which house you would stay in. Awesome? YES.

Hey Mom and Dad! I'm in Hogsmeade!

Regardless, the actual Harry Potter world was AMAZING. If you are a diehard fan such as myself, you must go.

Butterbeer is pretty darn good...

 

My frozen butterbeer - kind of tastes like cream soda + hint of egg nog + butterscotch. Its pretty rich and I didn't finish the whole thing. I am so lame. And, of course I got a souvenir mug, duh!

AND GUESS WHAT?!? All of my dreams came true when I was picked in Ollivander’s (the wand shop) to have a wand choose me. Basically, its like in the movie when Harry gets his wand and he tries a few ones, does a few spells with them, and they don’t work. When he picks the right one, lights shine down on him and it gets all windy and magical and stuff.

 

Harry's wand chooses him...

AND GUESS WHO WAS JUST LIKE HARRY TODAY?!? ME!!!

ME!!! In front of the Gryffindor flag. I'm like a witch. I totally would've been accept to Hogwarts if it were real.

 

The wand that chose me was birch, 15 inches, dragon heartstring core. Clearly, I had to buy the freaking thing.

It chose me and I got sucked into buying it.

 

So, I now have a wand which will sit in my room and collect dust.

OK – two more quick things that made my day at Universal today:

Seeing this when I was leaving Suess land to bee line to Harry Potter:

Recognize this from anywhere?

Getting this made:

 

It was a tough call between orange or pink.

I think I may wear it during the marathon.

 TELL ME: WHAT THREE WORDS WOULD YOU PUT ON A BRACELET IF YOU COULD? OR GRAPHICS? OR INITIALS IF YOU’RE INTO MONOGRAMS LIKE ME…OR WHAT HOUSE DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD’VE BEEN IN HARRY POTTER?

I’m thinking either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff for me.

Until next time…

 

What’s Up With That?

I don’t know what it is, but on my trip to Orlando, I’ve seen a lot of things that make me whip out my camera phone and pictorialize it so I can process it later.

Apparently, Sunday, October 16 was a really popular day to fly as the the security line at LGA was the LONGEST I have ever seen it, and I fly out of LGA at Thanksgiving, Christmas…you know all of those typical popular days to fly.

October 16.

 

Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2010 -- I took this picture at that time because I couldn't believe how there was no line.

Dude on the plane wearing a mask – guess he just saw Contagion or something.

Was he trying to protect us from what he has? Or trying to protect himself from what we have?

Raise your hand if your 5 year old self would’ve begged your parents to stay in this “castle.”

A 5 year old girl's Ritz Carlton, that looks so tacky at 25.

Apparently, slanted or upside down houses make great tourist attractions here in Central Florida.

Or maybe those houses were just confusing as I was under caffeinated and running in some thick thick humidity that makes my hair grow 3x larger within 5 minutes of stepping outside.

Before I go, question of the day – I want to know your answers. It will not be eloquently stated. I’m sorry.

So, as you may know, I have a time goal for the NYC Marathon. However, when I think about that ol’ time goal, it paralyzes me. The only way I’ve been able, thus far, to come to terms with making time part of my NYC goal equation is to entertain the possibility that I won’t achieve my goal. Do you think this is giving up/being a wuss/copping out or being realistic?

This reminds me of something I once read or heard about Justine Henin, a Belgian tennis player who won a lot of slams, in case you didn’t know. Before she won her first French, I think I remember reading that she came to terms with losing and, furthermore, that her team/husband/etc would still be there for her if she did lose the final. In turn, she was able to play loose and free and won (and won many more slams). I just don’t know if me being ok with not running under 3:35 is my giving up in disguise.

Your thoughts, appreciated.

Until next time…

 

OMG. I can’t breathe. -RZ

You must know by now that I love Rachel Zoe. If you’re not aware, Rachel typically says “OMG I can’t breathe” or “I’m lit-er-ally dy-ing” in case you’re confused by the title. Anyways, my long run anxiety filled experience must have been exactly what she felt like when she was “dressless for the globes” in season 2. Don’t worry it all worked out ok for RZ – Cameron Diaz wore this awesome Karl Lagerfeld Chanel creation that Rachel actually got altered to be sleeveless.

Cameron totally shut it down. She look ba-nan-as.

So, you know how I was pretty freaked out over my long run with the 10 miles at marathon pace and what not? Yeah, let’s just say I did all 10 miles still pretty freaked out. I should’ve carried a brown paper bag with me so I could rebreathe my own CO2 to calm myself down.

If you want to know how fast I ran it and stuff, here is a nice Garmin table for you.

A 3:35 marathon is 8:12 pace - I'll let you be the judge if I was successful or not.

What this picture doesn’t tell you is that I seriously had to take time out seshes about 4 times to keep myself from having a meltdown. I knew I was being super irrational when I was complaining (in my head) about “all the people in this park – there’s too many and they’re overwhelming me!” Seriously, self? This is CENTRAL PARK in NYC – of course there are lots of people.

Also, does a gnarly headwind actually slow you down? Because I was complaining about that, too. In tennis, you can’t really complain about conditions like sun and wind, because, well, its always the same for your opponent. I’m not sure if wind affects running, but it was contributing to my meltdown today.

AUNTIE EM!!! This wind is gnarly.

So, I don’t really know if I can check the success box for “10 miles at MP” as I don’t think they allow for time-outs for panicking during a race.

I don’t really consider today a success, because its pretty much everything I would NOT want to happen before and during that marathon I’m running in a few weeks. My fear of failure pace-wise basically paralyzed me from running relaxed and calm like I did at Grete’s two weeks ago.

This was fun. Today was not.

Today confirmed that time is my frenemy. In the garden of my mind, time is both a flower and a weed. Or maybe just an flower surround by lots of thorns or something – oh wait, that would be a rose.

If I want to find a silver lining, I guess it was pretty much MP and I ran 18 miles total (4 before and 4 after). Afterwards, I got to eat 3 of Kelly‘s “healthy cookies” (or at least that’s what I call them) while watching American gymnastics dominance with her and Celia.

Anyways, I have 3 weeks to figure out how to channel Grete’s and Cow Harbor Meggie and not today’s Meggie. Suggestions for accomplishing this are welcome.

I guess I just have to go back to what worked in my past few races – enjoying pushing myself, enjoying the experience, singing to Taylor Swift, being cognizant of time, but not obsessed with it, etc. I’m hoping I get my act together or its going to be a miserable 26.2 miles. I thinking it won’t be though.

On another note, before we go, my hunger is out of control lately. I feel like I can’t go 2 hours without eating. To make matters worse, my building’s mailman is hosting my newest Picky Bar shipment hostage as he didn’t deliver the mail today. Its upsetting.

***ALSO, BIC BAND UPDATE – It stayed on my head for all 18 miles. I’m a fan.

Until next time…