8.24.2008

Rants and raves

RAVE: Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run. A little warm (high 70s) but I stayed in the shade most of the time so it felt cooler.

RANT: Where the hell is runner etiquette in New York? On the Brooklyn Bridge my running brethren forced into the biking lane several times. WTF? Protect your own NYC runners, protect your own.

RANT/RAVE: Yesterday was the last day of Summer Streets. I hope it comes back next summer.

RAVE: Finally found the water station set up for Summer Streets at 23rdish Street and Park Ave--I was really counting on it yesterday.

RAVE: I purposely made yesterday's run hilly to prepare for my next races--both of which will be very hilly, why do I always do the hilly races? I went over the Queensboro Bridge (130 foot climb), the Brooklyn Bridge (135 foot climb), and Harlem Hill (130ish foot climb). I ran through all of them and felt great except for my knees who weren't happy with all that climbing.

RANT: My knees, still in pain from the 400 feet of climing, coordinated with my stomach to stop the run. On the easiest part of the run--the pancake flat loop around the Central Park Resevior--I got a rumble in my stomach that went straight, um, south. It stopped me dead in my tracks, caused me to make a half-mile walk to the nearest bathroom, and generally f'd up my run. After the bathroom break I tried to get back on track to finish the run, but then I got hungry (huh? again?) and started to get stitches. Ended up doing 18.7 miles. Sheesh.

RAVE: Yesterday was the two week mark until the Maple Leaf Half-Marathon. What does that mean? At this point all my running neuroses heighten and I start my slow decent into obsession about the race. I check the race's website for updates everyday. I print out a small forest's worth of car reservations, race confirmations, and directions. I create my playlist (you know how long a process that is). Usually about a week before the race I separate out all my race day clothing to make sure I don't use them that week. As wifey can attest, by race morning I am a different person: I don't talk, I just eat and get out the door and expect anyone that's going to the starting line with me is following. It's the type of craziness that I thrive in.

7 comments:

Jess said...

That's a lot of hills, dude!

The Laminator said...

Geez...you're a machine! I did the 5 mile of Summer Streets and called it a day...18 miles? Wow, I'm impressed.

RunToTheFinish said...

awesome.. so this week you are going to write paranoid posts about everything, should be highly enterataining!

I think you should also have a talk with your stomach, I mean really you need to teach it a lesson.

Nitmos said...

Ha, you sound like me. Race OCD. I'm usually somewhere near a nervous breakdown by the time taper is over. The race itself becomes sweet, sweet relief from my neuroses.

Viv said...

That is hills at their mightiest!

I am still cracking up at printing small forests. LMAO!

Steve Stenzel said...

Crazy runners. Isn't it great when they just don't move?...

mrjwhit~ said...

I love the Raves and Rants