What's the Difference Between Eating 63 Hot Dogs and Running a Marathon?

Not much.  Baffling as to why one would want to do either, but running a marathon is only slightly less disgusting.

Good Lord, girl, where have you been?
Training, training, training!
Didn't I tell you, there's a triathlon and a marathon to get ready for!!

I'm sure I've said this before, but blogging is sometimes like going to the dentist -- you know you have to do it, but you put it off and put it off, and then there's jsut too much work to do when you finally go.

I'm sure I've also said this, but I will try to post shorter, more frequent posts.  But not this one.  This one may turn out to be super-long.

First and foremost, the most important reason we're all here -- I would like to announce that as of today, I have raised approximately
$8,500
of my
$10,000
goal for both the marathon and the triathlon.

Due to unpopular demand -- folks not wanting me to put their names out on the interwebs -- I am suspending the listing of the Fred's Team Honor Roll, although believe me, I've got it here with me.

Please help me honor the memory and fight of Prince Liam the Brave by helping to ensure that no child ever again has to suffer from neuroblastoma and other deadly childhood cancers. It couldn't be easier -- all you have to do is click here to go to my triathlon page, or  here to go to my marathon page.  The money that you donate goes to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research. 

And let me tell you, I am earning every penny of your donations this year.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of each discipline, since I don't have the Buckeye Outdoors link on my site anymore -- and I think I should get it back, because the Training Peaks software that Fred's Team now uses, though a good program, does not have the linking capability to the blog that I was hoping for -- a brief overview of the schedule: 
Monday -- swim
Tuesday -- run
Wednesday -- bike
Thursday -- run
Friday -- off
Saturday -- long run + swim
Sunday -- long bike

Can you believe I used to be a pack-a-day smoker?

First off, I am swimming.  And by swimming, I mean not drowning for half an hour at a time.  Which admittedly is hard to do in a pool that's only 17 yards long and 4 feet deep (NYSC pool in the Crowne Plaza, or whatever hotel that is).  I have been working hard with the drills and the endurance, but until yesterday, I wasn't able to go more than 4 laps at a time without feeling like my heart was going to burst.  It doesn't matter how long or how fast you can run, swimming uses a set of muscles -- and apparently a set of lungs -- that you don't normally use anywhere else.  I have discovered that as long as I sidestroke, I can go for at least half an hour, which is what I was expecting the swim portion to be for me.  So I had planned to do that.

However, I have been told by many people who've done this particular tri that the water in the Hudson River is at least 2 knots, and you are swimming with the current.  If you put your arms in front of you, you will go point to point in 28 minutes.  Additionally, I took my first open-water swim class, and after learning which is the correct way to put one's wetsuit on -- zipper in the back, and yes, I AM the only person in the world not to know that! -- and realizing just how bouyant and fast you become while wearing one, I think I might have to do more crawling and less sidestroke.  That, plus the instructor kept saying to beware of the frog-kickers, and that would be me.  I am feeling better about that, and also yesterday in the pool, I managed to do multiple sets of six consecutive laps, which I've never been able to do before.    Okay, so it's only 100 yards at a time, and I'm going to need to do 15 times that to get through the swim portion, but I'm just looking to get through the swim portion.

Some other things I learned during the open-water swim class -- the wetsuit does not keep you dry.  Water definitely gets in there, especially since I have a sleeveless one that I think is maybe a half-size too big for me.  On the other hand, water also gets out, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.  Also, the ocean is very, very salty.  I drank enough of it not to need extra sodium -- including electrolytes for my run -- for the next three days following.  Something tells me the Hudson is not going to be nearly so "tasty."

Biking, one would think, would be much easier to take.  Alas, not so.  After spending nearly $900 on my bike, a Cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 7 Sora, and learning to understand all those gears and how they shift, I discovered the one place Cannondale really skimps, and that's the seat.  I was under the impression that, seeing as this is a woman's bike, that they would provide a woman-specific seat.  Apparently they do, but it must be for a woman with no genitalia.  I was wearing bike shorts on my rides -- which for the uninitiated is a pair of shorts with basically a Depends sewn in the crotch -- and was still getting such pains in the female parts that after my first 18-miler, I bled for two days (TMI, part of the process).  

So back to Toga for a better bike seat, and an introduction to Chamois Cream, which is a cooling cream for one's, um, chamois.  Apply directly to affected areas -- apparently things feel better if you wear the shorts without underwear. And amazingly, they do!  Although why there is menthol in the cream, I don't know.  Some parts of the body don't need to be mentholated. 

I've been having palpitations about what to wear under the wetsuit for the bike and run legs.  I was super-worried about tri shorts, given that I can barely stand riding in the bike shorts, and tri shorts have only a little bit of padding in the crotch, because you're also supposed to do the run in them.  My friend and Teammate Abby suggested I do what she did, which was wear running shorts, and pull the bike shorts over the top for the bike leg.  That was the plan.

Then yesterday, I discovered that I indeed had a pair of tri shorts that I unwittingly bought in last year's Jackrabbit post-Thanksgiving sales frenzy (where I also picked up the wetsuit for under $100, btw).  So yesterday's experiment -- 18+ miles in tri shorts, no undies, to simulate the bike leg.  And believe it or not, I did 23 miles in those shorts and it didn't feel too terrible!  Of course, when I got off the bike my back seized up and my left arm had gone numb, but I can't attribute that to the shorts.   So it looks like we might have a winner!

The other thing I have taken the plunge with is to buy and use clip bike shoes. They have a clip on the ball of the shoe that clip into the bike pedals.  The idea is that you are helping to move the bike both by pulling up and pushing down on the pedals, which makes you go faster, and also helps with the hills.  I was initially scared to use them, as I had visions of not being able to take my foot off the pedals and falling over.  Turns out, it is extremely easy to unclip one's foot from the pedal -- as long as one remembers that one's foot is clipped onto the pedal.  My first foray out with the shoes was a jaunt up to the GW Bridge and back, a nice, long and fairly flat ride up the West Side of Manhattan.  The only problem is there is one section where you have to leave the path along the river and head into the city streets for two blocks.  There is a stop sign where you cross from the street back onto the bike path.  I got to the stop sign, stopped, and tried to pick my foot off the pedal.  Why can't I lift -- wait a minute -- and then plop, over I went.  Scraped knee and banged wrist -- that freaked me out, because as a stenographer, I can't afford to mess up my hands -- but otherwise, I'm no longer scared of falling over on the bike.  And now I remember that my feet are clipped to the pedals.  Duh.

Here's an observation I have as a runner-who-bikes:  as a runner, you have to be aware of your surroundings, but as long as you're not running a race, it's okay to sort of  "check out" every once in a while, you know, let your mind wander.  You cannot do that on a bike.  You have to be 100 percent aware 100 percent of the time, and it's so scary sometimes to be in Central Park and have to ride amongst the hundreds of bike-renting tourists and others who do not ascribe to that edict.   Here in NYC, there's a huge business -- legit and otherwise -- in renting bicycles to folks to cruise Central Park and also Riverside Park.  Why is it that people who clearly do not ride bicycles in whatever city or country they live in decide that a great way to see Central Park is to do so on a barely-working rental bike?  They ride in packs of 10 abreast, oftentimes the wrong way (you are only supposed to go counter-clockwise on a bike in Central Park, just as with cars), usually without helmets, and doing things that people who would have enough common sense to fill a thimble wouldn't do, like stop at the bottom of the Great Hill when other cyclists are barrelling down that hill at 30+ miles per hour -- or even better, make a sharp turn across the roadway in that exact same spot.  Or just stop randomly in the middle of the road.  And my favorite of all -- TEXTING while on a bicycle.  Apparently this woman must be a doctor informing her colleagues of an important medical decision that must be made immediately and could not possibly wait long enough for her to even pull off to the side of the road.  Or maybe she's just an idiot.  Either one.

The lower loop of the Park, below 72nd Street, is where the biggest number of tourist clogs and difficulties lie.  As I was setting off on loop #4 of the Park yesterday -- and I was originally planning to do 3 full loops and then one or two lower loops -- I was riding around packs of tourists and others.  I have found that "Coming through, coming through" as I ride works, because "on your right" and "on your left" doesn't work when the people don't speak English.  At least the sound of my voice alerts them that I am passing by.  So I'm trying to pass one woman who keeps drifting to the right as I am passing her there, and I'm saying "Coming through, coming through," and she's not paying attention and about to crash into me, so I go "Coming through, COMING THROUGH!!!" which wakes her up.  She stops drifting and says to me, "Shut up."  !!  So as I pass her, I yell, "Watch where you're going and I'll shut up!"  My righteous fervor led me to do a five-mile loop, since I was not about to ride on the lower loop any more than I had to, now that I had a mortal enemy.  So thanks, biking idiot, for giving me my longest and fastest ride to date.

Running -- ah, running.  Well, at least I sort of know how to do this.  I'm a little concerned about the run portion of the tri, even if it's only a 10K, because it's mostly uphill, and goes the hard (clockwise) way around the Park.  I know I'll make it.  The question is merely, in what shape will that be?  Upright, I hope.

My new not-so-secret weapon on the run are salt packets.  Just little salt packets from the deli.  I sweat like a moose when I run, regardless of the weather, so it's important that I maintain my electrolytes.  Before every run I drink water with a Nuun electrolyte tablet  dissolved in it -- love them! --- and for a long, hot run, I'll also take an S-Cap, which is another form of electrolytes.  But along with gels and Gatorade, I'll also chew on a salt packet -- just like a stick of gum -- once or twice during the course of a run.  As icky as it sounds, it works for me.  For 10K or less, if I feel I need it, I'll have some salt about halfway through.  For 10K or more, I use about the same formula as gels -- every 45 minutes to an hour -- unless I'm using gels that have extra sodium.  Then I'll just take the gel, and hold the salt unless I feel I really need it. 

And yes, I am still running in Vibrams, even though my many attempts to get Vibrams to sponsor even a fraction of my events were for naught.  For naught, I say!  I still love those damn shoes, and will wear them for the run portion of the tri and also the marathon, but you know, not even a "thanks but no thanks" from them.  Does that cheese you off, too?  Write them, at sponsorme@vibramusa.com and let them know.  Which is another reason why I switched to bike shoes -- and why I'm eying those Saucony Kinvaras...

In addition to the tri training, the Team began marathon training a few weeks ago.  Our long runs are up to 11 miles.  It's been over a year since I've gone over 8 miles, and it's both joyful and painful to get back up to the double digits.  I had to take an ice bath after our first nine-miler.  How far we have fallen!  We start our Tuesday-Thursday sessions soon, but work will prevent me from doing most of the Thursday dates because of work.  If there's one thing I hate to do without the Team, it's the Thursday workout, because those are stair workouts and they can be brutal.  I don't think I will slack -- Liam doesn't deserve a slacker-- but without the Team there, I am afraid of not working as hard or as long as I should be.  But we will make do.

Okay, nearly long enough.  One small observation  before we go -- I did my volunteer race during a rainstorm.  When you do that, NYRR gives you one of those orange and white rain ponchos that you see the folks at the water stations wear during the marathon.  While initially excited about receiving the coat, I was soon disillusioned. A decently constructed raincoat wouldn't have stood a chance in this rain, and this one didn't keep me even remotely dry, but it didn't even keep me warm, which is an unusual thing for a coat constructed of non-breathable plastic.  And here's why -- it's glued together with what must be Elmer's School Glue, because by the time I got home, the hood had ripped off and the sleeves had mostly disconnected from the body.  So not such a great giveaway after all, but I still have it, for some unknown reason.

Okay!  Done for now.  Donate, donate, donate!! And off for a run!

My E-Mail to Family, Friends -- and You

I have much to say, and much will have to wait until the next post.
I would have posted this yesterday, but I was too focused on sending out the following email to everyone I know, a few people I don't really know, and many of whom have forgotten me.

And now I'm sending it to you.

On January 24, 2011, Liam Witt, Prince Liam the Brave, my inspiration for running four marathons with Fred's Team, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research and treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, passed away from neuroblastoma at the age of 6.

May 13, 2011, would have been Liam’s 7th birthday.


On August 7, 2011, I will honor Prince Liam's memory by participating in my first triathlon.

And on November 6, 2011, I will run my fifth NYC Marathon, all in honor of my sweet inspiration.

Please help me honor the legacy of this amazing little boy by donating to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research on my behalf. You will be funding desperately-needed pediatric research and treatment at MSKCC.
Please click on the link below to take you to my Fred’s Team triathlon page.
http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR/FredsTeamEvents/Freds_Team?px=1011530&pg=personal&fr_id=1470


Any amount you can give brings us all one step closer to a cure.
My eternal thanks and gratitude.

Love,

Marci Glotzer

PS: If you wish to donate by check, please make it payable to “Fred’s Team” and send it to me at 152 W. 58th Street, Apt. 2D, New York, New York, 10019-2111. I will add my race info and send it on to MSKCC.

Run for the Parks Four-Miler, Why Bikes Don't "Fit," and The Perils of Early Hydration

Hello, devoted readers!  Good to be back!  I've been working hard, but not blogging much (as you can tell). I will try to be better.

Triathlon training is going well.  It's still a little early to push, but I'm trying not to slack.  Liam deserves no less than my best.  And you all agree, as so far, thanks to you, I have raised
$2275
for the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on behalf of Prince Liam the Brave.  If you, dear reader, want to support my first triathlon effort, honor the amazing Prince Liam, who fought so hard against neuroblastoma, and help cure pediatric cancer -- three things for the price of one!! -- simply click here to make a donation.  Any amount you can give is a step closer to a cure.

Thanks to Fred's Team, I have a new training program keeper thingie, called "Training Peaks." It tells you what to do every day as a beginner to prepare for your first triathlon. Some of it is a little basic, even for me, so as per usual, I've been ignoring it. If I figure out how to get it on the blog feed, I will replace good old Buckeye Outdoors. I've been trying to swim twice a week, run twice a week, and bike ... well, I'm waiting for the bike. I ordered it from Toga Bikes two weeks ago. It should be here any day now. I hate biking indoors more than I hate running on a treadmill, and I loathe running on a treadmill. 

I'm excited to get the bike, because I had so much trouble riding the old one (much as I loved it,) as it did not fit properly.  I bought that bike off Craigslist, a beautiful orange Cannondale.  Please understand that the bike I had before the Cannondale was purple, had a banana seat and purple streamers on the handlebars, and her name was Jennifer. What I knew about "fit" was -- could I get on it and reach the pedals?  Fit!  No, apparently, there is a lot more to it, like how well you reach the handlebars, where your knee falls in relation to the pedals, how wide you have to grip, etc.  I wish I had known this before.  I rode it for the better part of a year, and it was always uncomfortable.  I felt too high off the ground, and my back would be aching after two miles.  I finally asked some of my triathlete friends who said that just wasn't right.  Anyways, the good folks at Toga explained to me when I brought the Cannondale in that there would be no way to make it fit me properly, that fixing one thing would create problems with another.  So they sold the old bike, and ordered me a hot new Cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 7 Sora.  Whatever that means.  Alls I know is, it's hot. And I want it.

Swimming, I will talk about some other day. Just hoping to survive it, for the moment. I have the form, but not the endurance.


Today's race.  Just got home from this AM's Run for the Parks four-miler.  I was not signed up to do this race, but my friend David left me a message last night wondering if I was going.  I decided to let the fates decide.  If I woke up in time to get to the race to sign up by 7:30, I would.  Spot woke me up barfing at 5am, so I went.

Got there just before 7:00 to register and get my race number.  Then I had to sit around for close to an hour.  I knew some of my Teammates were going to be there, but I didn't see any of them. My plan was to hydrate well prior to the race, since it was a four-miler, I didn't feel it necessary to take a water stop unless I felt I needed to.  So before I left the house, I had a Nuun (my new favorite pre-run drink of choice -- it's an electrolyte tablet that dissolves in water.) I also had coffee when I woke up.  And when I got to the bandshell to register, turns out that one of the race sponsors was Zico coconut water, so I got a bottle of that.  I bided my pre-race time by going to the bathroom.  A lot.  Those of you who have actually read this blog know that I am obsessed with the amount of times I can go to the bathroom before the marathon (7 is the number to beat)  but for a four-mile race -- three times.  In under an hour. 

And then it's 7:50 and I head to the corral, and wouldn't you know it -- have to go again! What the --?   Well, I figured it would add to my urgency.

And...we're off!

I'm in the pink corral, which is more towards the back.  It was actually a good one to be in, so that I would start slow.  The course is the four-mile inside loop of Central Park, from E. 68th up to the 102nd Street transverse, over and back down the west side, finishing at the 72nd Street transverse.  This means that mile 1 has Cat Hill, which is the biggest hill, getting it over with early.  On Wednesday, I did my first set of hill repeats in a year, so I was prepared to just head up this bad boy once.  Mile 1, mostly uphill -- 9:30.  I was surprised, I thought I was going slower than that. 

Mile 2, mostly downhill, and I'm finding my pace  (and I have to peeeeee!) was another surprise -- 9:00.  What?  Didn't feel it.  But I knew mile 3 was hillier, so I wanted to take mile 3 a little slower, to give me juice for mile 4. 

For thems who don't run, there is a concept called the negative split that I ascribe to, where the second half of the race is run faster than the first half.  The theory is, instead of getting all the speed out early and hanging in there for the last part of the race, you start slow and speed up, leaving something in the tank for a push at the end and a strong finish.  That's why, a lot of times, big races like the marathon come down to the last mile, or even half mile, or even 10 feet.  The runners hold something back for the push at the end.  The question is, when is it going to come, and how long can the runner sustain it?

My issue isn't the slow first half, it's the not speeding up in the second half.  But I digress...

Mile 3, a hillier mile -- and the one that has, for some reason, the toughest hill, which is the one right by the ballfields in the West 90s.  Don't know why I find it harder than Cat Hill, which is a steeper hill and a longer one, but there you have it.  9:10 for mile 3.

Last mile, mostly downhill, and here's where the problem with being a slower runner is -- you're surrounded by slower runners.  So I want to go pedal to the medal, but I keep getting caught behind packs of slower people, and having to maneuver around them.  It's funny, I know this course like the back of my hand, but I never know when to start pushing.  I push a little harder, but make my move at 79th Street.  I open up my stride and really start to motor (at least for me, anyway).

Turned off my watch just  before hitting the finish line, but I looked down and saw this:

WHAAAA?  Wow. For some, a bad day at the office.  For me, everything just came up roses. 

My actual time was 36:08, and that last mile was more like an 8:20ish, but still, that is my fastest time for a mile since last year, maybe more. 

What does this mean?  Two things.  One -- if I can stay injury-free and train smart, this is going to be a great year.

And two -- I need to learn how to better pace the middle miles of a race.  If I have that much gas in the tank that I am able to hit that pace at the end, I need to use up a little more of that in the middle, and not be afraid of maintaining a faster pace over a longer distance.

So I'm off to the pool now for a swim.  Please donate to Fred's Team by clicking here, and good luck, Boston runners!! 

Liam Update, Buy Cookies, and Getting Into the Groove

I need your prayers for Liam. The news is not good, and it just gets worse. His latest scans were awful. Chemo is not working. This kid has such an amazing spirit, and he never complains, and it's just so unfair that any child has to endure such insidious disease. It's even more unfair that the only thing standing between Liam and a cure is money to fund the research and develop the treatments that he needs. Children's cancers, especially rare ones such as neuroblastoma, have been underfunded for years. Why are we not protecting our children by working to eradicate these diseases?

I am not actively fundraising right now, but if you want to make a general donation to Fred's Team and the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research, just click here and click on the "Donate" link.

Another way to help is to go to Cookies For Kids' Cancer, the organization founded by Liam's mom, Gretchen. You can order cookies, or learn how to organize a bake sale, and send the proceeds to CKC. All the money goes to neuroblastoma research and treatment at MSKCC.

Liam inspires me to train. It will be NYC 2011 and also the Nautica Tri. Possibly the Flying Pig. We shall see.

As for my training, it's been sporadic, but I'm starting to get back into a routine. I did a 40-minute treadmill run and managed not to be bored out of my skull. Even more amazing, I was watching Gov. Christie's State of the State address while doing so. What does that mean? I used the treadmill run to do sprint intervals, getting up to 7.7 mph (unsure of the mile time) for up to 90 seconds at a time.

I did my first loop of Central Park last weekend. Well, almost. I started to walk a little at the 5 1/2 mile, because I haven't run over five in a while, and I'm not making that "oh, it's just a little more, what could it hurt?" mistake again. But I ran the Great Hill non-stop!

Today, I did 20 on the treadmill, not too comfortably -- had a stitch in my side most of the way. Fortunately, I got a phone call from work, and had to stop. Couldn't get back into it, and switched to the bike for 25. Then worked on legs and a little arms for about 40 more minutes. I need to get more pool time in pronto, but have to branch out from the 4-foot long NYSC pool in the Marriott if I really want to start building endurance.

Fred's Team will soon be training for the NYC Half Marathon. I didn't get in -- most NYers didn't -- and I'm not too brokenhearted. I can run a loop and a half of the Park for free, not $75. But I will admit that running through Times Square was pretty cool (I ran this two years ago). I am going to train with the Team, and as we get closer to the date, if a spot opens up through the Team, maybe I'll take it. We'll see.

Finally, last night I was asked to speak at the Fred's Team Half-Marathon Kick-Off over at Sloan, to talk to people about fundraising and offer tips and ideas. I'm not the Team's top fundraiser, but I am the most persistent, as you all know, dear readers, and short of bikini car washes, I've pretty much tried everything to raise money for Fred's Team and the Aubrey Fund in Liam's honor. So it was great to share what I've done with other Team members. And just you wait, because this year, I'm pulling out all the stops...

The Hardest Part...

Well, y'all have figured it out. No running = no blogging.

Tomorrow is the NYC Marathon. I will not be running, but I will be voluteering for Fred's Team. I'll be at the Team breakfast at 4:45 a.m., at the start in Fort Wadsworth, and at the finish line in Central Park.

Monday, I get to go to MSKCC to visit the kids in the peds ward.

Tuesday, I start again.

The agenda:
MAY -- Flying Pig Marathon
AUGUST -- NYC Nautica Triathlon
NOVEMBER -- NYC Marathon

The hardest part is starting. I hate being at Square 1. Better get used to it, I guess.

Good luck to all the runners competing tomorrow, and you will be hearing from me more often, I promise!!

I'll get right to the point:

Liam Witt, the little boy I have been running the marathon for over the last four years, who has bounced back from everything thrown at him, be it the cancer or the treatment for the cancer -- well, the cancer has returned again, both in the original spot and in two new spots. he had surgery five weeks ago to remove a tumor in his chest, and the latest scans indicate that the cancer has already returned to that spot. The doctors are going to do everything they can to get him back into remission, but the odds are no longer in Liam's favor.

I am not running either New York or Chicago this year -- the tendonitis, plus a stress fracture in my left foot has seen to that -- but cancer doesn't take two marathons off. I am still doing everything I can to support Fred's Team and the Aubrey Fund, and try to raise as much money as I can regardless of running, to help the doctors at MSKCC develop new treatments that will help Liam, and others like him.

If you can help me in any way, please go to my Fred's Team site and make a donation, by clicking here, or at the links on the side and bottom of the page.

If you wish to donate by check, please make it payable to "MSKCC" and send it to me. I'll take care of getting it to the right people. My address is: 152 West 58th Street, #2D, New York, NY, 10019-2111.

If you have children, you can involve them in a bake sale. Gretchen, Liam's mom, founded "Cookies For Kids Cancer." They'll give you the tools to hold a successful bake sale, and then you send the money to them, which all goes for neuroblastoma research at MSKCC. You can click on the link here, or go to http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Please read Gretchen's blog about Liam, "Prince Liam The Brave," by clicking on the link.

And please, please, keep Liam and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

More anon.
MG

The Honor Roll Begins Anew, plus the Scotland Run 10K, The Run as One 4-Miler, and did I mention I love Vibrams?

With the start of the 2010 training season comes the start of the

2010 FRED'S TEAM HONOR ROLL

But first, apologies to all those amazing people from last year, who I never sent a thank-you card to. I'm going to be a lot better this year, thanks to MSKCC's new and much-improved website. If there's a way to get at you 2009 folks, I will soon!! I promise!!

And now, without further ado, the first person on the 2010 Honor Roll is...

DR. KAREN THORNTON

That should remind you all to go get a check-up before starting any exercise regimen.

Dr. Thornton is closely followed by
CARL and REVA TAIT
JIM SEMMELMAN
FRED WEINER
and
THE GeBAUER FAMILY

bringing the total going so far to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Research in honor of Liam Witt so far to a cracking
$400
That's a great start, but we've got miles to go -- literally!

I will repeat and reiterate my promise slash threat to run both the NYC AND Chicago Marathons if I can raise $6500 by September. Did I mention I hate running marathons? I sure do! But I do love the idea of a world without cancer, especially pediatric cancer, and if that's what it takes to get people to donate, then that's what I'll do.


So if you want to help me honor the amazing Prince Liam, or just enjoy the idea of me running two marathons in three weeks, when I can barely do one a year, just click here to make a secure donation on my Fred's Team website.


(that's my VFF-clad foot next to Fred's feet at his statue in Central Park, by the way!)

Also in the works -- and this time I kid you not -- an actual podcast. Details to follow.

So I did a couple of races since last we spoke. The first one was the Scotland Run, a 10K that's a clockwise loop of Central Park. I sort of prefer the clockwise loop to the normal counterclockwise run -- it's more uphills, but the hills aren't as steep. And you get to go down Cat Hill instead of up.

Now, I come to the Scotland Run having run a grand total of three whopping miles in the previous two weeks. Conventional wisdom would dictate that I sit this one out. But I am neither conventional, nor wise.

Wore my VFF KSOs (KSO = keep stuff out) with rainbow-colored injinji socks, which made me look like even more of a buffoon than just wearing the Sprints. I don't care -- I LOVE MY VIBRAMS!! But there's a seam in the Sprints and the KSOs that keep giving me blisters. Covering the seam doesn't work -- the tape doesn't stick -- and covering the spot on the foot doesn't work -- the Band-Aid doesn't stick. Other than that, did I mention I love my Vibrams?? They have put the spring back into my step. So I must wear toe socks to go with the toe shoes.

I get to the Park on race morning. I figure I won't go fast -- like I would anyway, that's a laugh, but I won't push, and I'll walk when I need to. Just get through it. I run into many Teammates, including a few who are in my boat, so I don't feel too bad about my slacker ways. They're planning to do the same as me, and we all head to the corralls together. I have my iPod with me, and I put on a "This American Life" podcast. I have been training myself to run iPod-free, but my strategy for today was to listen to something soothing, so that I would stay relaxed and not start pushing my pace, like I do when I listen to one of my patented race-day mixes ("Bat Out of Hell," anyone?)

The race begins, and though my Teammies and I have the same game plan, it becomes clear right away that either a) I am not paying attention to the game plan, or b) they are going to take it even easier than I thought. Most likely, a) and b). Hindsight being as 20/20 as it is, I should have probably stuck with them longer -- like maybe more than five feet past the starting line -- but as soon as I started running, I knew it was going to be a run pretty much all the way.

That being said, I did manage to do at least some self-preserving by going even slower than my normal turtle pace, and by really walking the water stations, and by that, I mean getting my cup, moving to the side, and walking for at least a minute. I think there were four stations, and I walked them all. But I ran the rest of the race. That danged competitive streak, I can't let it go! I see someone in a shirt I don't like, or for whatever reason, and I simply must pass them.

Side note -- one year, my bestie Laura and I did the Midnight Run together. Part of the fun of the event is the pre-show costume contest, and a lot more people wear costumes anyway, just for kicks. Laura is not a runner, by the way, and the run isn't even timed. So we're doing as much walking as running, and everything is great until a group of people dressed as the components of a McDonald's Happy Meal pass us. I will NOT be beaten by french fries!! I made Laura run that last mile, but we couldn't catch them. Oh, that broke my heart.

Anyways, I finished the Scotland Run in 1:07, a PW (personal worst,) ending up with some pretty sore calves, but at least not too much the worse for wear.

Which inspired me to get a little bit more of a groove on for the next race, which was the four-mile Run as One. That's the run sponsored by the Thomas Labrecque Foundation for Lung Cancer research. I like this race, and figured four miles would be more my speed.

Ran into Teammate Emily in the corrall. She's back in action after a nasty fall (tripped over the toes of a pair of improperly-sized Vibrams and broke her wrist. Love me them Vibrams, but they need to fit you right! Get them fit by someone who knows how to size you properly -- they are indeed very different from a normal shoe.) She read this here little ol' blog and said, "So if you may run Chicago, doesn't that mean you need to train like you're going to run Chicago?"

Oops.

Changed the iPod setting from NPR to Meat Loaf, and for all intents and purposes, we're off!

Not much to report on this race that's noteworthy, but to say I didn't really push that hard until the final couple hundred feet on the transverse, and finished in 37:28.

That gave me a LOT of hope for this training season. Where I am right now is about where I was two years ago, where I had a HUGE improvement in my running during the training season. So knock on wood and God willing, if I can buckle down and put the work in, I'll see similar improvement this year, too. Hey, it couldn't get any worse...

My New BFF, or Why Vibrams Rule

Meet my new shoes!

These goofy-looking things are my Vibram FiveFingers Flows. And they've saved my running life.

Allow me to explain.

One of the reasons I haven't been posting is because I haven't really been running. And one of the reasons I haven't really been running is because after this year's marathon training season, I've been really disillusioned with running. It's not like I'm competitive -- the only way I'll ever win a race is if I somehow manage to trick everyone into running off the course, a la the parade scene in "Animal House," and if you haven't seen the movie lately, watch it. There's not a scene in it where you don't say, "Oh, yes, this is the scene where --" but I digress. I want to feel that when I put energy and effort into something, that there's some payback. Definitely I want to see some improvement in terms of time, distance, endurance, etc. but running for me has neve been so much about that as it's been about releasing stress, having some "me" time, etc. etc. And, of course, for the fitting into the clothes and the ability to eat a brownie without (too much) guilt.

This training season accomplished none of those things. For those of you not thoroughly conversant with my previous posts, this was a really hard and disappointing season for me. I pushed as hard as I could, but with little to no reward. In fact, I got slower and slower, and lost more and more endurance as the season progressed. Training seemed almost counter-productive -- the more I did, the less I could do (subtraction soup, anybody?) I couldn't figure out why. Nothing wrong medically, except for starting "the change," which was admittedly a factor, but still. I was upset with myself, crying after nearly every race. The only reason I continued pushing was Prince Liam, the little fighter who keeps me motivated, and Fred's Team, who gives meaning to the miles. But the fun of running was gone. Now, there's a point in every marathon training season where running ceases to be fun, but this was different. Running was making me sad, and adding stress.

Fortunately, a few trips to a hypnotist helped me overcome my negativity so that I could complete the NYC Marathon with a real smile on my face. Which I did. In my worst clock time, but still, the smile was genuine. And I raised nearly $6000 for the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research, which is really the reason I keep putting myself out there for the distance.

A few weeks off, and the Race to Deliver, which of course I was going to run, since it benefits another cause close to my heart, Gods Love We Deliver, and the Midnight Run for New Years, which I did at more of a walk with some Teammates. Now the weather was ideal for running, and after all, I have a triathlon in July. So I would do a couple of miles, and have to stop every few minutes to breathe. My legs felt like lead. I was running maybe once a week, if that, and not missing it at all.

I had heard about Vibrams from a number of people, including Steve Runner at the Phedippidations website/podcast, and just before the marathon, I tried on a pair. The idea behind Vibrams is to mimic running barefoot. Doing so allegedly strengthens your feet and ankles and improves your form. Many popular books extoll the virtues of barefoot running. So I was curious to see what this was all about. Trying to stuff my toes in separate toe pockets was exhausting, but I finally prevailed and hopped on the treadmill. It was wild -- I immediately started running on my midfoot, which many running experts say is the proper way to run. Maybe because there's no cushioning, I was afraid to put my heel down, but nonetheless. It felt strange. Not bad, but strange. Just prior to the marathon, I wasn't about to do anything different.

As 2010 began and things were getting no better on the running front, I decided to give the Vibrams another try. I purchased a pair of Sprints, which have a strap, but no upper (sort of a Mary Jane shoe) and hit the treadmill. I went almost two miles effortlessly before realizing that a ragged seam on the inside was giving me a blister. My legs, however, felt great. Usually the first few minutes of any run is tiring, as your legs and lungs adjust to the speed. But with the Vibrams, I didn't have the leg ache. Maybe it was the treadmill.

My next attempt with the Sprints were outdoors. Again, the same feeling -- as I started off my run, the familiar leg ache wasn't happening. I wasn't planning on going too long, because I hadn't run more than two miles in about a month, but I felt so good, I ran up to Road Runners and back -- a little over three miles. The only thing that was a little negative was that the bottom of my feet and my toes were a little tingly and sore. The biggest problem with the Sprints, though, is that they aren't a cold weather shoe. My toes were freezing!!

Experiment. Is it the shoes, or is it me? My next run, I put on my trusty Sauconys and headed out. At the usual point, the familiar leg ache, and I had to stop twice in a three-mile run to get my breathing back to normal. Well, I was looking for an excuse to switch shoes. Need I a better one?

Wow. This is something. But if I was going to keep using the Vibrams, I needed warmer ones. A little research pointed to the Flows, which are a cold weather shoe. Fortunately, I was able to locate a pair in my size, and also picked up a pair of KSOs for good measure (a warmer weather shoe, but with a mesh upper for protection.) Had an experimental run in the Flows, and they felt great. Good enough for me to immediately sign up for way too many Road Runners races (hint, don't sign up for races at 1:00 a.m.,) including today's race, the Run For Haiti. All proceeds from this race went to Haiti relief, and it was a double-qualifier to boot.

That combo brought 9400 (!) people out to Central Park this morning. My first race of the season, and my first race in Vibrams. I was more afraid of getting my feet stomped on than anything else. So I really had to be careful. Also, as a result of standing in the corral for ten minutes, waiting for the race to start, the bottoms of my feet started to chill. Ah, well. Can't have everything. Hung with Teammates David and Meg, who I did the Midnight Run with. Both would be running together and also hanging back -- David with an injury, Meg with bad ankles. I told them I'd probably pull ahead, as I wanted to see how I did in the shoes. I have not been running with my iPod or my watch, deliberately not wanting to know what my pace is. So not only is this my first race, it's my first time timing myself in months.

Super crowded at the start, we didn't even move until about nine minutes in. The whole race felt comfortable, even though the soles of my feet did get a little sore -- and my calves, let us not forget, these shoes give your calves a real workout. Be warned. I pulled away from David and Meg after Cat Hill and kept going. No iPod, just the whap-whap of the shoes. They do make quite a noise, since you're not hitting the ground with padding, which is odd for me, a normally quiet runner. They definitely help your form. Besides landing on my midfoot, I can also feel my feet naturally pulling up after the strike, instead of shuffling. I think this is somewhat akin to Chi running.

I chose not to push myself too hard during the race. Between the crowding and my not having run a great deal recently, I didn't want to risk injury. So I had a lot in the tank as we rounded the 72nd Street transverse, a few hundred feet from the finish line. And for the first time ever -- and I mean ever, even at the height of my running prowess --I was disappointed to see the finish line. I wanted to keep going!

My time -- 39:48. Not amazing, to be sure, but for the first time in months, under a 10-minute mile, and more importantly, for the first time in months -- running felt great!! It was everything I wanted it to be. Heck, I even had a great water stop.

I am so glad I tried Vibrams. They may not be for everyone, but they're sure for me. I don't know if they'll make me run faster, or run better, but they've somehow brought the joy back to my running.

Now, about that swimming...

The Post In Which Marci Actually Runs the Marathon

Last Sunday I finished a little run around the five boroughs, aka the NYC Marathon, my fourth time through. This is not so much a race report as a psychological profile, and I apologize for its mega-length, but I'll do my best to at least be entertaining.

I had a rough training season, as you all know. Between starting a new career and starting, um, a new phase in my female life (how's that for euphemism?) I was putting in the miles, and putting in the effort, but seeing little result. In fact, I was getting slower and slower with each run, and the miles were getting harder and harder to complete. It was devastating, as I was really hoping to break four hours this year, and as the months ticked by, it was becoming less and less of a possibility. I was beginning to wondering if I even had it in me to complete the distance.

Coaches Ann and Jeff were amazing, offering lots of support and advice -- not just about running, but how to mentally approach the race and deal with the difficulties I've been having. I also saw a hypnotist -- don't laugh! -- to help me change my attitude about the race and reinforce what my coaches were saying. (more on this in a minute.) As race day approached, I wasn't nervous, or upset, or anything. I was strangely at peace. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen.

After a Team breakfast and a picture in Duffy Square, we arrived to a muddy Staten Island. This was the first year NYRR offered a charity village for all the charity teams, and Fred's Team scored a tent! Of course, it was just as muddy inside the tent as outside, despite the bunches of hay that had been thrown in there, so we put garbage bags down and laid in our muddy manger for a while. The temps were in the low 50s, warm enough not to really need a heavy throwaway outfit, so I wore the clothes I intended to wear post-race and tried not to get them too dirty. Fortunately, I had worn a second pair of shoes and socks, which were quickly ruined in the mud. Most people tied bags around their feet. (Note to Caroline -- don't bring scented gargabe bags next year!!)

Time to line up. Once again, I'm in the green corral (NY has three corrals. The green corral runs on the lower roadway of the Verrazano, orange and blue run on top) and once again, the green corral was all f-ed up. There are three wave start times for the runners -- 9:40, 10:00 and 10:20. I was in wave 2. I was in the second-to-last corral of the second wave of the green start. I actually entered the corral at 9:30am for a 10:00am start. 9:40, the cannons boom and the runners are off! You can see them from the green corral, and we all cheered and waved. 10:00, the cannons boom, runners are off -- and we don't move. Not again!! This happened to me two years ago, and I didn't cross the start line until after 11:00, over an hour late. They only let the first half of the green corral go out with the second wave, and our part of the corral didn't get to go until the third wave. Time-wise, it doesn't matter, since you're timed when you cross the start line, but I had people waiting for me, and I really wanted to get to MSKCC to see the kids, even though Liam wasn't going to be among them.

Finally -- cannons, "New York, New York," and we're off!

There were already people walking as we started up the Verazzano, which is Mile 1. Not people on the Galloway program -- walkers. Not that I'm much faster, but I do run the whole thing. Our coach always advises us not to try to pass people in the first few miles, so that we don't add more distance to the race or burn out too early. Tuck behind someone slow and get yourself warmed up. But if that someone is walking, I do need to step around them. The bridge was also super-windy. People who were still wearing plastic bags and coats were getting blown all over the roadway.

The green start follows a different course for the first three miles, off the bridge and onto the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway exit ramp, until we rejoin the blue corral on 4th Avenue. Some folks manage to get down to the BQE to cheer, as they do every year, and I'll never figure out how they managed to do that! But the general lack of spectators gave me a chance to find my groove.

The first few miles ticked off pretty fast, and I felt great. My times, however, not so much. I quickly realized that not only was I not going to break four hours, 4:30 was probably not too likely, either. And my PR on the course is 4:12. So somewhere around mile 6 or 7, I just said to myself, "It's not worth it to get upset. Let's just run it and have a good time." And I stopped checking the mile splits and just ran. (It was also helpful that, as the third wave, the timing clocks at each mile marker were completely off. I mean, I know I'm slow, but it didn't take me 58 minutes to cross the Verazzano!)

Now, this is something that even three weeks ago, I wouldn't be able to do. Not reaching my time goal would have sent me into a tailspin and ruined the day. I would have felt every ache and pain, and spent the next four hours feeling sorry for myself. Granted, as a charity runner, I always have the cause I run for as a source of inspiration, and even at the lowest point of my training, I would think about my buddy Liam, and pull myself together. This time, I wasn't going to that "bad" place. I was happy where I was at that moment. I wasn't there to break a time goal or to win -- although I'm still figuring out a way to disqualify the 28,000 or so people who finished ahead of me -- I was there to run.

So, attitude adjusted, it was on through the non-stop party known as Brooklyn.

The first half of the marathon is run in Brooklyn. It's very flat, and very boisterous, and the half is done almost before you know it. There are two spots in Brooklyn I especially love -- there's a church choir that comes out and sings (it's my understanding that they used to get peeved at how the marathon disrupted things, then they decided to embrace it) and it's always just thrilling to hear them. There's also a student marching band that plays nothing but the "Rocky" theme over and over, and I think this year they actually sounded good.

Over the Pulaski Bridge into Queens. There were some minor course changes in Brooklyn and Queens, and I realized as we came off the Pulaski that the spot my parents normally stake out wasn't part of the route any more. There used to be a hairpin off the Pulaski, and then again onto Vernon, and my parents set themselves up at the hay bales by Vernon. They eliminated the hairpin turns, I guess to make it safer for the wheelchairs and handcyclists, and had us coming down a different street. I figured that if I stayed to the left, they'd be there somewhere, and I was right. My parents, brother, and his three little girls were there to cheer Tante Marci on. The oldest had even printed a "Go, Marci go!" sign all by herself. A few kisses, a few sweaty hugs, and on we go!

Over the Queensborough Bridge, and this year was the first time I thought the bridge was brighter than usual. I remember the bridge to be dark, almost indoors. I don't know why. Not this year. It was, however, as quiet as usual as we went up the one-mile incline. And then we begin our initial descent into Manhattan, to the roar of the crowd.

Onto First Avenue and the best part of the race, running past MSKCC! The photographers was there, and all the volunteers, and when they see a Fred's Team runner they go wild!! One of the volunteers grabbed me as I hit 67th Street and said "Come meet the children!" and ran me over to where two of the kids were sitting and watching. They were no bigger than peanuts, sitting on their parents laps, all bundled up and attached to various machines and gizmos, yet they had little cheer sticks and big smiles. I said hello to them, and said how glad I was that they could come out to cheer, thank you so much!! Slapped hands with everyone there, and on my way, heart full and feet newly light.

The only problem with MSKCC being at Mile 17 is that you feel so good after seeing everyone there, you almost forget you've got nine more miles to go. Almost. Up past the wet sponge stop (aka the Slip and Slide) and the Power Bar stop, and it's over the Willis Avenue Bridge into Da Bronx.

As usual, the Bronx is hopping. Two DJ booths and a Japanese drum group in just a one-mile stretch. The bridge is Mile 20, but for me, there was no wall. Just an acceptance of soreness and the desire to move forward.

Over the Madison Avenue Bridge (barely a speed bump) and back into Manhattan. Up Fifth Avenue to Mount Morris Park, and wouldn't you know it, I again miss the choir. I always arrive too late to hear the choir!! There was some nice jazz singing on the north side of the park, though.

The stretch between 125th and 89th, the entrance into Central Park, is notorious, especially between 110th and 90th, because it's uphill. Not a huge incline, but just enough that you feel it. Lots of walkers at that point. My strategy for the past few years has been to keep my eyes focused on the people in front of me, so I don't see the grade. After all, if I don't see the hill, it doesn't exist. Right? Get to the Park entrance and see the second Fred's Team cheering section there. Just the boost I need to get me the last two and a half miles.

At this point, I was on auto-pilot. Just kept chugging away. Stayed close to the crowds and visualized the rest of the course: Down, up, down, around, up, in, up, and done. Down Cat Hill (a relief, but it's really hard to go downhill at the tail end of a marathon,) up the little speed bump at 72nd Street, down the exit ramp to 5th Avenue (stopping at Mile 25 for water, because I was so dehydrated at that point, even after stopping to drink at all but one water station,) across 5th to Central Park South, up Central Park South, which in years past I dreaded, it being both uphill and somehow stretching to three times its normal length (remember that scene in "Poltergeist," where the mom is getting ready to run down the hall, and the hall suddenly elongates? That's what Central Park South feels like.) This year, just pushed ahead. Didn't even hear the crowd.

Back up onto Columbus Circle and back into Central Park, making sure my bib number was clearly visible -- that's where the bandits get yanked -- up that last little hill as the crowds cheered, and...

HOME.

Harrie finished right around the same time as me, and we hugged and made our way past the medal station, the photo station, the heat shield station, the heat shield sticker station, and the food bag station. It was so much more crowded than in years past as we shuffled to the Cherry Hill turn-off (charity runners are taken to the center of the Park, to be reunited with our teams and our baggage.)

There were a number of Teammates who didn't run NY this year, either due to injury, or because they ran Chicago, or just 'cause. But they are Teammates, and they all volunteered to be at Cherry Hill to help the runners. Nicole got me and walked me up the hill. She said, "Do you need me to carry your bag?" meaning my food bag. I held it out mutely and stared at it. Did she need to carry it? "I'll take that," she said, and did. I told her I needed to go to the bathroom. She asked me if I wanted to get my clothes first. Did I? I didn't know. I wouldn't have known my name if it wasn't written on my shirt. So I stood there. Nicole said, "Go to the bathroom, I'll get your stuff." Done. She walked me over to where some of the Team was sitting. "Do you want me to get you a chair?" Did I? Did I need one? Nicole didn't even wait for me to think about this one, and quickly added, "I'll get you a chair." What a mess I was!! It took me 20 minutes to get my pants on (apparently I beat Jill -- Karen had to pool her pants on the ground, put Jill's feet in them, and pulled them up for her!)

The hardest thing about running NY, as I've said in years past, is not the marathon itself, it's getting out of Central Park once it's over. In order to leave the Park, we have to get around the runners exiting beyond the finish line. So they construct a pedestrian bridge over the roadway so the charity runners can cross OVER the runners and exit the park. That bridge is going to get its own little corner of h-e-double hockey sticks. It's like scaling Mount Everest on the ascent, and like you're a two-year-old on the descent, hanging onto the railings and taking each step two feet at a time. Though I live half a mile from the finish line, it takes me an hour to get home each year.

Ice bath (THANK YOU, Bill, my faithful ice bitch, who came back into the city just to get me two bags of ice) and then back to the hotel for a delicious dinner!

If you've stuck with me so far, thanks. I leave you with this: I ran my fourth NYC Marathon in 4:39 and change. Not my worst time, but close to it. But I am really not upset about it. A little disappointed, yes, but not upset. Here's why. In my zeal to conquer the mythic four-hour time goal, I forgot the real reason I run -- I love it. And while I don't really love running marathons, I do love the cause I run marathons for. Fortunately, I remembered that love just in time. Knowing that I was going to conquer the distance even after such a questionable training season, and seeing the faces of the kids at MSKCC light up when I came by -- well, who cares about the time? And while I will most likely keep trying to break four hours, because I am a glutton for punishment, it will no longer be the be-all and end-all of my running existence. I want to be a better runner, but I want to be a better person more. And that's what I'm going to work towards.

PS: I did break one record -- I managed to go to the bathroom eight times between waking up and starting the marathon!

Pardon the Silence...

Yes, it's been that long.

Between work and training, there just hasn't been enough time for regular updates. That is laziness on my part, and I apologize. There is so much to tell you, which overwhelms me, and probably led to me not posting on those few occassions that I had time to post.

I will be brief, and just leave you with a few digestible chunks before I can get to a few more updates:

-Liam is doing really well. He is receiving both chemotherapy and radiation, but goes to school when he can, and smiles through it all. He continues to be an inspiration to me, and to all who meet him. Please read Gretchen's blog about their family's journey through neuroblastoma, "Prince Liam the Brave."

-I am in the enviable position of having too much work. as I said before, which had led to my lack of posts.

-I recently started swimming lessons, which right now are more drowning avoidance than actual swimming, but I am now able to go 50 yards without my heart exploding out of my body. Strange how I can run marathons, but can barely make it across the pool. Different set of muscles, I know.

Most importantly, as of today, the total going to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research in honor of Liam is

$3532

I'm hoping to make it to $4000 before the end of the month. Can you help? If you want to donate a little cheddar towards the Fund, click here. The hundreds of children now cancer-free thanks to the research and treatment funded by the Aubrey Fund will tell you it's worth it.

There are many people to thank for that, and the latest are
LARRY HELFER
ED COX
JOHN F. BOYLAN
KERI KUHLMEIER
GREG JOHNSON
IRENE KUTHER
ROBERT MUFFOLETTO
ELLEN HORAITIS
EDYTHE SCHAERF
JACQUELINE BRONER
JACK CACAMIS
SALVINA SCERRI
and my brother
SCOTT

Wow.

I have had a lot of difficulties with my training this year.

First of all, I'm a woman of a certain age.

Secondly, I've embarked on a new career that in many ways is a lot more demanding in terms of my time. So stress levels are different.

Did I mention I was a woman of a certain age?

Let's face it -- I'm in peri-menopause. Because menopause apparently isn't fun enough, your body gives you a three-to-five year preview. Everything in my body is just a little out of whack.

And that, apparently, makes all the difference between legs of iron, and legs of lead.

My Tuesday and Thursday workouts have all been great. I've really been pushing myself and trying hard. And I've been doing a lot of cross-training, and the swimming is really beneficial. As far as cardio is concerned, no problems.

But each long run is slower than the last. Our 20-miler this past Saturday I did in 3:33. That's slower than my first year's long runs. That should have been at a 3:10, or 3:15. My legs just don't have the turnover or bounce that they did. (Well, that's not totally true. They bounce, all right. That's why I have to wear compression shorts. Speaking of which, I've also started wearing compression calf guards to help with the shin splints. It's a wonder that, between the two, my knees don't explode.)

What I am hoping is that this is a combination of the weather -- every long run we've done over the last month has been in either the rain or in extreme humidity -- and the constant training. But I fear that is only some of the problem. I mean, our workouts were just as intense in years past, and I was always able to improve on my long runs. I think that the problem is something that I can push through, but can't push past, and that is, simply, that you can fight Mother Nature only so hard before she fights back.

I am extremely disappointed that I feel timing-wise, I'm no better than when I started running marathons four years ago. I really thought this was going to be the year I broke four hours. But I don't think this is going to be the year.

Nevertheless, I am not giving up. I am really trying not to let it get to me. It's where I am that's what's important, not where I was. I need to accept that, and concentrate on the mile that I'm running. It's not easy, and making it even harder is that these long runs have become very emotional for me. Poor Coach Jeff had to deal with my messitude after Saturday's race. Again.

I need to remember that I am running for a reason far more important than breaking a time goal.

But wouldn't it be nice...

Liam's home, My Week of Running, and FIRST CONTEST!!

Check out this face!!

Liam had his surgery last Thursday. Eight-plus hours on the table, including an inter-operative radiation treatment, a procedure developed and perfected at MSKCC. Went into the ICU recovery, woke up, and immediately pulled out his respirator tube. A day and a half later, returned to MSKCC (his surgery was at MSKCC, his ICU recovery was across the street at Cornell.) Two and a half days after that -- home. Can you believe the will of this kid? Is it any wonder why so many people love him? And why I'm such a fan? You can become a fan of Liam's on Facebook. Look for "Prince Liam the Brave." Or read his mom's blog, also called "Prince Liam the Brave."

Speaking of which, the latest members of the Liam Witt fan club, also known as the FRED'S TEAM HONOR ROLL:

SARA SOTO
and
GREG COHEN

bringing the total going to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Liam's honor to an amazing

$2,492

Who's going to bring me to $3,000? A prize to the person who does!! A prize, I say!! Who doesn't like a prize? Simply click here to be taken to my Fred's Team donation page, or click the link to the side and bottom of the page. As you can see by the smile on Liam's face, the money is put to very good use.

Speaking of prizes, there will be a CONTEST again for this post! It's an easy one, and anyone can enter. It's at the bottom of the post.

Lots of stuff going on, or gone on, over the past week.

First off, in the non-running news, I advanced a production of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" for the Cape Playhouse. Basically, I rehearse the show for two weeks, bring it up to the theater, train the crew, help the stage manager, and leave. Don't get to actually call the show, which for you non-theater people means calling all the cues for the lights and sound and set shifts and anything technical that happens during the course of a show. Calling a musical is a lot of fun. Ah, well. Anyway, the show was a breeze to rehearse -- the actors couldn't have been nicer, or more talented, and the director, Mark Martino, was even nicer and more talented. Plus which -- I only had 5 suitcases and a boa for props. Heavenly!! The tech was not without its moments, but I am continually amazed at the Cape Playhouse crew, who manage to drive through every tech with a positive attitude, and achieve miracles in 48 hours.

Anyway, it was strange to be back in the stage management saddle, and have a 9 to 5 schedule again (actually, 8 to 6). It was kind of refreshing. Plus, I was able to get in my favorite run while at the Cape (which is in Dennis, on Cape Cod) -- a run to Chapin Beach, and also up Setucket Road. I needed to get 16 miles in. There's a little backstory to that, which I'll get to in a minute. Anyways, I have waxed poetic over Chapin Beach in past posts, so I will refrain here. I started my run from the Briarcliffe to Chapin Beach, to say goodbye to the beach (sigh.) Then I headed off down 6A to Rte 134, and then to Setucket Road. I like Setucket Road for three reasons -- one, it's kind of hilly, so it's a good mimic for the Park. Two, there's lots of good house porn. I love looking at those gorgeous houses and fantasizing about owning one. Third, it's the ONLY SIDEWALK IN ALL OF CAPE COD, at least as far as I can tell. No wonder people are getting so fat, there's no place for them to walk safely.

It was also the weekend for the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike ride across Massachusetts to raise money for the Jimmy Fund at the Dana Farber Cancer Center. A cause after my own heart. The riders go down Setucket Road, so I wanted to see the riders and cheer them on. Let me tell you, it is not easy to clap as you run, but I had a lot of fun on that section of the route. Most of them ride in teams, and each team puts something different on their helmet. One team had stuffed Kermit dolls.

Here's something I notice about running in Dennis -- I'm the only one with water and Gatorade. Hmm....

Backstory -- Reader's Digest version. I had a long talk with Coach Jeff about my crappy long runs. He gave me a lot of good advice. The first is to get more sleep. That's true, I am not sleeping enough. Second, he told me to relax, and not be so hard on myself. With a career change, things are on a different level, and I have to recognize that. He recommended for my long run, don't worry about miles or anything, just run for about as long as I thought 16 miles should be. Don't worry about the clock. Just run and enjoy it. I did have a time limit, because I needed to shower and get to the theater by 9:15am, but other than that, I made sure to run my favorite route, and really took Jeff's advice. I didn't worry about the pace, I just tried to find the fun in the run. And I did.

We started Tuesday and Thursday workouts, and we've had a hill workout, a couple of track workouts, and steps! The hill workout last Tuesday was a typical Tuesday during marathon training season, as Cat Hill was super-crowded. Plus which, those damn pedicabs were loitering right at the bottom of the hill, getting in everyone's way. The workout -- three sets of two repeats. First set easy, second set medium, third set hard. Bonus -- Dr. Mark was there, my running buddy. I always have a good run when he's around. he ran with me, as I had a watch. First two, we ran a 2:20 up average. Second set, 2:10, and the third -- 2:00 even, both repeats. After each of the hard repeats, I had to take a breather at the top of the hill, because I thought I was going to hurl. It was pretty humid out. Those were better times than I was expecting. Thanks, Dr. Mark! He cracked me up after the first hard repeat by telling me that in med school he was known for being the best person at handling vomit. You know, some people brag about making really good chocolate chip cookies. Doctors -- I don't get it.

Last Thursday was Coach's Choice. We were at the Riverside steps. Ann led the workout, which meant we were in for it. Ann looks so sweet and innocent, and her workouts are cruel. An iron fist in a velvet glove. She puts a lot of running into the step workouts, and most of that running is uphill. I had run a couple of miles beforehand to warm up. Between the heat and the constant uphill, my legs were wobbly. Also, my knee was paining again.

Went to the PT on Friday. Diagnosis -- I'm a mess. Seriously, folks, it's the right hip. It sits funny, and it makes my knee not track properly. So Ed Mancini. PT extraordinaire (it was he who introduced me to Miri Ingwer, PT goddess) really worked out my hip and knee and gave me some exercises to do.

Sunday was the aforementioned long run at the Cape.

Tuesday was a track workout, again led by Ann. One mile warm-up, then 8 repeats of one fast lap, one slow lap. Two lap cool-down. 5 1/2 total miles. I brought the little doodad Ann gave me last year to help correct my form, and got down to business.

The track was supercrowded. Zogsports was there, all of their teams playing soccer, plus the usual batch of children, other soccer players, and various other folks walking and running the track. In fact, I got hit not once, but twice, by soccer balls during one lap. A record!

Warm-up lap was 10:45. Then here are my fast laps -- 2:16, 2:11. 2:07, 2:10, 2:05, 2:08, 2:01, 2:04. That's not bad at all for me. Bonus, I think I finally "got" the arm placement. Let's see if it sticks.

PS: NO IPOD.

Thursday was a step workout at our old stomping grounds, the steps at the Bethesda Fountain. Again, super-crowded. Jeff led this workout, which consisted of sets of 3 and 6 repeats of variations of going up the stairs one at a time, two at a time (easier than one step at a time) and three at a time (not for the short of limb) and the infamous "in the bucket" where you squat, jump up two steps, land and squat, etc. etc. Turns your quads to jelly. I don't do the hopping up the stairs, it's too hard on my hips. The whole idea of a step workout is to train your hip flexors for the pounding, but I discovered after my first Fred's Team year that hopping up the stairs knocks both my hips out of alignment right quick. With the other exercises, my hips have a fighting chance.

So I signed up for swimming lessons starting in September, which means I need a bathing suit. Yup, don't own one. Yuck. I hate the way I look in a bathing suit. My giant pasty white thighs will shock you. But they don't let you swim in jeans, so I went to Modell's and tried on a few. Now, pasty white thighs aside, I am not a hefty woman. However, the way this suit was cut, with a really low back and sides (it goes down all the way to the butt) made all the flub from the top half of my body pop out the back of the suit, giving me love handles all the way around my back. Exceedingly unattractive, and emotionally devastating.

Quick tangent -- I worked a show once where one of the stars had, over the course of the first part of the run, had lost a great deal of weight. Once the show started to tank, she started to put the weight back on. However, she kept asking the costumers to bring IN her costumes, to corset her up. I had stopped working on the show, but came back one night as a sub. It was her number, and she was out there in an outfit where the top half had a low back. Well, all the flub was pushed out the back of the shirt, making it look like she had a second set of boobs attached to her back. Horrifying.

Anyways, that's what I flashed on when I saw the horror that was my back. On the one hand, nobody's going to be looking at my legs if I wear that thing. On the other hand, er, no. See, that's why I don't swim!!!!!

Tomorrow, we're going to participate in the Summer Streets program, where they close down Park Avenue from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge. We're going to run the whole shebang and back, for 13 miles. Then I head out to Camptown, PA for a summer camp reunion, which I will tell you all about next week.

And thus comes...
THE CONTEST

It's an easy one:

How many official water stops will there be on Park Avenue during the Summer Streets program?

E-mail your answer to mgcontest@earthlink.net by August 13.

One person, picked at random, will win something.

Have a good weekend!

On My Soapbox, More Lessons Learned, NYRR Long Training Run, and What is a Fartlek?

A few weeks ago, Liam's mom Gretchen asked everyone if they knew a way to get a hold of Mike Rowe, as "Dirty Jobs" is one of Liam's favorite shows. She hoped Mike would be able to come and visit Liam. I know a few friends who work in TV, and they gave me a number, who led me to someone, who led me to someone, who led me to someone, who led me to someone...anyway, I gave the info to Gretchen, and I don't know if the following picture is the result of those phone calls or something else, but does it matter?

Look at that smile!!

I haven't been receiving any donations lately, so the amount I've raised so far for the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research in honor of my little friend Liam Witt remains at
$1742
which is a great number, but I want to double it! Triple it! Nay, TENFOLD it!!

Can you help me reach that goal?

Remember, the ultimate goal is to eradicate cancer. But we can't do it just by wanting it. It takes money. And the way I raise money is by doing stuff like running marathons for Fred's Team and having amazing people like you donate money to the Aubrey Fund, either because they believe in the cause, or support me no matter what stunts I pull (thanks, Mom and Dad!) or just think it's funny that a former pack-a-day smoker who would drive a car from the bedroom to the bathroom if she could fit one through the front door is running marathons. (PS: I don't "buy" my marathon entry through Fred's Team, I run the races to earn it, so that someone else can use the guaranteed entry and raise additional $$ for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. )

Almost off the soapbox. Here's how you can help:
-you can click here and make your secure donation via credit card.
-if you'd rather send a check, just leave me a comment and I'll be happy to email you my address and the check info.

Regardless of whether or not you can donate, please please please pass my blogsite (or merely my donation page if you find my blitherings dull) around to all your friends and family -- make me a viral sensation!! The more people get involved, the closer we get to a cure.

Onto the running portion of the show!!

Being the good little runner that I am (not,) I realized that I do need to get my arse back into the gym and start weight training again. Two years ago, the combination of weight training and biking on some of my days off from running led me to my PR marathon, and since my mom says I have to run 3:53, I thought it prudent to train like I did two years ago.

The day to pick weight training back up is not, however, the day before a 14-mile run.

Why must I learn every lesson the hard way?!?!?!

Saturday was the Long Training Run #1, an untimed run (not a race) in Central Park, where you can run between 6-20 miles, depending on where you are in your training. All loops start and end at the 102 Street transverse. You start with a six-mile loop (the full Park,) two five-mile loops (cutting off the Great Hill) and one four-mile loop (cutting off at the 72nd Street transverse.) It's broken down into pace groups, each group led by a member of the NY Flyers running club, and they do an excellent job of carving order out of the running chaos.

Walked up to the transverse and met my Teammates at bag check at 6:30am. Coach Ann advises me that where I am in my training, 13 or 14 would be good. I decide I'll do 14 -- start the third loop and walk it back once I hit Cat Hill. Or something like that. Was teased about bringing a Fuel Belt, but if you recall from this run last year -- and really, why wouldn't you? -- my only complaint last year was that there wasn't enough fl;uid on the course, and Gatorade was only available on the transverse. I sweat like a moose, and need all the electrolytes I can get.

Get into my 9:30 pace group and set my Nike+. I've got a few episode of Phedippidations saved up (an excellent running podcast, check it out!!) And we're off!

Sort of.

I had no hint of soreness as I was walking to the start -- and you'd think that in those two miles, I might have felt something -- but as soon as I started running, I knew I was in trouble. This was not the soreness of legs that just needed a few minutes to warm up. These were legs that were done for the day. Though I had only done two sets of the leg machines on the Nautilus circuit, and with barely any weight on them, just enough to recognize that there was weight, it took its toll. The correct term, as I stated previously, is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. The term I prefer is Holy Sh*t. Or Oh, Crap. Any fecal-related term, actually.

First loop -- spent most of that time fervently hoping that the soreness would, in fact, go away. No such luck. Fell behind the pace group fairly quickly. Also, the pace leaders don't walk the water stations, which dropped me further back. Decided during the first loop that I had runner's knee, even though I'm not exactly sure what it is.

Second loop -- After a slug of Gatorade and a stop in the loo, decided to drop back to the 10:00 group, but instead of waiting for them to come in, I went out at the tail end of a 9:30 group. My own 9:45 group. Funny, even though cutting off the Great Hill and running the lower loop makes for an easier five-miler, I prefer it the other way -- keeping the Great Hill and cutting off the lower loop. Don't know why. Masochist? Spent most of this loop trying to decide what I was going to do. I was fully ready to stop after 11 and call it done, but that nagging voice in my head kept saying no. I figured as long as I didn't have to run Cat Hill a third time, I would be okay to keep going, and spent much brain time devising a route. I would go out for the third loop and cut off at the transverse instead of continuing down the West Side -- no, that means I have to run Cat Hill again to get the 14 miles in. Okay, how about we do this? Or this? All that time, my body was saying, "Shut up and just stop at 11." And I was starting to listen. Decided to take a bit of a break at the 102 Street transverse and see how that made me feel...

...until I got there, and saw a group going out, and before I could realize what I was doing, I went out with them for #3.

I think my mind knew that if I took a break, that would be it for the day.

I started out loop #3, and decided to just make it 1 1/2 miles out-and-back, for 14 total. However, as I approached the mile 12 marker at the south end of the Reservoir, legs said, "done," mind agreed, and I stopped. I stood there, panting, for a minute or two. I saw the hill just past the Res and decided that I didn't want to go down it if it meant I'd have to go back up it. I could either cut across the Res and continue back up the east side to the finish (which I should have done) or simply go to just before the hill, then turn around and go back from whence I came (which I did do, because it was more downhilly than the other way.)

Thirteen miles in 2:10. A ten-minute pace. And a mile shorter than I wanted.

Not a great day, but I'm glad I did it.

Still sore now, but managed to get a speed workout in yesterday morning. When not with the Team (we haven't started Tuesday-Thursday workouts yet -- next week!) I do fartleks of the lower loop, using lampposts as the markers. "Fartlek" translates to "speed play," and it's a loose kind of speed workout where you use whatever markers you choose, and you go fast from marker 1 to marker 2, then recover to marker 3, then fast to marker 4, etc. etc. There are enough lampposts on the lower loop to get a good speed workout in, and I highly recommend fartleks as a great speed workout, and the lower loop of Central Park as a great place for NY runners to do them.

I did two loops. I started by doing the fast sections at barely pushing the pace, and by the middle of the second loop I was running them at an all-out sprint. I had to keep stopping for water, because I was panting so much my throat kept getting dry, and I also needed the extra recovery time between fast bits. I think this is a good thing -- Coach Jeff said that I would need to push past my comfort zone, and that might wear me out to the point where I'd have to stop and rest. While that wasn't such a triumph with the long run, for this workout, I felt good about having to stop.

Speaking of pushing past comfort zones, I don't have to be at work until 1pm today, so it's off to the gym for further punishment. More anon!

Catching Up, and HUGE THANKS

I cannot begin this blog entry with anything other than my heartfelt thanks to all these wonderful people, who answered the call of my previous posts and donated so generously to the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at MSKCC, supporting my 4th marathon effort and honoring my little pal Liam Witt, who's battling neuroblastoma at MSKCC.

Without further ado, many thanks to

ELLEN MELAVER
ANGELA CEBELENSKI
PAUL GUIDE
KIMBERLY TATE-BROWN
ALISON HARRIS
GERARD CONNERS
DALLAS CROW
MARK ULRICH
GLORIA GUIDO
and
JONATHAN ARAK


bringing the total raised to far to


$1,592

Can I ask you to help, by making a donation to my Fred's Team marathon effort, which goes directly to the Aubrey Fund, by clicking here? Over 80 percent of the money raised goes directly to patient care and research. In fact, the Aubrey Fund has paid for the research and treatment for Liam's cancer, and will continue to do so.

Unfortunately, if you read the NY Times today, there's an article about how, in this economy, most research grants are going to "safer" projects. Pediatric cancer, especially rarer cancers such as neuroblastoma, are critically underfunded anyway, and this is a major blow. The Aubrey Fund is literally a life-saver for children like Liam, the only place some doctors can turn to for funding the innovative treatments that have raised the survival rates for neuroblatoma from less than 20 percent to 60 percent in just 20 years. Every penny counts. So please, if you can make a donation, no matter how small, know that it is being put to excellent use.




Liam is doing well, he is back in chemo, and unfortunately, back in MSKCC, as he developed a fever. If you develop a fever while on chemo, you need to go to the hospital, because it could be so much more than just a spot of flu.

Here he is, playing with electricity.

I was going to visit him last week, but I still have a cold that I am having trouble shaking, and that's something I don't want to share.



So it's been a crazy busy couple of weeks -- between work, and Broadway Bares, and starting rehearsals for SLEUTH, and finishing up my transcripts -- there hasn't been time for blogging, let alone running. And there's SO MUCH BACKLOG!!!!!

Here it is, in a nutshell:

BROOKLYN HALF -- I wasn't really trained for it -- and I really hope that doesn't become my mantra, as my mother says I have to break 4 hours this year -- but I figured what the hay. It was my first official half-marathon 5 years ago, and I ran it in 1:59. Those were the days (!) I've wanted to get back to run it ever since, but the timing's never worked out until now. So even though it was the first Fred's Team official long run, I went to Prospect Park to revisit an old friend.

The course was different this year. In years past, the course began on the Coney Island boardwalk, went up and down the boardwalk, then up Ocean Avenue to Prospect Park, and then a loop of the Park. If you're not familiar with Brooklyn, that's 11 1/2 flat miles, and the last mile and a half uphill. Ugh. This year, the course started in the Park, a loop and a half of the Park, then down and across the Expressway to Ocean Avenue, then down Ocean Ave to a finish on the Boardwalk. Much better, although what is it with NYRR and a loop and a half of a Park? That's why I didn't sign up for the NYC Half again this year. That and the $75 fee. For that kind of $$, surely we can come up with a more imaginative course than a loop and a half of Central Park.

I figure the course would be slightly easier, and felt that with one half marathon under my belt already this season, I would be able to get through it comfortably, even without a lot of training. Did I mention the wicked bladder/kidney infection I had had the week before? That's the reason for the lack of training. My kidney was paining so much I went to have an MRI to see if I had a kidney stone. Nope! Turns out, I pulled a back muscle so specificially on that spot that it mimiced a kidney infection (I know all too well what a kidney infection feels like, so believe me when I tell you I was fooled!)

The biggest surprise about this race was that for the first time that I have ever experienced at a NYRR race, some of the stations ran out of water. I know! It was a humid, humid day, and this was a very large race. But wow, I had to actually wait at one station while the poor volunteer poured water as fast as he could, and had to skip another station when it became clear that I wasn't going to get any liquid any time soon. I needed a gel, and had to take it without water. Bleh. And I LIKE gels!

At the finish of the race, very smart of NYRR -- they had bags of salt pretzels instead of bagels. Between the crush of runners and people on the Boardwalk, the finish was a bit of a madhouse, and I decided to head hime instead of wandering. PS: 2:06:18, my second slowest ever. Booo.

ROCK AND RUN/HIGH SCHOOL REUNION: This is the third year of the Rock and Run, a three mile fun run/walk sponsored by MSKCC as a benefit for their programs for cancer survivors. There are so many people on my Team who are survivors thanks to MSKCC, and also people in my family, and friends, that of course I'm going to run! Even if it was the day after my 25th High School reunion...yes, amazing that I am only 29 and went to high school 25 years ago (old joke.)

Let me tell those of you who have upcoming reunions -- go!! I went to the kind of a high school where there were no real cliques, just the people you hung out with a lot. I knew a lot of people in my class -- there were only 200 of us -- and I'd like to think I was friendly with a lot of them, but didn't really know most of them. Well, what the hell was my problem? Now that the years have passed, I realize just how amazing and cool all of these people are, and why the hell didn't I know that before? At our 20th, I got to connect and reconnect with so many amazing folks, and I feel I'm better friends with them now than I ever was.

Our 25th was at the same place as our 20th -- Metrazur. It's a great place for a reunion, I will say, surprisingly intimate given its location in the main room of Grand Central Station. I drank my fair share of the liquor, and then went to the afterparty for a while. Around 2am, I realized I better get home, as I needed to be at the Rock and Run by 8. Oops. I wish I could have stayed longer.

So, still drunk, I stumbled over to the Hudson Piers to meet my Team and celebrate MSKCC and all the great people they've helped.

At the R&R, I also debuted my new toy -- my podcast! I wanted to audiotape my run and some of the events there, and also interview some people about Fred's Team and running. Unfortunately, I learned very fast that I am a rotten interviewer, evidenced when I tried to interview Dan Abrams of MSNBC. Oh, it will be on the podcast, as soon as I get around to it.

I also interviewed some of my Teammates as we ran. I ran with Jill and Deb. They both kept urging me to go ahead, but why? It's a fun run. I was having fun being with my friends. Also saw my old pal Dr. Mark there -- he's a doctor at MSKCC specializing in lung cancer. He was there with his family.

After the run, we went back to the VIP section (yay, Team perk!) for brunch, and general hanging-out while the festivities commenced. I had a good talk with Coach Jeff about my goals for this year, and he promised to kick my arse all the way to the finish line. Bring it on!

Had to leave early, to head out to my brother's house to see my five-year-old niece's first dance recital (!) Five-year-olds doing ballet is little more than jumping up and down and spinning around, but it was absolutely precious.

Of course, the highlight of the weekend, and made all the more precious in light of recent events, was Liam's fifth birthday party on Saturday afternoon. Mom Gretchen and Dad Larry rented out one of the tents at Victorian Gardens (which is the amusement park that Wollman Rink turns into in the summer.) There were about 100 people there, both kids and parents, all brought together by one very special little man. Not to leave Ella out, Liam's little sister, it was a party for her, too. Three big cakes (pirate ship for Liam, princess for Ella, and black-and-white for the adults), wine and beer and finger food, plus lots and lots of ride tickets for the little ones. It was a great, great day. I met some of the family, many of their friends, some other kids from MSKCC, and some of the nurses. Liam looked so great, his hair was all grown in and he had put on some weight. It's really not fair.

Still a little more catch-up to do, which I promise to get to with more alacrity!!

Have a great day,
MG