Day 7: Day of Rest (Sort Of)

We had one day of doing nothing, before we head to Minneapolis tomorrow. Being not in my right mind this morning, I wandered out of the house and ran 10 miles. Haven't done that in nearly two years.

The run was to the Platteville 'M,' billed as the largest 'M' in the world. The letter, which stands for mining school, is crafted on the side of a hill overlooking the city. We went back later with Sam and climbed to the top for the view.

And then tonight, Liz and I turned Sam over to Grandma and Grandpa, and we went to see a movie, my first in 14 months. 'The Other Guys,' the latest Will Ferrell spoof, about a couple bumbling cops. And whaddaya know, they drive a Prius. Mark Wahlberg's character has a rather colorful description for the car that I won't repeat here...

The Year of Not Running

Motivation ebbs after marathons, it happens to all runners. I tell myself that, trying to feel better about following my NYC Marathon triumph with 12 months of laziness.

Of course, my Year of Not Running also has been a year of doing a lot of other things, including the 5-hour commute, having a kid, the 5-hour commute while having a kid, moving to New York City and assorted other accomplishments. But now it's time to get serious.

We watched the 2009 NYC Marathon pass a block from our new apartment Nov. 1, along the same route I ran a year earlier. And now that we're somewhat settled in a new home and a new routine, watching the race was a reminder that I've got to get back into running.

And why not?! What an experience to run in New York City, anywhere in New York City! This is a good time to get back in shape, whether in the neighborhood (views of the Verrazano bridge from the shore) or in Central Park (which I ran yesterday for the first time since my marathon). My immediate goal is to explore all the running paths the city has to offer, but my long term goal... Marathon 2011.

Marathon Day

Running the NYC Marathon today was unlike anything I've ever experienced. By the end, I was in quite a bit of pain, but I still felt good about finishing, and with a respectable time: 3 hours and 42 minutes. More to say, but I'll leave it at that for now (so we can go out to dinner). I've posted a slightly longer entry at http://northeastrunner.blogspot.com/ and will update that with more on Monday.

Road Race & Gustav

Dave ran the 31st Annual New Haven Road Race on Monday. It was 20K. He finished 441 out of 2090. Awesome! Here he is near the finish line. Dave wrote about the race on his Northeast Runner blog.

The best part was that they had free beer for the runners!


The bad part was that he later got called into work because of Hurricane Gustav. It's going to be another six-day work week for Dave.

Thankfully, the storm wasn't as devastating as it once appeared. My cousin Ben and his fiancee Kira -- who are getting married in New Orleans in November -- evacuated to Florida. My step cousins also evacuated. Who knows what property damage was done.