1st Marathon

Here is a photo of Rachel and I at the finish of our first ever marathon. This was the Austin Marathon in February of 2005. It was 80 degrees at the finish - a very warm race with little shade. I can't believe we are smiling, we must have been delusional. Anyway, I thought it was appropriate to share as NY approaches. This will be my third marathon, but the first one I've done without Rachel - that seems odd to me. I'm getting nervous and beginning to wonder what I was thinking. At any rate, if the weather forecast holds, this will be the best weather I've had for a marathon. Current forecast is a low of 44, high of 55, mostly cloudy, and 57% humidity. Excellent conditions! Cross your fingers that the forecast holds.

Gimme a Break!

Okay, this entry is a bit whiny and definitely has some bitch and moan in it, but it's my blog and I'm going to use it to vent a little. Anyone that knows me knows that vocalizing my frustrations goes a long way towards making me feel better.

I have received three emails since Thursday regarding changes in the start of the NY marathon. The first email was to inform runners at the green start - that's me - that there is construction on the lower deck of the Verrazano Bridge and the running lanes will be narrower than in previous years so it may take longer to get across the start line. Mildly annoying but not the end of the world, but considering that I am already getting nervous, it's not want I wanted to hear. Next email - due to major construction around the Verrazano Bridge, it is recommended that all athletes take the Staten Island Ferry. Again this is not a huge deal, and even looks like it might allow me to sleep later. It just requires rearranging my morning plans, but on top of the previous email, and the fact that I am already nervous, it's not what I need. Email #3 - all runners in the green start will be put into waves and each wave will be led up from the corral onto the bridge as soon as the previous wave has cleared. Okay, now I'm starting to get bent out of shape. Seriously people!

Now I'm sure most of you are thinking "What's the big deal? Just some logistical changes. At least they are keeping you informed." All of which is true, and it really isn't that big a deal. It will mean that it will likely take longer for me to cross the start line which has nutritional and hydration implications, and I do have to replan how I am getting to the race start, but mostly it's just adding to my nervousness. Anyway, that's my rant for the day - nothing major, but I feel better already!

Wow!

Unless you are living under a rock, you know that Southern California is on fire. Yesterday Brian got a picture from a friend of his that lives in Huntington Beach north of San Diego. He took the picture from his front porch and the fires are about 25 miles away. Today I talked to my brother Pat who lives in Sugarloaf in the mountains east of Los Angeles. He and Kelly are doing fine except for the smoke. Fortunately the weather conditions are improving and firefighters are starting to get a handle on the situation. I just thought I would take a moment to send some good thoughts to the people dealing with this awful situation.

Track me!

It's less than 2 weeks to the NY marathon. If you want to know exactly how long until start time, check the countdown clock to the right. I'm sure my posts are going to be primarily about the upcoming race so I apologize for going one-dimensional on you. Also, Brian's been working so much lately that there really isn't a whole lot going on - the ocassional happy hour, Saturday dinners, football. The typical stuff. Anyway, this post is to let everyone know that the athlete tracking is up. NY is doing their tracking differently than other races. The athlete has to register the email addresses of people that want to track them. I'm guessing this is the race organizers' attempt to keep the tracking from getting out of hand or to deter stalkers - or both. If you want to track me, just send me an email and I'll sign you up. I'm assuming that if you give me the email address for your cell phone that should work, also. For those of you that are unfamiliar with athlete tracking, basically every time I go through a timing checkpoint on the course, anyone signed up to track me will get an email or text message informing you of my progress. It's almost like being there!

Race Number

Today I got my race registration card in the mail. My race number is 29499. This is the biggest race number I have ever had. There really will be close to 40,000 people running this race. Incredible! My card also tells me that I will be at the Green Start. Because the race is so big, the starting line is split up into three groups, and the first 8 miles of the race are also split. I have the last three weeks of my training from my coach. Two weeks from Thursday, Brian and I will be getting on a plane to New York. It's almost here!

More Cowbell!

I was on YouTube the other day looking for a particular Saturday Night Live clip to send to a friend. I wasn't sure if I would find it because NBC has been coming down hard on YouTube about the whole copyright thing and a lot of SNL clips have been pulled. I have had some luck finding older clips so I figured I'd give it a shot. I found the clip I was looking for and sent the link to my friend. Then I remembered another clip that I had tried to find quite a while ago but it had been removed at the time. It's up on You Tube again- who knows for how long so I thought I'd share.

For those of you that might be wondering about the apparent randomness of this clip, it has to do with spectating with Rachel at Ironman Florida 2007. Here are the things that led me to this post today. Don't try to understand my thought process - it'll just give you a headache or make you afraid of me, or both.

• Looking for a SNL clip.
  
• Registration for Ironman Florida 2008 is approaching.
  
• There will most certainly be cowbells at the NY Marathon.
  
• Thinking about Rachel.

So here's the clip - almost a year after Rachel told me about it, but no less funny. For those of you out cheering for a race - More cowbell, please!

Travel Plans

Yesterday I made my flight reservations for New York for marathon weekend. I guess there really is no turning back now. Not that I was considering backing out, but now it's definitely a done deal. Brian and I are flying out on Thursday evening and returning on Monday. Traveling the day after a marathon is unpleasant, but recovering at home will be better.

After the crazy weather in Chicago, I'm starting to get a little obsessive about checking the weather in New York. It's been so incredibly humid in Gainesville this past month that I am really hoping for the 55 degree start temperature that is the average for this race. Actually, I'm trying to imagine what running in 55 degree temps will feel like. It's unfathomable to me right now. When Brian and I were in New York for Labor Day, it was barely 80 and about 50% humidity and I just cruised through my workouts.

Overall, I feel like my training is moving right along. I've slacked off some the past few weeks on my swimming/upper body work but that's the one part of my training that's been inconsistent this past year, and I'm getting that back on track. My running and biking have been solid, and the plantar fasciitis is nearly non-existent these days. This is my first marathon that I actually have a goal finish time so I am excited and nervous all at once. New York here I come!

Hold On

I've had this song stuck in my head for a few days. It came up on my ipod during my long run on Saturday and now it keeps randomly popping in to my head. It is definitely 80's pop, but I liked it then and I still do, although it could do without the cheesy guitar solos. I figure everyone could use a little 80's pop with some good harmony and a positive message. Besides, if it's stuck in my head, I feel compelled to pass it on.

The Pirate Party

Looks like I'm back to posting once a week. I'll try to do better. The sad thing is that I started this post 5 days ago. I uploaded the photos and put together the slide show and then didn't get back to the post until now. I know - pathetic. I'll be emailing a snapfish link to some of you with all the pictures from the party. If you don't get that email in a few days and want to see the pics, just let me know. Okay, now for the important stuff.

Jordan's 6th birthday party was 2 weeks ago, September 22 to be exact. I was in Austin for the party. (See my previous post for trip details). Jordan decided he wanted a pirate theme party this year so Rachel and Joey put together a pirate treasure hunt for the kids. Joey acted as Pirate Master and led the children on their quest complete with a water balloon fight. The treasure was goody bags. It was really cute and so much fun to watch the kids!

After the hunt, there was yummy food, a pirate cake, and the pinata. It isn't really a party without a pinata, is it? The kids were really swinging hard at the pinata. It was busted open in no time. Then there were presents and the party was over. Everyone had a really good time. I think Jordan opened his presents twice as fast as he did last year.

Joey's parents and Rachel's mom and grandma had come to town for the party. I don't get to see them very often so that was nice. I spent a lot of time catching up with Linda, which was also really nice. I have to do better about keeping in touch.

Overall it was a big success! Rachel and Joey really know how to put together a party!