after work, i hit the gym to do a 4-miler on the treadmill, stretched, showered, and headed downtown for the lecture. of course, i was late but only by a few minutes. the lecture lasted an hour and a half and manoman, am i glad i went. the lousy weather almost persuaded me to just head home after the gym, but i'm glad i didn't let it. this man has raced all over the world...he's finished 55 marathons!
tapering, nutrition, injuries, mental stress, clothing, and just everyday no-nonsense tips like pinning GU (gels you ingest) on the inside of your shorts or carrying a McDonald's salt packet and ingesting it when you need it tequila style (minus the tequila)...good stuff. he gave us some really wonderful tips. seems the worst part of the race will be at around mile 15 onward...(hills and more hills) the first half of the course is pancake flat (except for the verrazano). he even gave tips on what spots are best along the course for your family to spot you...
after the lecture (he also answered questions) there was a really nice spread for us courtesy of the ING folk: cheeses and crackers, fruit, sandwiches, coffee, and a goody bag with a really nice t-shirt, water bottle and some ING literature (because, after all, they are a business).
got home too damned late. ate, fed cats cleaned up and was in bed by 10pm. i need to make sure i'm in bed by 9:30pm.
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Sunday's 20-miler was pure freakin' hell after around mile 15. the course i've been running is tough on the feet and legs...but it's my only option if i want to stay safe. i finished the last 5 miles running on the university's track. but by that time, ITB syndrome (ilio-tibial band) was wrecking havoc on my left leg. of course, the strong winds pissed me off and added to my misery. after finishing, i went home, tried to stretch, ate, and crashed on the couch. the rest of the day was spent walking without bending my knee (have to admit i must have looked hilarious!) did a little searching online for help and guess what?
i ended up taking a rolling pin to my legs to work out the muscle knots. i also iced and then took a hot bath with epsom salt. then i broke out the rolling pin again. and by-golly if it didn't work!
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will run a 3 miler today and then head out to purchase a tennis ball so that i can roll my glutes on it. ;-) the rolling pin and tennis ball are the poor man's physical therapy items. you can purchase something called The Stick and there are also other products that will massage and work out muscle knots...all of this stuff will probably be on sale at the Expo.
another tip Mr. Tanser gave us...time yourself to spend 20 minutes tops at the Expo (this is where you pick up your race goody bag and bib number). he said many a runner has done him or herself in by walking around the expo for 4 hours right before the race. i'll be heading out to hit the expo a few days before the race to beat the masses.
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i think my boss got a call about the position i applied for. oh well, can they blame me for wanting out? they've treated me like crap.
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therapy is going well, sometimes it's tough, but i'm glad that this time i'm sticking with it. it's been a little over a month. (patting myself on the back)
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after the race, the next big thing to tackle???? driving.
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i am planning on going out the weekend after the race for a nice tall glass of Guinness with some good company! heehaw!
ciao&meow.