Sunday Wrap Up: Battle Ready?

With one week before showtime, my Kinvaras are ready to slay:



But am I?

In my quest to run a race a month in 2011, and with time ticking down on September, I decided to "race" this morning's Music That Heals 5k in Prospect Park. Much as I was tempted, I didn't "race" it as a 5k; rather, I toed the line after running 5 miles, and planned to get a little practice hitting just under goal marathon pace. I was aiming for sub 24:00, and I crossed the finish in 23:52. But it felt pretty terrible, and after a fast first mile downhill, I struggled uphill in heat and July-level humidity, self-doubt increasing with every step. "3.1 miles on a course I know and I'm struggling? At this rate, what will next Sunday be like?!"

What did I learn from this? Don't race the weekend before your marathon. Even a 5k, even if you aren't really racing. There's really no need to unleash the taper beasts. But because I did, I look forward to spending the next 6 days nauseous as the seed of insecurity germinates right up until race day, while obsessively checking the weather and praying Fall arrives in New England before next weekend. Isn't running fun?!

Number of Miles Run This Week: 31. The MTH 5k was really well done for a small event. No chip timing, but ample water, post-race food, plenty of volunteers, accurate timing, and a start that might as well have been at my front door. The one drawback (besides my own suckage, I mean) was no fault of the race organizers, but rather the fault of my living in Park Slope, where children are engineered to be driven, collegiate recruitment machines. Just past the 1 mile mark, I came upon a mom and a kid of about 7. They'd probably run about a 7:15 first mile (!) but were rapidly decelerating. The mom was giving some benign advice at first, like "take deeper breaths." But then she started getting specific, about not "slowing yourself down getting boxed in and jammed up." As I passed, the kid must have given some protest, to which the mom replied "well you said you wanted to break 23 minutes!"

Also, I was passed in the finish chute by a woman older than my mom. I pat her on the back and congratulated her after we finished. She did not respond. Park Slopers are cutthroat.

Number of Beers Consumed This Week: 0. I toasted the Giants victory today with a glass of water. And bar fries, so it's not all bad.

Types of Beers Consumed This Week: n/a

Nothing but baby miles this week. Well baby miles and phantom pains, crying jags, uncontrollable eating, pregnancy scares, and trips to PetCo. Spoke too soon about this being an easy taper...