As it were, I'm back to running as well; somehow, between all the alcohol, I found time to go for my first post-marathon recovery run on Thursday. 5-ish easy paced miles with Abbe (which ended at a bar...) By Saturday, my legs were feeling good as new! Unfortunately I didn't use them for running on Saturday, and instead put on running clothes and then apartment hunted, brunched, drank mimosas, and napped while clad in capri tights and a hot pink sports bra.
But today, despite the hangover and the lack of pants, I was back at it. Another 5 miles, in the pouring rain, in Prospect Park. I thought about a lot of things, because being hungover makes me introspective, and running alone in torrential rain seems like a suitably serious occasion to get some good thinking done. It's pretty amazing what running can do for your mental health. Really helps with the hangovers, too.
My friend Erica Sara is also good for my mental health (and is in part responsible for today's hangover), and she did something for me yesterday that was actually the impetus for my deep thoughts on the run today. ES is very talented (and very beautiful) jewelry designer (and bad ass marathoner in her own right), and treated me to a wonderful, thoughtful and generous surprise yesterday:
A monogrammed necklace, with all my marathon times engraved on the back. In Erica's own words:
I wanted to make something special that she could wear as a constant reminder of how amazing she is. So I made her this necklace, engraved with her monogram on the front and all of her marathon times on the back, sort of like her incredible journey thus far. One of my best moments last night was seeing the look on her face when she opened the box. It's why I love what I do and am so grateful to be able to do it.
It's true; I got a little teary when I opened the box. This necklace is a reminder of what I love, and of the work I'm willing to put into doing what I love. But it is also a reminder of just how lucky I am to have such selfless and caring and supportive people in my life. Thank you, Erica, from the bottom of my heart.
Number of Miles Run This Week: 37 - the Monday marathon really bumps up the weekly mileage.
Number of Beers Consumed This Week: To the best of my recollection, 22. Let the record show, we also had 6 bottles of wine with dinner last night.
Types of Beers Consumed This Week: Long Trail IPA, Stella, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Victory Hopdevil, Victory Headwaters Pale Ale, Victory St. Victorious (The Gate in Park Slope had a Victory tasting this week), Hennepin, Captain Lawrence Pale Ale, PBR, and Bud Light. Whew!
Next up: Lake Waramaug 50k on Sunday. My second ultra, and first 50k. I should probably not drink 22 beers again this week...
Ahem. You forgot the Killian's. I'll let it slide, as it was quickly washed down with six bottles of wine. Wheeeeee!
ReplyDeleteThat's great your legs recovered so quickly. You'll definitely need them to be fresh for that 50k. Did you end up trying the Sam Adams marathon beer in Boston?
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