Indianapolis 500

Yay! Michele is still blogging! (And I'll get back to it soon enough, I'm sure.)

I wouldn't think of what happened as Indy as "leaving it on the course." Rather, it was evidence that you're bouncing back from that surgery far better than expected! It bodes well for Tuscon, and Boston beyond.

Have fun aiding the gang at JFK. It should be a hoot.

When is Tuscon? Have fun at JFK! I'd so love to run that some year but wow 5o miles is quite the distance. Glad you can be there to help.

Have a great weekend in Maryland - hope it all goes great!

Just a few more days until Tucson and I finally succumbed to the cold that I have been fighting off since before Indy.  I feel ok when I'm running, but I'm congested and its really no fun.  I'm sure the flying didn't help, but it sure was fun to spend Thanksgiving in NYC watching the parade, seeing two shows (Kinky Boots and Rock of Ages), having dinner with an old V-team friend and his family, running in Central Park, and watching BU kick Cornell's butt in hockey.  

It really is hard to believe that I'm going to run a marathon this coming Sunday since I really haven't run a lot since Indy with my long mileage really only being what I did at JFK, but I'm approaching it like Steamboat and even carrying water again since the aid stations are far apart (as much as 3 miles) in the first half of the race.  I'm hoping to finish in the 4:15-4:30 range and I'm not planning on wearing my Garmin.  I am also planning on walking through the aid stations and simply having a good time watching the cacti go by.  I've convinced my friend and her daughter to run the marathon relay, but I don't think I'll be able to keep up with her daughter for the first 13.1, so I'll be having fun on my own.

I registered for NY this morning as I remembered this weekend, how much I really love the race and the city, and how the race is a good excuse to go to the city.  I have a guaranteed time although I'm not really sure how it works.  A good running friend from the summer and here also has a time, so we both hope to get in and have a fun race.  Depending on how things go training-wise over the summer, I might run another and race it early in October (like Hartford or Portland (ME)) and then just have fun at NY (if I get in).  I don't think Chris wants to race it (if she gets in) and we could simply enjoy the boroughs together.

I also have decided to attend a running camp in February with a focus on Boston.  I feel like I've run the course so many times that I am almost too familiar with it, and I'd like to get a fresh perspective.  Anyway, it gets me out of the cold for a weekend.

Here's hoping the dry air in Tuscon clears you out before race day. The weather looks decent - sunny and mild - which ought to make it easy for you to set the cruise control and enjoy the scenery. Does this add another state to your list?

A camp for Boston sounds intriguing, though I think you should probably be the one leading it.

Alex Kubacki wrote:Is that the McMillan camp?

 Yes.  I used a McMillan plan quite successfully back in 2004 and I am going to use one again for Boston.  I will probably amend it slightly, but I have really lost good access to my old coach in Atlanta as I am no longer local and neither is he. (He retired and moved to Amelia Island).

Mark B wrote:Here's hoping the dry air in Tuscon clears you out before race day. The weather looks decent - sunny and mild - which ought to make it easy for you to set the cruise control and enjoy the scenery. Does this add another state to your list?

A camp for Boston sounds intriguing, though I think you should probably be the one leading it.

Yes this adds another state which will make it 27 states and 45 marathons.  If I add 2 more marathons to my scheduled 2 next year, Boston 2015 would be my 50th marathon.  That would be as good a reason as any other.  This is why Eugene and maybe something raced in early October are looking plausible.  Then if I get in to NYC, it would be a fun party.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Yes this adds another state which will make it 27 states and 45 marathons.  If I add 2 more marathons to my scheduled 2 next year, Boston 2015 would be my 50th marathon.  That would be as good a reason as any other.  This is why Eugene and maybe something raced in early October are looking plausible.  Then if I get in to NYC, it would be a fun party.

Keep me apprised. I just might be interested in throwing a mid-summer marathon into the mix, maybe, if I find a good reason to...  

Weird weather for sure - today I ran in shorts and short sleeves as it was 56F!  And I'm in Cleveland - not Atlanta1

Currently, it looks like the heavy snow is going to be south of me so that I will get out and get to Tucson this weekend.  As it is, we will get a bit of the storm and since the temperatures are going to drop significantly, we are expected to get 1-3".  However, if things stall, we could get 8-10".  That is a lot of snow for Cleveland, especially the west side of the city.  I'm just glad that this is not my goal race for the year.  My friends are on their way there now(to spend time with their son/brother), so they got out of Philly before the storm - alas, they might not get back to Philly before it hits the east coast.

I did have to laugh though as my husband is freezing his butt off in the 2 feet of snow in Ft. Collins, CO.  That is what he gets for going to San Diego from NYC on Sunday .

One last morning of warm weather before we get the cold, rain, snow, etc.  I ran in shorts and a short sleeve shirt again for just an easy 2 miles (per my schedule) as I am tapering again .

Enjoy! We had a beautiful weekend and Monday and the cold has set in but no snow till Sunday. Stay safe on the snow and ice when it does come!

Have a good trip and run, Michele.  Drop your cold off in Dallas for Jerry.

And how did things go in Tucson, pray tell?

You'll have those shorts in storage for some time now I think.

Tucson report is up which ends my racing for the year and most likely this blog.  I will be taking a few days of down time and then begin Boston training at the end of the month, but really truly not until next year.  I ran 6 marathons this year and knocked off 4 more states.  My times were not stellar, but I progressed over the 11+ months and I'm much stronger now than I was in April.  I also have no doubts at this time that I can run and even race (not as fast as I would like just yet) 26.2 miles.  Yesterday proved that as I felt great the entire way and I'm really not that sore today even after flying, etc.  I'm not going to start back too fast though as I want to be able to keep progressing and run well in April.

My original thought was to only run two marathons next year - Boston, of course, and hopefully NY.  However, Tucson was my 45th marathon overall (and my 27th state).  Obviously, Boston 2014 is very important to me, but Boston 2015 will be as well since I will get to share it with Mary Pat (my friend that I ran Tucson with, and I'll get to take her through the journey that I consider to be my home town race).  If I run Eugene (maybe with Mark for fun - you up for that???) and possibly Hartford or Portland (ME) in early October and then NY with my friend Chris (another summer friend who also lives here in CLE) for fun - Boston 2015 would be my 50th marathon.   We will see, we will see.......

Wow that is a busy race schedule! Off to read your report.