Tag Archives: nyc marathon

Find a Reason to Celebrate Every Day

My mom is of the mindset that every day is a day to be celebrated. We always find something to cheers to when we go out to dinner–no matter what.

So when I finished my second marathon last week, taking 40 minutes off my last one, clearly that called for some celebration. My parents left my apartment shortly after we arrived back here after I finished, so my mom thought we needed a proper celebration.

IMG_0369.JPG

And who was I to complain? She had over some friends and family–and I even convinced Lacey, Shannon and Eileen that hanging out in NJ with my family for the afternoon would be fun.

IMG_0370.JPG

Bailey also calmed down enough to get near my cousin’s baby without spazzing, which was nice. (Although there’s obviously places he’d rather be. And clothes he’d rather not be in.)

IMG_0371.JPG

My mom ordered sandwiches.

IMG_0373.JPG

IMG_0374.JPG

And had trays of orange chicken (which I attribute to about 47 of the 50 pounds I had to lose) and her ziti.

IMG_0382.JPG

Baby yogi doing happy baby?

IMG_0375.JPG

You can’t see her onesie terribly well here, but it says “I’m crawling here — NYC Marathon.” My expo excitement was not limited to just buying things for myself.

IMG_0387.JPG

No, you cannot steal her. Sorry. I would be very upset that I did not get to steal her first. And her mother would probably be upset, too.

IMG_0391.JPG

Proud parents. (And a girl who needs a haircut.)

IMG_0393.JPG

Also, I guess now’s probably the time to break it to you. I actually won the NYC Marathon. I actually ran it in less than half the time it took me to run my first one. I let Firehiwot take all the glory because I wasn’t ready for the attention.

Or, um, my dad is a whiz at PhotoShop.

201111141357.jpg

Hey dad? Guest post on how to remove everyone else from your race photo?

Where a Long Run Once Was

Although getting up at the ass crack of dawn was never ever fun, most of marathon training was a lot of fun. (If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it.)

I loved seeing new parts of my city, exploring other cities, meeting new friends and getting closer with old ones. I loved pushing my body, I loved the euphoric feeling of accomplishment I had when I got home from a double-digit run, and I loved doing something really physically challenging while most people were still in bed.

So when I woke up this morning after a long, fun night with friends that included more champagne than my liver would like to acknowledge, I felt a little empty.

201111121524.jpg  

WHAT WOULD I DO WITH ALL THIS TIME?

I contemplated writing the next Great American Novel.

I contemplated reading a Great American Novel.

I contemplated finding an all-you-can-eat-and-drink brunch and eating and drinking it all.

What did I end up doing?

Cleaning. And then running. I’m so predictable.

photo 1.JPG

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to run.

photo 2.JPG

I ran for a little more than 4 miles today, and it still felt pretty difficult on my still-tired legs. How did I run 22 more miles than that less than a week ago?

Dear marathoners: what do you do with all this free time after a marathon???