44 Days

EN and I ran together tonight, an easy eight from my office, up Fifth Avenue to Central Park, a full loop, and then back. When I say easy, I mean an hour and 23 minutes worth of easy. It was a perfect night for a run–a gentle breeze, low humidity, temps in the 60’s. And there was a sweetness in the air, the evening weighed heavy with the promise of what’s to come in the months ahead for us long distance runners. EN’s tales of European travel flattened the hills and shortened the miles. By the time we’d finished, night had settled around the city, and I was grateful for my running jacket, which I zipped up to my chin for the first time since the Green Mountain Relay.

Kara Goucher is running in the New York City Marathon this year. I thought maybe she would, since she had such a magnificent debut at the half-marathon distance last year (running the fastest women’s American time for the distance, 1:06:57) when she won the BUPA Great North Run Half-Marathon in the UK, beating Paula Radcliffe. Kara has expressed interest in 26.2 before, including on the Final Sprint Podcast. I am thrilled she’s going to be running in my city’s race, that I’ll be treading over the same route she will on November 2. But, I’m also a little sad I won’t get to see her flash by me in person from my regular cheering spot in Queens, between Miles 13 and 14.  I love spectating almost as much as I do participating, and missing the chance to see my favorite runner in action is definitely bittersweet. Luckily TS (with whom I Blackberried during the Women’s Olympic Marathon) will be here from the UK to spectate, and has promised to share her photographs with me. She has a fancy camera, and has taken excellent shots of Deena, Jelena and Paula at previous New York City Marathons. With luck, Kara will make an appearance at the Expo, and I’ll be able to meet her then, and tell her I’ll be rooting for her from miles behind.

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