Lunch with Matt

Those few of you, my dears, who read every post I make know that I am a huge fan of the Dump Runners Club podcast, produced out of Denver, CO. I really hope you have checked it out and downloaded at least one episode, if not subscribed to it and become a regular listener like me. Matt, the super-fast runner who hosts and produces the show, is smart, funny, gently opinionated and has decades of running experience which he brings to bear on his updates on the professional racing scene, the analyses of his own races and training, and segments that focus on single topics like downhill running, training for a finishing kick, and running with dogs. I’ve definitely integrated a lot of what I’ve learned from DRC into my own training and racing, to positive results.

Since I’m in Denver this week, there was no way I was passing up this opportunity to thank Matt in person for all of his helpful advice, and for reading my blog. We met for lunch, ironically (at least for me, considering my industry), in front of Barnes & Noble, then went around the corner to a salad and sandwich joint. It was so cool to skip out on the company lunch and sit with a friend and yammer on about all-things running for an uninterrupted hour.  One little-known topic we covered was the qualifying time standards for guaranteed entry into the New York City Marathon (which are much tougher than those for Boston). He and his identical twin brother are going to get their bibs for the 2010 race by running a 1:30 half-marathon time (that’s a 6:52 pace; for the Masters 40+ category). His lack of concern about being able to meet that standard gives you an idea of exactly how fast Matt is. To put it in perspective against my own skill level, I’d have to run a 1:37 half-marathon for my age and gender group, which means cutting 11:50 off my PR, and averaging 7:24 minute-miles during the qualifying race!

Hanging out with Matt reminded me I’ll have to sort out my goals for 2009, even though we didn’t really get into it conversationally. I have a few ideas, but want to flesh them out a bit and map out the year with them before I commit. (I’ll post a wrap-up of my 2008 goals as well as a list of my 2009 goals the week between Christmas and New Years.) It also reminded me of what I like so much about his podcast–it definitely provides that aspirational value of surrounding myself with runners who are faster than myself. 

It’s always gratifying to put a face with a name–or in this case, putting a face with a voice–and this time, it was a pleasure, as well. Oh, and to those of you who listen to Matt’s podcast, those kids he’s always talking about? I saw pictures, and they are beautiful!

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Ellipses

Election? What election? I’ve got a marathon to run (left work early to get my number and chip at the Javits Center)….Thank you friends and family who emailed me about the story in yesterday’s New York Times. It’s interesting, because before I even read the article I was saying how I was afraid the crowded course would bug me….. Mikeroscopic forwarded me a link to this profile piece, with video, about Joe Bastianich (partner, with Mario Batali, of one of my favorite restaurants). Bastianich lost 45 pounds training for the NYC Marathon, and this article details how he got fit and trim without dieting or giving up entirely his favorite piatti italiani… To all my fellow fans of elite runners, the Men’s Olympic Marathon team (golden Ryan Hall, surprising Dathan Ritzenheim, and huggable Brian Sell) will all be in the NYRR booth at the Expo Friday afternoon (specifics HERE)…I also saw, when I picked up my bib today, that Magdalena Lewy-Boulet will be in the Saucony booth tomorrow afternoon (at either 3 PM or 4 PM)… And in somewhat linkable news from my industry, the semi-original approach to flapping up blogger support for books from Thomas Nelson includes this review copy request page….. Rounding up some of my favorite elites for you, Anthony Famiglietti and Shalane Flanagan both won their respective 5K Championships recently, and Kara Goucher (currently prepping for her own big Sunday) won the 10-mile Championship. Who doesn’t love a winner? Or at least a finisher?….

Liz Robbins’ A Race Like No Other was reviewed in the most recent episode (#111) of the Dump Runners Club podcast (grazie, Matteo)…. Liz will also be signing books and answering questions at the Expo this weekend (Crawford Doyle rocks for being the bookseller-at-hand)… And, if you wish to peruse the many reviews that have been popping up for this book, rather than buying a copy and reading the whole thing for yourself (which, um, YOU SHOULD DO), click through the bullets.

• Mood swings
• Video: Tina Cervasio
• Hidden gems unearthed
• She was at the cross-country championships as a fan
• Favorite spectating spots
• New York’s greatest day (with video, from the Wall Street Journal, no less)

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Big Running Weekend

So, GMR participant and colleage JMK came into my office today to tell me that she was googling for information on the course of the Staten Island Half-Marathon this weekend, and Pigtails Flying came up as the fourth result. As she is another book marketing guru, she teased me and said, “You’re using search engine optimization techniques, aren’t you?”

October 12 is a big day for running–for me, for my friends & wider running community, and for the elites. I’ve got the Staten Island Half-Marathon to race; I am secure (stupid?) enough to say publicly I’m going to try and nudge my PR a teeny bit and break 1:53:34. I’m looking for even ten seconds of improvement here.  SI is an easier course than Queens, and the temps will be much more hospitable, so if my body and mind cooperate, maybe I actually have a shot. No matter what, I am confident I’ll break my record for the course (2:22:27), so at least I’ll have that. (Did I just jinx myself?) Once I cross the finish line, I can also cross off another one of my running goals for 2008.

Additionally, I am running this half-marathon as part of the Phedippidations Worldwide Half-Marathon, which is kind of like that brilliant-yet-nauseasting marketing ploy the Nike Human Race, but (BIG BUT) the PWW 1/2 is way better–completely grassroots, 100% participant-driven, and not trying to sell you any godamned thing, except maybe a sense of accomplishment and, you know, some good clean fun. If you are registered to run a half-marathon, a 10K, or a 5K this weekend, click here to sign up and participate in the Worldwide Festival of Races. It’s FREE, easy and subversive (trust me on this one, kids). If you need additional convincing, click here to download The Extra Mile Podcast, an inspiring compilation of listener contributions about their training and goals for all the different races they’re competing in this weekend. A lot of my running buddies are signed up for the SI 1/2: DT, EN, JMK, JD, and that’s just for starters. I enjoy going to races knowing there will be a lot of friendly faces out on the course, I am sure I’ll also see my dear old TNT coaches, too.

Also on October 12 is the Chicago Marathon, the second of the three World Marathon Majors races that fall in the Fall (I couldn’t resist). I know a bunch of runners signed up for this flat, movie-star doozy; but the most important one who’ll be out on that course on Sunday is JM, one of my girlfriends with whom I skied in Utah this winter. She’s an experienced marathoner (and much faster than me), having already run Marine Corps in 2006 and NYC in 2007.  JM is not only running for a PR on Sunday, she’s running to raise money for Children’s Memorial Hospital, where she works as a social worker with children who have AIDS. She’s 75% of the way to her $1000 goal, so if any of you are feeling generous, have a connection to the cause, or just need another tax deduction, click here to donate. I promise you’ll feel as satisfied as if you just completed a speed workout if you make a donation. Not persuaded? The first five people who donate $25 or more and posts a comment to tell me so will get a free copy of A Race Like No Other. Run strong and beautiful Murph, you know I’ll be thinking of you from Staten Island.

How can I let a WMM event go by without at least a nod at the eiltes? The field will be exciting. The women’s Olympic Marathon gold medalist, Constantina Tomescu-Dita, is returning to a course familiar to her (she won in 2004 and has run it four additional times already). American Colleen De Reuck is also competing, I saw her run at the Marathon Trials in Boston earlier this year, [correction: I’ve never seen her run, have just read about her in local races.–PF 10/9/08 8:57 AM] and everything I read about Colleen makes me like her–she’s had a long and successful career, and is currently the top master’s woman in the 10K distance. Plus, she’s a Boulder, CO-based athlete. (Matt–have you seen her race? And thank you, we remember from one of your earlier comments that Constantina is also based on Boulder.) 

Big stuff, this weekend.

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I Must Concur. And Laugh Out Loud.

My review of the Men’s Olympic Marathon and recap of yesterday’s 17-miler to come this evening (I hope), but for now I pass you this sterling observation from my favorite podcaster, Matt of The Dump Runners Club. He recorded this over a week ago, at the end of his Olympics preview & predictions episode of the DRC. (Yes, I transcribed this for you all.)

I’m finally glad to say that track is getting underway. It’s been a long wait for me. We had to get through all of Michael Phelps‘ showboating. Although he’s a great athlete, the guy rips off his bathing suit faster than I’ve ever seen anyone take off anything to show us how great his chest is. But he’s a kid, in his early 20’s, with a bunch of gold medals, so I’ll cut him a little slack.

But only a little, okay?

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Qualifying Run

I may never qualify for the Boston Marathon, but on a recent weekend my Sunday run qualified me for induction into Matt’s Dump Runners Club.  Not quite like being inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, but perhaps more valuable in its obscurity, because surely, the DRC is on the cusp of getting huge, and I’ll always be able to say I was one of the first twenty members. 

To qualify for membership, you have to run to the dump, and back. It’s pretty simple, the main requirement being you run the whole way and provide photographic evidence, and then Matt makes it official by announcing your membership on his Dump Runners Club podcast. Or rather, it’s pretty simple if you actually live near a dump. Since I live in New York City, and we export all our garbage to other, lowlier states and counties, I wasn’t going to be able to run to a dump (or recycling center) from my home.  Plan B was to run to the dump from my house in Pocono Lake, PA — but no, the closest dump was over 20 miles to the north.  So, I did what I always do when Plan A and B have both fallen through: I called my mommy. Lo and behold, she confirmed there was a landfill not even 3 miles from her house. Granted, I’d have to run on some pretty high-traffic roads in a town where the Wild Pedestrian is as rarely sighted as an Emperor Penguin, but I was willing to take that risk.

I began to formulate the action plan. I’d make my trip to the dump part of my weekly long run and time it to a weekend on Long Island spent with my brother and sister-in-law, over visiting from Colorado. Ultimately, the whole family got involved.  Mom found the dump on Google Maps, Dad drove me there to survey the route terrain (hilly), my brother promised to meet me there with the camera and water, and my sister-in-law came along on the run for some good girltalk time.  My brother and I got a feel for the humidity as we ran five miles around our neighborhood first, then my SIL picked me up and we went straight to the landfill, hoping that the early hour would eliminate any concerns about the narrow shoulder on the busy roads we needed to take. (It was fine.)

SIL and I muscled out way through the humidity; which was weighty, and dense. On the last leg before the photo-op, we made a short detour to run through some lawn sprinklers, only to realize after the fact that the homeowners were sitting on their porch (we heard them laughing; it is possible one of the sprinklers shot me in the ass). We came up over the last hill and there it was, the Blydenburgh Landfill.  Even better, there was Brother with bottles of water. We drank, we posed, and with my mission accomplished, we collected ourselves to run the final 2.5 miles home.  Total mileage for the day: 11 miles, 150 minutes. 

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Media Challenge, Race 2

I am so knackered right now that this is going to be a quick post. yet I must take a moment to give mad props to Matt for telling us all to get a good night’s sleep before a morning run. Today was my fourth morning in a row getting up at 5:30 AM or earlier, and I knew the second the alarm sounded on my BlackBerry that I was in trouble. Instead of waking to my normal excitement for a run, I wanted to roll back over and keep sleeping. Clearly, I’d hit the red zone of my sleep deficit. But I stubbornly insisted on forging ahead with my plans to run a double. As it turned out, I’m not sure I was actually running this morning, as it took me 37:17 to plod through 3.36 miles. I even cut my run short (was supposed to go for four). So sorry was my state. I ran eleven-minute miles.

Once I was home, I decided to do some online banking as I found a bill that was 10 days overdue. Oops! by the time I finished that, I was seriously late for work and rushed through getting ready, grabbing my clothes for the evening’s race and dashing out the door one-two-three. It just goes to show: I should have stayed in bed and bagged my workout. Further evidence: when I got changed for the race, I discovered I’d grabbed one of my sports bras I’d worn earlier this week, instead of a clean one. I realized, with horror, that I was so stinky, I smelled like a homeless person. How mortifying, I’ve hit an all-time low. First, sleep-running, and now reeking like a hobo.

So I walked over to the race with my coworker & fellow runner JMK. We had to walk from 5th Avenue and 53rd Street over to Tavern on the Green, at Central Park West and 68th Street. I slyly chose a route that led us past all the horse-and-carriages, in the hopes that the manure odor that lingers at the South side of the park would mask my homeless stank. I think it may have worked.

The race itself was pretty standard. I ran as hard as I could given my low energy and the warmer conditions this time (fortunately the oppressive heat from earlier in the week had broken and it was actually comfortable –as long as you weren’t exercising).  Thanks to everyone who wrote in comments of good luck earlier in the week. I looked for that blonde sprite because I wanted to hover behind her for the whole race, my strategy being to choke her out with my odiferous presence, but she wasn’t there. I ended up finishing the race in 29:46, for an average 8:30 per mile pace. I’m happy with that, all things considered. I came in 47th out of all women; there were definitely more competitors this time around. As an aside, let me add that the race organizers are totally cool, and are very fair. They call out the split time after the first lap, they hand out cups of water, and they are sticklers about making sure you don’t cut ahead of other finishers after the line. Afterwards, they even have pizza for us, if we want (I don’t want).

I took this opportunity (since I wasn’t streaking through the course so fast that everything was blurry; that’s a joke!), to really pay attention to the terrain, to where the hills were, what the landmarks are before each crest and at what point I should start my kick. I’m hoping that this will help me run more strategic races (without the help of my malodorous undergarment), to improve on my debut time in upcoming Media Challenges.

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DRC #102: Morning Mood

As I compose this post, I am sitting here with my feet in a basin of cold water to keep myself cool. Maybe it’s kind of weird but it’s actually working, in lieu of air conditioning since Husband and I put off buying a much-needed new unit for our living room until just fifteen minutes ago. Since we bought it online, I’ve got another week of soaking my size 10-and-a-half’s (please don’t tell anyone my feet are that big) as we wait for delivery.

That has nothing to do with morning running, except to point out how hot it’s been, and so morning runs are really my only option (unless I want to head to to the gym and use the dreadmill, which I don’t). It’s quite fortuitous then, that Matt over at the Dump Runners Club podcast, would choose Morning Running as his topic for this week’s episode. I’d been semi-concerned–musing, really–that I was doing something wrong in my prep for my morning runs, since times for those workouts were clocking long.

By the way, if you aren’t already a listener, I highly recommend the personable, dedicated and sometimes-wacky Dump Runners Club podcast. Each episode is an overview of Matt’s own training; a segment on what’s happening in the world of professional road racing and track and field; and then finally a piece that focuses on an aspect of training or racing. I’ve listened to his Tempo Runs episode (#90) like five times, and his race report of the Boston Marathon (#99) was a thoughtful and original response to the sacred race. My personal favorite part of the ‘cast, though, are the updates on the elites, which put notable perfomances in context within the history of the sport and the current pro field. Also, I think he has a crush on Elva Dryer (that’s cool: I have a crush on Brian Sell).

Matt’s tips this week, though, reassured me, as I realized apart from one or two small things, I was already doing everything he suggested–and in fact, that slower times were to be expected. Herewith, a few of the salient points from the podcast (but you still are all going to subscribe and tune into the DRC despite my summary anyway, right?, since I’m not telling you about his Running News or his Bolder Boulder race report, both of which are good listenin’, and that’s just this episode).

I couldn’t agree more when Matt lists the advantages to morning runs: you get it out of the way early (which then permits you to feel healthy/righteous for the rest of the day); it’s a key component to running doubles; the same ole route seems new when run at a different time of day; you can eat a big breakfast afterwards; and it’s a great strategy for avoiding the worst of the summer heat. This last one has been my primary motivator the past several days. Summer’s arrived here with a vengeance, and since I realize I’m going to have to train through it to prepare for the NYC Marathon, I’m willing to entertain any option in order to get in my run (except for maybe a dreadmill workout, funny how I’d rather get up at 5:15 AM than run on the treadmill).

The key things you need to do to set up for your morning run are:

• Get Enough Sleep. Um, yeah. Do I ever get enough sleep? Maybe once or twice a week. Six hours is my max per night, usually, during the week. Considering  Iwas the girl at the slumber parties saying, C’mon guys, shut up, you’re keeping me up!, six hours a night is definitely not enough for me.
• Eat Something, and Drink 12 oz of Water. Check, and check. Sometimes I’ll even eat half a bag of Shot Blocks rather than “real” food, just because it’s super quick and I know it will hit my system right away.
• Coffee, But Not COFFEE. If you want, one cup, no more. That’s right. I save the other 7 cups in the pot for when I get back. Just kidding. Well, I’m only half-kidding (I save 4 cups).
• Get Everything Ready the Night Before. Outfit, gear, and the course you want to run. I’m such a ditz when I first wake up, that I lay everything out in the order in which I need to put it on, including my hair ties and my contact lenses. Mtt also makes a good point that if you’re heading out before sunrise, reflective clothing should be part of the ensemble. I have a very ugly fourescent orange vest that stops any living thing that sees it in its path. Horrific, yet effective.

Matt also tells us to remember that morning runs aren’t supposed to be hard runs; they’re more about getting in the miles, so don’t worry about pace. Take time for an extended warm-up (since even though you’re ambulatory, not all physiological systems are Go). Be aware of what’s happening around you (if possible; I’m always shocked I’m not mowed down by a bus, biker or freakin’ taxi cab). And, if you’re a beginning runner, give yourself six to eight months of a fitness base before hitting the road as soon as you wake up (kind of makes me wish I were still a beginning runner).

Fortunately, I had intuited most of these tips myself through trial-and-error over the past few years for myself, but now I feel confident that I’m on the right track with these AM specials. Matt’s advice hasn’t steered me wrong yet, after 100+ episodes.

The biggest surprise of the Morning Running segment, in fact, came when Matt pointed to PF (super-cool! on-air shout-out!) and said I ran a lot of morning runs. Really? Me, the woman who loves her run home from work? When I scrolled back through my training posts, I couldn’t dispute it. Some proof:

• December 2006
• February 2008
• NYRR 50th Anniversary Run

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Morning Runners Unite!

Just a quick post to say hello to new visitors to PF, as I’m guessing you heard Matt mention my blog on his first-rate podcast the Dump Runners Club in his episode about Morning Running. I’d love to stay and comment at length about episode #102, except I need to go to bed now so that I can get enough rest before my 5:15 AM wake up call for my four-miler tomorrow.

And, I would have posted this last night, except I had to stop listening to DRC 15 minutes into the episode because… I had to go to bed to get enough rest for this morning’s five-miler!

Anyone scared yet? If not, I’ll meet you on 43rd Street in Queens at 5:40 AM tomorrow for an easy four… and if you’re planning on meeting me, you’d better stop reading this and go to sleep.

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Bolder Boulder

My brother ran the Bolder Boulder 10K race today, and I invited him to guest blog about his experience. A brief bio of Little Brother: He teaches middle school at a charter school in Boulder, CO; lives in Boulder County with his wife and two children; is an avid outdoorsman who is training for his second triathalon; is a sculptor, a painter, a flyfisherman, a hunter, a poet.  The older we get, the more I love him, and one day he and I will run the NYC Marathon together. Without further ado, Little Brother reports, live on the scene in Boulder, CO.

Sea Level Is For Sissies

What is a race report?  I’ve never written one, and my lovely pigtailed sis invites me to be a guest blogger!  It all sounds so official.  Who am I?  How do I receive such invites?  I am a beginner triathlete, father of aforementioned two-year-old cheerleader Miss T (Muchas Mamás), and a sufferer of a treatable, but incurable, disease.

I’m in good shape, and have coached a number of kids this spring in preparation for the third-largest road race in the world: the Bolder Boulder. This year, over 50,000 have registered.  I’ve never run this race, nor have I ever run this far (10K) in my life, so I’m not exactly sure how I was qualified to “coach,” but I saw at least six of my middle schoolers looking strong on their way to the finish line.  Yeah me! [And Yeah Them!–PF]
              
I did everything I was supposed to.  Trained, cross-trained, used my heart rate monitor, rested, had a pasta dinner last night and went to bed early.  However, the shadow that lives in the back of my mind had been pushing itself into the edges of my sight larger despite my trying to look the other way.  Over the past few weeks, my personal burden, that incurable disease Ulcerative Colitis (autoimmune system attacks my colon and leaves it with bloody ulcers, and body with swollen knees, elbows, sores in mouth, red eyes, and general fatigue) was hinting at a flare up from the stress of the end of the school year (this coming Thursday).   Lo and behold, blood in the port-a-potty 400 yards from the start this AM.  Crap-ola. [No pun intended.-PF]

Whatever.  I’m feeling good, my body is doing great.  I decide to just ignore it for the race and go to the acupuncturist this week.  Line up with everyone, small talk with parent and child from my school (race officials have the coach run with the students) and wait for the gun.  Davis Phinney, cycling GOD who was recently cured of early onset Parkinsons via sketchy brain surgery, pulled the trigger.  There’s motivation for me.  Off we go, or off I go, as I didn’t really care about the students, just my goal of besting one hour.
              
Throughout the race, I felt like I was tumbling toward the finish.  Never winded, loving the spectators: bands, belly dancers, Ms. Tutu who’s been at the race every year since ’79, Jake and Elwood impersonators (yes, they were smoking), and two Slip and Slides set up on front lawns.  Unfortunately, it was 54 and drizzly, so the bands were all under tents, and a hypothermic Slip and Slide was not an option for skinny-ass me.  The morning’s blood flitted through my mind, but I just kept shutting it out.  Not going to let this ruin my tri season, just keep running.
              
Dad was there, cheering me on at the start and then the end, where we all hung a right into CU’s Folsom field for the finish.  Feeling strong, I kicked to the end.  1:00:44.  My splits actually became shorter – Mile 2 was 10:23 and Mile 6 was 9:18.  Yeah me again!  Being cold and wet, dad and I left before the pro races and Memorial Day festivities.  Apologies to all you elite-watcher nerds, no name dropping today. [We’re not nerds.-PF]
              
This being my first race report and all, I hope I didn’t bore you, go on to long, or gross you out.  While I was running I was thinking about what I would write, and what kept coming back to me was encouragement.  I have to deal with this disease the best I can.  Maybe your burden is weight, time, motivation, bad joints, finances, or a simple lousy hair day.  Shut the voices out and just go.  Do what you can.  The time is, as always, now.

Way to go Little Brother on a great race!  Sounds like you had fun, battled your demons, and set an important benchmark for your next 10K. The fact that you ran negative splits says a lot about your fitness. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your race with Pigtails Flying. Congrats to Matt at Dump Runners Club who also ran the race today.

Here are some other race reports from around the blogosphere:

• What’s New in Twizzler-land?
• Bolder in Boulder
• Run Oregon
• The Real World Bloomfield
• The Silver Fern
• One Mile to Go
• The Great Lake

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Boston, Belatedly

[It is a sad, sorry statement on how hard I’ve been working that my Boston Marathon spectator report is getting posted in May.]

If I were to tell people I traveled & took a day off work to go to the SuperBowl, no one would question me.  In fact they’d be jealous. But when I tell people I took Amtrak up to Boston and used a vacation day to spectate at the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials and at the Boston Marathon, I get one response: you’re such a geek. Even when I counter with, I’ll be visiting a friend, I know folks who are running on Monday, they remain nonplussed. All this means to me is that I’m not spending enough time with runners.

As an avid spectator at the New York City Marathon, standing year after year on the same corner in Queens, next to the tissue people and across from the high school band that plays seven different versions of “Ironman”, I will swear up and down that my city’s marathon is the best in the world, no matter if you’re running or rooting. 

I have to admit: as I headed up to Boston, I harbored a germ of skepticism that the oldest marathon in the country could compare to mine.  Was the enthusiasm reported back to me about the race simply due to local pride, and pride in the cachet of having qualified for the exclusive event? I wondered perhaps if it wasn’t the self-congratulation of those involved that puffed it up. Certainly, and rightfully so, pride does have something to do with it. But was there anything beyond that? That’s what I was hoping to find out.

No need to leave you in suspense.  There’s way more beyond that.  The crux of the issue, really, is that the character and talent of the field blows away any other race.  It’s obvious to me now, but I hadn’t considered this before April 19th as I headed towards the Expo (which, by the way, kicks ass over New York’s Expo.). Everywhere I looked there were lithe, fit, beautiful runners. Runners who had hit the wall and powered through, who had recovered from injuries, who had run scores of races, who raced with clubs, teams, or spouses. Runners who could name more than two elites, who had the fancy gear and used it, regularly (I could tell by the salt residue on their Garmins). The focus on the sport, the level of conversation about it, was higher than at any race I’d ever previously attended (as spectator or athlete). And, these runners wore their dedication to the sport with ease, like an afterthought.

This set a welcoming, celebratory tone that made for exellent spectating. Event he other spectators were a step above. I stood next to parents who were clutching for their daughter in her third running; to track stars who had cheered for friends in the trials the day before, and now were cheering for other teammates. We were elated when Cheruiyot won his fourth set of laurels for the course; ecstatic when young Dire Tune passed Biktimirova in the final stretch. I did feel very much alone in my indignation of Lance Armstrong being given a tape to break when he crossed the finish (wtf?! He hasn’t won anything, why is he breaking a tape? Give us all a tape to break!).  I spotted two of my coaches as they ran towards the finish, and I was so proud to know, personally, people on the course.  I looked for Steve Runner and Matt Runner, my favorite podcasterdudes, but missed them.  I reluctantly dragged myself away from the fence to catch my 3:20 train home to New York.  Boston really does get the special ones: in my car alone there were two runners, in sweats, with their medals around their necks, sucking back water and chowing down on turkey sandwiches, looking for all the world as if they’d just popped into town for a jog with some friends, and were hoping to make it home in time for dinner. 

One day. One day.

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