7

List no. 9: My fave things about running races

I’m leaving town soon to go run tomorrow’s half-marathon in Hannover, and even though I’m not as fit as I was last year, my excitement is building!  You definitely don’t have to be fast to love racing, and here are a few of my favorite things about the experience:

  1. The pre-race expos. Being surrounded by all the other racers’ excited anticipation, the joy of picking up your number and your bag full of goodies, the booths with all the latest gear, and walking around town  noticing everyone else carrying their race bag.
  2. Everyone has their own race-day rituals they follow, and I love getting to the start area a little early and watching other racers go through their own steps for making sure they have a good run.  It’s seriously an anthropological dissertation waiting to happen…
  3. Getting the chance to experience a city in ways you might otherwise not be able to.  Running through the empty streets of Times Square is only going to happen in if you’re signed up for the NY Half-Marathon, and is one of those experiences that will stay with you forever.
  4. The energy surge you get just from being in the race.  For long races, they say you don’t actually need to run the full distance in training because the excitement of the race will carry you those extra few miles (along with being in shape, of course).  And it’s so true — I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been totally empty and been able to push through those last miles using sheer will power.
  5. The utter satisfaction of having worked hard and long towards a goal and accomplishing it. You don’t get much more concrete a goal than finishing a race, and it feels SO good.

Okay, off I go!

0

City to City

Capitol Building
Inside the dome of the Capitol Building

Time, precious time.  It’s been lacking around here lately, but I’m realizing that’s mostly due to throwing it away on stupid stuff and leaving none of it behind for what I really want (and need) to accomplish.  So I’m paring things down and focusing myself — consuming less and creating more.  That goes for just about every area of my life I can think of right now.  So maybe I’ve been quiet around here, but that’s just because I’m trying to find my balance and focus in on what really nourishes me.

**

Anyway, with that said, did I mention I was in Washington, DC last week?  I didn’t know until the afternoon before whether I was actually going to be flying across the ocean, and the indecisiveness of the volcano was kind of killing me.  If my flight had been scheduled for one day earlier (which was actually my original plan), I never would have made it. The stress, I tell you.

In any case, I made it, and it was a good time, even though it was mostly official events and stuff.  The schedule was pretty intense, so luckily I was able to put the jet lag to good use.  I also managed to sneak in some quality time with good friends, as well a couple of runs past the White House and along the Mall.  I’m no stranger to DC, but for some reason, its livability and pleasantness really struck me this time.

Now I’m back in Hamburg, icing my shins, rubbing my shoulders, and crossing my fingers that I can hold myself together enough not to embarrass myself on Sunday in the race…

2

Week 11, kinda

If I had started training in February for the Hannover Half-Marathon, I would have just finished my eleventh week of training. But, as you’ve heard before, I’ve only actually been sporadically training since about March.  Not a real recipe for success, but I’m making it work.  Though I was down for the count last week with a cold, this week I’ve snuck in a 30-minute, 45-minute and 60-minute run — all of which felt surprisingly good, considering my complete lack of exercise the week before.  The nicer weather and the longer days surely contribute to that.

This morning we headed out for my second-to-last long training run before the race — 90 minutes, with mein Schatz acting as Gatorade-mule, bunny, and entertainment for me (i.e., he’s so well-trained for next week’s Hamburg Marathon that jogging along at my pace is a piece of cake).  We followed a route which took us around the (deserted) airport and enjoyed the warm sun along with all the other bikers, runners and strollers.

The distance definitely wasn’t a problem and I could have kept going, which bodes well for the race.  I’ll be in DC next week (hopefully!) for an event, but I’m no stranger to running in that city, so I should be able to squeeze in a nice 105-minute run, and that — along with a few shorter runs snuck in here and there — should put me in good stead for May 2nd. I surely won’t be running my fastest race ever, but I’ll take what I can get!

3

Five Senses Friday no. 22

The Notwist @ Fabrik
The Notwist @ Fabrik

Seeing:
* my peeps while virtually attending a brunch in DC via Skype. Not quite like being there in person, but so good to hear good news from friends and meet the new baby peeps too.

Hearing:
* the Notwist, a long time favorite band of mine, perform last night at Fabrik. I first started listening to them in 2003, saw them in concert a couple of times while living in New York, and was thrilled to finally catch them in their native land. The band looks less like cutting-edge electronic/pop/rock stars and more like middle-age computer geeks, but man is their music good — even better live. The lead singer admitted he had a cold and was nursing a hot cup of tea in between songs — but his voice held up pretty well considering. Check out a few pics over here.

Tasting:
* lots more than usual. Whenever I’m training for a half-marathon (even when it’s this last minute ridiculous training that I’m doing now), I pay a lot more attention to what I’m eating. I am constantly planning my meals around what is going to give me the most energy for my next run, or what is going to help my body recover and restore itself. That typically means less coffee and processed food and more water, veggies, whole grains and protein. What I love about training is that this kind of eating doesn’t feel forced, it is actually what my body is naturally craving (and plus, I know exactly what the consequences are if I run long-distances without properly fueling myself – it’s not pretty).

Smelling:
* the faint scent of Spring in the air.

Feeling:
* sparks flying! Apparently, the rug in my office plus my corderoy pants and sneakers are the perfect combination for generating shocks every single time I touch a computer today. Yikes!

—

Happy weekend, and don’t forget to check out more senses over at abby try again.

P.S. Oh, and, please cross your fingers (or push your thumbs) that all this crazy volcanic ash will clear up in time for my flight next week!