The Indecisiveness of Maggie

It is hard work. Just when I think I have it figured out, something else occurs or comes up or happens that makes me rethink it all.

I'm talking about my fall race schedule.

I was planning on Rothman 8K in November and Memphis Half in December. I was looking forward to them, and excited. Our plans are this--Ted and I will be flying in to Memphis on a Thursday night, coming back from a work event I will be traveling to (with Ted accompanying me). We were going to hang out with family, and I would run the half on Saturday, and we would head back east on Monday. We rented a car, and then I realized Nashville was only 3 hours from Memphis.

As a huge country music fan, the chance of getting to Nashville triggered a NOW NOW NOW mechanism in my brain. "We have the car anyway..." Ted rationalized. YES! We're going to Nashville!!!! That led to the other question...when? The options would be Friday or Sunday. Due to work and school plans of our family, Friday made the most sense.

This is where it gets tricky. Race packet pick-up for Memphis is Thursday and Friday. If we go to Nashville, I won't be able to get my packet. The organizers won't ship the packet (even if I pay for it) and I'm hesitant of riding a total of 6 hours in a car and spending a day walking to get up and get my packet on race day between 6:00 and 7:30, then run 13 miles. I'm afraid I'll be pushing it, and I won't enjoy it and then I'll be sore the rest of the weekend.

The solution? Don't run Memphis. I'm so sad at that thought. I was really looking forward to it! However...a few posts back I mentioned that Philly has added a half marathon to the full marathon. That is the same day as the Rothman 8K I was planning on running anyway. So as a fall-back, I could keep training, complete my half marathon goal for 2006, and have the full weekend in Memphis.

There is a 5K in Memphis that same Saturday--I wonder if Ted would be up for that??? Then we run into the same packet pick-up issues and I doubt he'd go through all that trouble for 3 miles.

I'll let you know when I figure out what I'm doing. Any advice would be very greatly appreciated...I'm truly not certain on what the best option would be.

Do calories count on your birthday?

Ted and I are scheduled to run a 5K at the end of the month. Last night during a run, Ted feebily announced that he thinks I will beat him at this race.

I have been following my half-marathon training schedule pretty well. This morning was speedwork--2X1600 up at a track, with an 800 job after each split, and a mile warm-up and mile cool down. I did about half of it, before deciding that it was 5:45, pitch black, and my birthday. So I compromised and sprinted home at a faster-than-normal rate.

Today is my birthday. Birthday cake this morning, sushi for lunch, and a nice dinner out this evening. At first, I considered being careful about what I ate...but when a co-worker presented me with a cake at 9:00 this morning, that went out the window. Not being a huge, huge chocolate fan, Valentine's Day doesn't really bother me as far as junk-food goes. Halloween candy is up there, as is Easter candy, but birthday cake is really one of the stronger weaknesses I have. Therefore, instead of using my "free calorie day" for any of those other calorie-laden holidays, my birthday is "free calorie day" of the year.

Of course, the jury is still out on when the year actually begins and ends...that's the trick..

Happy Sept. 20th everyone!

Second Chance for a Philly Half

It didn't take me too terribly long to realize that when most cities have their marathon race, the accompanying half marathon is held in conjunction. And it didn't take me too terribly long to realize that Philadelphia was not in that category. Philly holds its marathon and 8K run in November, typically the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The half marathon (or the Philly Distance Run) is in September (this Sunday, to be exact).

The other day Greg, a fellow runner and co-worker, asked me what races I had coming up, and we got on the topic of the Distance Run and Rothman 8K...and he informed me Philadelphia is holding a half marathon the same day as the marathon this year!

Well Dang!

I immediately went to the website to verify this information and indeed it is true. The course map is not yet posted, but the registration information is up.

It will be a great interesting race now! (Not that it wasn't before, mind you, but it just seems to be much more of a "marathon" event with the half right there). I'll be interested to see what the future holds for the September-based Distance Run after 2006...

In Remembrance...

I'm not going to fill a page with my personal memories of 9/11, what I was doing the exact time I found out what was happening...the panic I felt as I tried to reach family members in Somerset County and couldn't get through because of the proximity to the crash site, the shame I felt in having been to NYC prior and not really noticing or appreciating the World Trade Towers, the confusion on what was happening, the realization that my life would never, ever be the same.

All I am going to say is that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was affected by that day. God Bless You and God Bless America.

All in the Family

Happy unofficial start-of-fall everyone!

I celebrated the unofficial start by "rowing" into Philadelphia to take my three younger cousins out to lunch. (Those of you around the area, you will remember the weather on Tuesday...for those of you not, it rained. Hard.)

In middle of lunch, my entering-freshman-year-of-high-school cousin announced she had signed up for cross country. And enjoyed it. It took every ounce of energy not to jump across the table and hug her. I instead opted to pound her with every question I could get out, waiting impatiently while she answered each one until spitting out the next one. And I made her pinkie swear to run Rothman with me in November.

On the way home, I sat in traffic and smiled at the thought of a Family 5K...me, my mom, my aunt (who runs, obviously if she's in a fantasy race with us), and now my cousin. Running side-by-side, smiling, linked at the elbows...all that was missing in the vision were the colored Grateful Dead bears running along side us, bib numbers and all.

Good luck this year in cross country, Jessie! If you quit, I'll kick your butt.