12 muddy miles...

Yesterday was my last double digit run before the marathon.  I slept in, took my time, and then parked near the finish line of the course that I will be running Hudson Mohawk Marathon.  I have ran on various other parts of the course to get a feel for the course and yesterday was INTERESTING to say the least.  Let's just say our friend

Hurricane Irene and the massive amounts of rain we have received since then has left it's mark on the course.  I started out happily going along watching some young teenagers doing their thing on the Hudson 
Oh little rowers what beautiful muscles you have.

Then it happened...I was just minding my business listening to some IPOD love and I came face to face with MUD.  At first, I thought this is ok I can do this but then it just got worse and worse and when I thought it could not get worse, I ran into a massive flood after I had already decided to take the roads back to my starting point.  There was a bridge I had to go under and under said bridge was water and lots of it.  I tried to go around the water and then i just got muddy, so I just went in it and got the soggy blues.  Fortunately, I kept on going and ran on the roads for the rest of the time.  I found my way back near the finish line of the marathon and stopped just short of the finish line.  I guess I'll take that as a good sign...The next time I see the finish will be October 9th.  Boo yah!

I leave you with 12 Random thoughts that pertain to my run yesterday

1. Mud + leaves are not the style in my book and never will be.

2.Eating at
 after 12 muddy miles never tasted so good.  I enjoyed (every single bite) Texas Style Creamed Corn along with Tomato Basil Soup and a Pumpkin Ale.  Don't worry I also consumed copious amounts of seltzer water (love the bubbles).

3. Reese's PB Cup Friend-z's taste amazing post run as well.

4. Turning the shower to the hottest setting while doing my thing always sets off my smoke alarm...one day I will learn my lesson.

5. Thanks to the nice man who gave me paper towels at the bathroom after my run.  Paper towels after a nice sweatfest= love.

6. Thank goodness my new sneakers are heading my way and should be at mi casa by tuesday.  The pair I got muddy were on their last legs and were losing their mojo.

7. Running on mud may be just as scary, if not scarier, than running on snow/ice.

8. I dropped a water bottle off on a stoop so that I could drink it post run and it was not there when I came back 1 hr, 45 min. later...hmmmm...

9. Thanks to said mud this run was the slowest long run of my cycle. The mud was apparently god's way of telling me to slow down. Thanks for the sign!

10.The bathroom's at Stewarts that I have used lately are so clean and nice...Thanks , your clean bathroom's helped me get through.

11. Billy Joel is a genius

12. Wow....last double digit run before this marathon...remind yourself  Amy that you need to take it easy so you can meet your goals and make it to the finish line!

My mantra from now until October 9: Take it easy now so you can MOVE it later!

The good news is that I am a few miles away from surpassing last month's mileage so I know I can do this and take it easy.  I just need to remind myself!!!

Til next time...

20 miles....20 random thoughts

While completing 20 miles this morning there were definitely more than 20 random thoughts going through my head but let's see if i can remember at least twenty of them....

1. wearing sunglasses while going through a tunnel is not a great idea...actually its really creepy and I do not recommend it....i <3 you Maui Jim's =love but preferably on the beach!

2. Oh big hill you are my biznatch

3. why is it that when you want a bathroom there are never any but when you don't need one they are everywhere...that was my dilemma at about 15 miles in...not cute at all! thankfully i found some hidden area to take care of business...thank you mother nature

4. remember to charge ipod before long run...because if you do not your Ipod may die during an epic Shakira song...those are the breaks that i am willing to take for the name of a run

5. Falling leaves while running make 20 miles more bearable

6. Thank you smartwater for getting me through 20 miles

7. Thank you espresso love gu...you are AMAZING! ;-)

8. My stomach has never made noises like it does after 19 miles...fortunately at mile 19 i am so close i can taste the finish!!

9. I love the wind in my hair while running down hill.

10. Running under  this was extremely satisfying....

11. That was nice of a random person to pick up my unwanted tshirt i threw after less than three miles...Thank you random stranger however I prefer the less is more look while running.

12. I am full of thanks while running...Thank you mizuno for making my new shorts however I wasn't too excited to pull them down several times...those are the breaks i guess right??

13.  Only (fill in number) more minutes until I am in my shower....

14. I need to get myself in gear...I have a baby shower to get ready for ...and a cold shower/bath to get into...

15. going up is not as fun as going down.

16. I would love to live on a house on the river...this one looks nice.

17.  The woman cleaning the window in this home...is she a cleaning lady or does she live there (random!! i know!)

18.  While passing the town dump I was thankful that my house was not directly across from the dump.  Not exactly the most pleasant smell...It also reminded me of the dump at disney...aww Mickey i miss you...

19.  I wish i brought some gatorade on this journey...

20.  I am sure some creatures are eating my clif bar at this moment...I will not be eating my clif bar during this run....

There were many more these are just the ones that came to mind first....Waking up at 4:27 and then 5:43 am on a Saturday were definitely worth it.  I am glad that I got 20 miles in before the marathon...Ready to run!! Less than a month and I'm out there for the big day!! So excited and thinking about it in my head!!

til next time....

An ode to 18 miles...AKA 18 good things about 18 miles.

As I was driving home from running 18 miles (OMG!) this morning I was like there have got to be 18 good things about what i just did...so here it goes...

1. mile 1=I started this thing and i WILL finish
2. mile 9=halfway there
3. mile 18=finished
4. Espresso love GU x2...I have this thing for caffeine and thankfully Espresso love GU helps me with that while I run.
5. The little man on my phone (CardioTrainer app) that tells me my mileage and pace
6. H20
7. Working on my tan while working on my physique
8. The fact that my legs are able to let me know they are still there even after 18 miles...
9. NEW running shorts that did not chafe during the run! Love you adidas! I also love the zipper pocket in said shorts
10. being able to run on the bike trail that was not under water.  I did however see a lot of brown mud out there but none on the path
11. SUN
12. Being able to think about EVERYTHING (and I am as random as they get) for approximately 2 hours 37 minutes .
13. 18 miles is more than halfway to the finish line of the marathon (which is approxiately 5 weeks away. OMFG)
14. After 18 miles anything edible sounds good to ingest
15. Downhills..I <3 the breeze in my hair
16. The uphills which mean a downhill can not be far off!
17. I know i'm not alone as I run and I find comfort that there are other crazies like me out there
18. Spi Belt..thank you spi belt for hold my phone so that I did not.

ok so i definitely found 18 good things about 18 miles....the best thing after the 18 miles was the amazing muscle soothing bath!! Yay!!

Now time to relax a little more than dig in to some food!!