It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the new Friday Five 2.0. Since it’s the New York Marathon this weekend and I’ve had a bit of an unconventional marathon taper week, I’m going off theme. This is my 17th New York Marathon since 1996 and the 20th anniversary of my first running in 1996. It’s been a mixed running year and it was a rough summer. I decided to run this one for fun and to try a new approach for my training. I’ve also been super busy, agreed to do something a bit off the wall and have had some unfortunate luck.
So, I bring you… “5 Things NOT to Do The Week of a Marathon.”
1. Fall and get a big gash on your knee (or other body parts) – Yup, I was running to Pilates on Tuesday and I ATE it. I didn’t even see it coming. It was dark and I fell. Luckily nothing broken and not even too bruised, but I cut my knee pretty bad and it’s hard to get it to dry out because of the location of the cut. I did run yesterday for a few miles and felt fine. Phew.
2. Stay up late, drink alcohol and have too much coffee. – I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for work and life (and baseball). I’m embarrassed to say that I fell asleep before the end of the World Series game because I was on the East Coast and I was beat.
3. Walk tons of steps. = Whenever I set foot in NYC, I get a ton of steps. My Fitbit read 21,834 yesterday.
4. Make a tons of plans. – I do this one every year. Since we used to live in NYC, I always make too many plans. I really want to see my friends and I come to NYC less than I used to. This is one that will likely never change and I’m OK with it. I’d take a few extra minutes in marathon time in exchange for happy memories with friends.
5. Try new running shoes -Here’s one that I hope I won’t regret. I was offered the opportunity from On Running to try their new Cloudflow shoe. The shoe launched yesterday and they gave me a pair last night (with an awesome running kit and other goodies!) I did have the opportunity to try a recent similar shoe, but will have only two days to break these in. I am the FIRST person to tell folks never to try anything new on marathon day. Why would I try this? Well, I do like a challenge. I ran my first marathon on a dare! There was something so crazy about this that I just decided “what the heck”. The shoes look great and are super light. Wish me luck with them!
So, it’s been an unconventional training season, I’m taking a challenge with my shoes and my taper week has been rough. I’m not sure how it will turn out on Sunday, but my “A” goal is to finish with a smile on my face and with gratitude. I’m lucky to be out there 20 years after my first NYC – right? Right.
[If you’re interested, here are links to my recaps from the last few years: 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (cancelled).]
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever tried for a marathon or race?
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