Fueled by Boxed Wine

The night before a long run, most people go to bed early, try to eat healthy and carb-heavy foods, etc. Not me! I was carbing up and trying to get a bit of extra sleep when I was planning to do the Charlottesville Marathon, but yesterday a lot of little things intervened and made me decide not to go. I hadn’t yet paid the entry fee, so I didn’t lose anything by deciding not to go. Hurray! On the flip side though, it’s taught me a cautionary tale: sign up for races so you can’t back out of them at the last minute. On that note, I’ll now announce that after Country Music next weekend, I’ll be headed to Nebraska the following weekend to do the Lincoln Marathon. Anyone joining me there in the Cornhusk State?

Unfortunately, I neglected to tell my mom that I hadn’t made it down to Virginia, so she called at 6 AM to wish me luck in the race. I have trained my mom very well over the years to not call before noon on Saturdays, so when I woke up to my phone ringing at 6, I panicked and thought something was wrong. I answered the phone saying, “oh my god what happened? An accident? Did Dad have a heart attack?” Even once we got it all sorted out that nothing was wrong, adrenaline was coursing through my blood and there was no way I could get back to sleep. So what did I do? I went running.

To explain the title of this post, I have to add that I might not have gone running if it hadn’t been for my night out on Friday. I caught up with an old college friend and we hit up Silk Road Palace, an awesome Chinese restaurant on the UWS that specializes in all you can drink boxed white wine with anything you order. I had spent the day carb loading because I had planned to go to Charlottesville, so I hadn’t eaten lightly in preparation… but that didn’t stop me from eating a gigantic egg roll, a ton of crispy noodles and duck sauce, a huge plate of 10 ingredient chow fun, and an entire carafe of white wine. Oops! I also had a pint of hefeweissen afterward, so when I woke up, I was feeling pretty guilty. Nothing like guilt to make you try to burn off the calories in a long run!

I felt pretty dehydrated when I woke up, so i tried to drink a lot of water before I left. I dressed in a skirt and tank top – no jacket – because I knew it was supposed to get up to the mid 70s. I was a bit worried about whether I’d be cold so early in the morning, but it turned out to be perfectly comfortable. In fact, it was an absolutely beautiful day. There weren’t too many runners or bikers out that early, but I smiled and nodded to those that I did see. It was so peaceful to be on the running path next to the river, and the Hudson River Park had been landscaped enough that now there was somewhat of a divide between the running path and the cars on the West Side Highway, which was really nice.

Down in Battery Park City, there were a few Little League games going on, and I enjoyed watching them as I jogged past. I contemplated stopping to watch and cheer, but realized that if I did that, I would be the creepy person watching even though they didn’t have any kids in the game. However, after turning around another mile later, Ii was heading back up the way I came, so I did get to watch twice 🙂

I was back up to Central Park having finished almost exactly 12 miles, but I was really thirsty. Despite sRod telling me a few days ago about a year-round water fountain, I couldn’t for the life of me remember where he had said it was (for the record, Pier 40 near Houston St), so I hadn’t had anything to drink thus far. I was meeting the Urban Feet running group at 9:30 by Tavern in the Green, and I arrived at 9:25. It would have been enough time to buy a bottle from a vendor had there been one close by, but the nearest one was up at 72nd Street, so I skipped water and just chatted while I waited for the run to start. We circled the lower part of the park, and at 72nd St on the East Side, we discovered a race in progress… a race for which most of the participants had t-shirts about drinking (things like “I signed up for this when I was drunk” or “There better be beer at the finish!”). How did I miss this race?! We fell in step with the racers, and though I was dying of thirst, I kept my morals and didn’t take a cup from the water station. A bit later, at the top of Cat Hill, I found a vendor who I gladly paid $2 for a bottle of water, encouraging the guys I was running with to just keep going and I’d see them at the end.

I finished the bottle within the next 1/2 mile, proving just how dehydrated I was, and ended up stopping a few times on the West Side when I saw working water fountains – delicious. Heading back down to Tavern on the Green, I chatted with the other Urban Feet runners, but ultimately decided to forego the brunch outing in favor of getting another mile in on my run home.

Total miles: 19.65
Total time: 3:05:24
Average pace: 9:26
Soreness: A touch in my knees, but I used my foam roller and it’s not even enough to affect my gait.

I suppose tomorrow when I wake up will be the true test of soreness, but right now, all I can think is, Nashville, here I come! I may not pull my fastest time, but I know I can finish.