Playing Catch Up

I know, I know...once again I have been slacking a bit lately in terms of the blog updating...

But that's because I have been busy running!

The past two weeks I hit all my training runs - including long runs of 15 and then 16 miles. I was a bit nervous since I haven't run anything longer than 13.1 since November 7th (last year's New York marathon.) But both went fairly well.  Even though the course I run is pretty hilly (to put in perspective - I gained about 1200 feet in elevation over 16 miles.  The Big Sur marathon in Cali gains a bit over 1600 feet in elevation over 26.2 miles. New York gains about 880 feet over 26.2) During both runs, I still felt I had a bit more gas left in the tank if I HAD to keep going, which is definitely a good thing.  I'm sure I was aided by...

A mostly shaded course.

The lovely back roads of Wilton, CT

Our amazing coaches leaving a few coolers filled with ice water along the course (hey, a Fuel Belt will only get you so far, especially during the summer!)

Never underestimate the allure of ice cold water on a long run!

And the thought of icy treats at the end

My Gatorade ice pops are a total hit! Really, I'm surprised PepsiCo hasn't thought of this themselves already

Last weekend was also the Nautica New York City Triathlon. I didn't race...but I did earn my spot for next weeks race by volunteering at the Expo Saturday afternoon!

The NYC Tri expo

I was a bit apprehensive about volunteering after running 15 miles that day, but it was actually an enjoyable afternoon.   As soon as I arrived to the expo, I found the volunteer check in area...

Volunteer check in

And I was assigned to help with packet pickup. The athletes all had to attend a briefing before picking up their packets, so they would come in waves - so it wasn't a constant flow, like in a road race. Plus, I somehow ended up at the station with the lowest bib numbers, so I got to scope out some of the elite athletes!

I am a bit overwhelmed by the fact that next year I will be competing in this race - Swimming a mile, biking 26 miles, and then running 6.2 miles all at once does seem a bit daunting. But hey, I never imagined be able to run 26.2 miles and I'm back for round two this year...so I'm fairly sure if I train I will be able to find my way to the finish line one way or the other.

But...I'm not going to stress too much about the tri now.  I have a marathon to run in less than three months!