The big easy was a little hard on me

Let's just say there was a lot more of this (above)

....than this (below).

But it was a great week....and I'm now waaay behind on blogging.  NYC race report yet to come, as is my bike tour of New Orleans experience.  But first....recovery.

Race report pending....

Its coming...I swear.  There is much to say about my New York City Marathon....just not enough time to say it right now.  Soon though....

The good (?) news is that in the meantime, the lack of writing does not mean missing opportunities to write about workouts, as there have been none since the marathon....unless recreational drinking counts as a workout (and I might argue that it should -- at least here in New Orleans)!

New York City -- in pictures

Brooklyn Bridge....where I walked waaaay too much the day before the race (I walked there from the south ferries subway station....past wall street, ground zero, etc....then another mile over the bridge....waaay too much walking for the day before a marathon and I was wearing "cute" shoes.  Bad decision all around.)

View from the ferry to the race start.

Times square, where I hobbled around the day after the race.

Chrysler building, hobbled there too, after times square and a stop at Jamba Juice.

Central Park finish chute.

Rockefeller Center.

St. Patrick's cathedral (I really just wanted to sit down, so I went in.)

The High Line.

And you thought gels were hard to stomach....

This is how you know you're not in Manhattan anymore.....turkey gizzard anyone?

Small-town Wisconsin novelties aside, I had a fantastic weekend in the country.  I even managed to steer clear of the little green devils floating around (sometimes being the photographer has its perks!).

I'm not sure if it was my clever evasive technique or my marathon metabolism still hard at work but I managed to emerge from the weekend relatively hangover free -- a rarity for me, as I am the one who can drink half as much and feel twice as bad the next day under normal circumstances.

But then I was able to truly appreciate the the company of great friends, and the beautiful weather and amazing views that we were so lucky to have all weekend.

I'm looking forward to running again very soon, but I am also very much enjoying not being a slave to a training schedule for the time being.  

(more stories from New York to come.....eventually)

Stairs, chairs, and other brutal torture devices...

I can totally relate to this, but I'm happy to report that a mere five days after the marathon I am feeling remarkably good. No soreness left in my legs, however I still get an instant side-ache just walking across the street. Not sure what's up with that but I'm guessing it has something to do with why I felt like I was going to upchuck all my stomach contents (you know, all four packets of Gu) from about mile 15 on during the race.

In fact, I'm feeling so great that I almost feel like running?! Really. I do. I worked this hard to get to this fitness level and I don't want to lose it. Because those "off the couch" first workouts were HARD. Its one thing to have a hard 10k workout, but a hard 2-3 miles? No thank you. I'll do everything in my power not to go back to that again.

And speaking of hard, I've been reading some race reports and it seems I wasn't the only one out there on Sunday having an unexpectedly challenging day. I knew I would hit the wall. I did not think it would be at mile 14. Yet it seems that's where a lot of people struggled in NY this year. So while having company in misery (or mistakes) doesn't change things, it does make me feel less self-critical about my race and shifts the focus back toward the accomplishment and away from the "if only" list.

And so with that I'm off to spend some well-deserved downtime with some of my favorite (and longest-standing) partners in crime. The four of us togther again means trouble in the best possible way, and I couldn't be more excited. Happy weekend!

Not so fast...

Before I had even exited the finish chute at the marathon I responded to a text message from my father with this:

"I hereby retire from the sport of marathon.  Effective immediately."

His response:

"You're ready for Ironman!"

My dad's funny, isn't he?

New York City Marathon 2009

I don't even know where to start talking about this day.  It was a marathon, in every way.  Inspiring, emotional, humbling, painful....absolutely and unforgettable experience.  This race is amazing.  And I feel so grateful to have been a part of it.  To have had the chance to soak up all that energy that the city and the crowds put into this day.  It has certainly reminded me that the marathon is truly a celebration of the human spirit.

I didn't have the race that I was hoping for, it started well then took a sharp nosedive right after mile 14,  but in the end it doesn't matter all that much.  I finished.  I did it.  I did what I could out there with what I had on that day.  And that's all we really can do.

More thoughts through the week.  I'm still soaking it all in.  And looking forward to seeing more of the city over the next three days.  After some sleep....and ibuprofen.  ;)