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August 4, 2005
Scaring the kids again
I was glad to observe, when I left the apartment this morning, that it wasn't quite as unbearably hot as the morning radio people were warning. It was definitely humid, but so far this week has not been as bad as last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Still, it was already near 90 degrees (at least according to one display I saw) and my goal these days is to feel good, so I decided that rather than try and run 11 or 12, I would shoot for 9. I knew I'd be heading to Prospect Park, so I just did one loop of the Park and added on a tiny bit, instead of going halfway around the Park again like I did last week.
I felt stiff (as usual) starting out, but better once I had run the 25 minutes to the main Prospect Park entrance. My upper calf--right below the outside of my knee, if that makes sense--started to feel sore after the 200s we did at track. Today it bothered me when I would stop for a light and have to start again. I'm pretty sure it's just a muscle strain but that area worries me (close to the back of the knee) because it is too close to where I had my second-to-last injury, popliteal tendonitis. It's also an area that feels better with massage, but it is extremely awkward to get at it with the foam roller. I just hope my icing and at least attempting to massage it is helping!
When I was on my way back from the Park, I stopped to refill my bottle with a cold drink. I unfortunately chose a tiny, unairconditioned bodega as my oasis. While I was waiting on line, I noticed this little girl, maybe around 4, staring at me. She stage-whispered to her mom, "Look at that lady! She is sweating so much! What is wrong with her?" or something to that extent. I laughed to myself, thinking it was a perfect blog anecdote!
I worked from home today because I was feeling too lazy to go up to the office and because I had scheduled an interview with one of the Foundation's charity team marathoners and I detest interviewing people in a crowded office area! The woman I spoke to is amazing--she spent the last year in North Carolina while her one-year-old daughter underwent a bone marrow transplant and other treatment for a usually-fatal genetic disorder. The family is reunited in NYC now and the daughter is doing well. The woman is running the ING NYCM in honor of her daughter and the Foundation. Even though she is daunted by the training she must do over the next few months (she's new to running) she is inspired by her daughter's courage and bravery.
We are going to a Cornell wine and cheese for members of our class who are in NYC tonight, so I took a break to go to the gym during the middle of the day today. I very slowly jogged over there since it was the heat of the day, and then lifted. It was blissfully quiet.
I hope we see lots of Cornellians we've lost touch with tonight--there's one person in particular I would love to reconnect with, but I'm not sure she's in NYC.
Posted by becky at August 4, 2005 5:22 PM