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April 30, 2006

Another action-packed day

In case anyone is wondering, my tongue still hurts. In fact, I don't think it's gotten much better, I've just gotten accustomed to it. Hopefully it will get better for real this week. Just had to get that out there and now I can concentrate on the task at hand. :) I was glad that I didn't have to get up super-early today. I woke up a lot during the night, probably because I wasn't in my own bed. I eventually got out of bed at about 8 and went for a run through Georgetown, a little of the Capital Crescent Trail and through the trails that start near Georgetown University and cut all the way across the upper NW part of the city. I used to run on those trails several times a week and today I realized that I was in much better hill shape back then! Or maybe my legs were just tired from yesterday's hilly run, but I was dragging today, big-time. I hope I'm able to readjust when I come back to DC for good! I also had the weird hard-to-take-a-deep-breath feeling that I've had a bit of lately. I feel almost wheezy so I'm wondering if it's a touch of allergies. In any case, I'll keep an eye on it.

When I got back from running, Matt and I packed up our stuff and set out for a couple of open houses. One apartment that had sounded really promising was rented before we even got there, but there was another rental that looked good. We also went back to a condo that we liked yesterday. We still haven't made a decision on anything yet, though.

On the back back to BWI, we stopped to say hello to Matt's new boss (I actually hadn't met him yet) at their office in Bethesda. Since it was such a nice day, downtown Bethesda was crawling with people. Even so, I remembered how much I like that area--if not to live, then to hang out.

I have a lot of work to do tomorrow since I did not have time to do any of it this weekend. But I am keeping it all in perspective: three more weeks!

Posted by becky at 10:32 PM | Comments (1)

April 29, 2006

DC on foot

It seems like I have been saying this a lot lately, but I'm tired! This morning I tried to be quiet and get ready for my run without putting any lights on so I wouldn't wake Matt and his sister up. All was going well until I burned the toast I was making and the smoke alarm went off! Oops. That elicited a few groans. Luckily the alarm stopped when I waved a newspaper around! Anyway, I drove to Iwo Jima where my DC club's long runs start. I made sure to get there early because as a fomer regular, I remember how fast the tiny parking lot there fills up in tourist season. I did get a spot and caught up with some other early people waiting around for the run to start. Today's course was a very hilly one, which could have been why I felt like I was really dragging. Much of it was within a three mile radius of where Matt and I used to live. Maybe I used to be good at those hills, but living in flat Somerville has made me soft! I ran the whole time with the friend with whom I ran the National Marathon. She's also recovering from Boston, although she ran a lot faster than I did so she has a lot more recovering to do! I think both of us were pushing the pace a little bit--nothing crazy, but she mentioned that we were probably going faster than she would have gone on her own. Either way, my legs were on the dead side when we finished. It wasn't a very long run--estimated at 13--but it was enough for me. Being back with my old group made me excited to move back (but I will miss my Boston running partners A LOT!!)

Matt was out with our real estate agent in the morning while I was running, so I showered quickly when I got home and went to meet them. We had a little more luck today and saw some promising places. I feel like we were walking around for hours, though. But at least it's fun. And we took a break for lunch at a really cute crepe place. Speaking of food, I am going to take care of a couple of things before we go to dinner at our favorite sushi place. Like checking Penn Relays results...

Posted by becky at 6:28 PM | Comments (1)

April 28, 2006

An even longer day

I'm glad I decided to go to sleep when I did last night (right after ER) because today was a very long day too. I went for a quick run (a shortened version of my usual Friday loop) at about 5:30am and then we drove to Manchester for our flight to DC. We decided to take Southwest since all the other tickets were so ridiculously expensive. Between the drive to Manchester, waiting around for the shuttle to the rental car place in Baltimore, driving to Washington, etc., I felt like the whole process took forever. Luckily Matt had time to drop me downtown at my interview and I made it just on time. But I felt like I needed a nap!

The interview went pretty well--it's always hard to tell--and then I met Matt in Dupont Circle where he and our realtor were looking at some apartments and condos. We saw some interesting things but nothing that blew us away. By the time we got back to Matt's sister's apartment, it was almost 7:30pm. I really wanted a nap then, but we were meeting friends for dinner. It was fun but I can barely keep my eyes open! I'm about to do a quick check of the Penn Relays results and then I'm hitting the sack!

Posted by becky at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2006

An early start and a long day

I can't believe it's only 8pm right now because it feels much later! I got up pretty early to run and have been going almost nonstop ever since. Alison left her place at about 6:15 to run down to my apartment, so I guess I should be grateful for the extra 15 minutes of sleep! We did a loop from my place plus some running around the Porter Square area trying to add on. Plus each of us ran the couple of miles between our apartments since I ended up just running Alison home. Our run was pretty uneventful. All I have to say is my legs and my body were both pretty tired today. Also my damn tongue is no better and it is very painful even when I'm running. :( Thanks to all who made suggestions, by the way!

When I got home, I was able to relax for about an hour. Then I had to drive over to the UPS Customer Service Center to pick up a package. It turned out to be an awesome cheese plate with runners on it (sounds cheesy [no pun intended] but it's really very beautiful) that my sister sent us for an early anniversary present. Then I went to do an errand at the mall and then it was time for a group meeting and class at school. There was also a class picture today, but I did not make it to school on time for that. (I'm not too broken up about it.) After that, I drove to Winchester to get beautified and made it on time (just after 5) for dinner at my grandparents' since I'm not able to go tomorrow. It was good to see them since I could not make it there last week either.

Now I'm home and I feel like going to sleep. But there are a few usable hours left in the day so I will do my best to be productive!

Posted by becky at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2006

My tongue hurts

I feel like such a baby complaining about this, but I have the worst sore (or something) on my tongue. It hurts to talk, eat, drink, etc. and it hasn't gotten better during the last couple of days. I especially despise conditions that interfere with eating. I complained about my tongue to Alison but she unfortunately didn't have any concrete suggestions as to what I could do about it. (Neither does anyone else.) Luckily it doesn't interfere with running! I joined Alison for most of her workout today, altering the end of it because I didn't want to do quite as much. We jogged over to the Tufts track and then she did 4 x 2,000 and I did 2 x 2,000 and 2 x 1,600. All were under 6:40 pace, which was a lot faster than I thought I would and could go. My legs felt fine, but my breathing felt constrained. It was almost like I couldn't catch my breath, but not in a working hard sort of way. I was a little concerned about it but I've felt all right the rest of the day, so I'm not too worried anymore.

I was pretty beat on the jog home, but I perked up later in the day. I lifted briefly in the early afternoon and then went to class. Tonight I went downtown to get a pedicure (I have needed one for quite some time!) and stopped into a brand new Whole Foods that I didn't really remember existed on my walk home. It was amazing. Thankfully I was walking and limited myself to small dinner items.

Now I'm home and Matt and I are planning for our trip to DC this weekend. We are trying to make appointments to see various apartments and condos on Sat. and Sun. It should be slightly stressful but we have a lot of good leads so I am excited to see these places in person!

Posted by becky at 9:24 PM | Comments (7)

April 25, 2006

Dragging our heavy legs

Both Alison and I were complaining about having tired/heavy legs this morning. I could tell when I started out that it was not going to be one of those "effortless run" days. We tried an out and back route that Alison had done with the Tufts team. There is a part of it that goes along a river/stream on a trail, and that part was nice, but we agreed that the rest of it was pretty boring. But our runs are never too boring because we have stimulating conversation to liven them up! OK, maybe it's not that stimulating all of the time, but at least it passes the time.

I was at school most of the day today and then went to the gym again to bike and lift. Tonight was the second Tuesday of our track hiatus--we start back up again next week. I can't believe it is nearly May. Wow, where did the year go? I wish I had time to wax poetic about the last few weeks of grad school...but ironically, I've got work to do!

Posted by becky at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

Finding my sea legs

I am such a pushover. No, that's the wrong description. I am very influenced by what running partners are doing--i.e. how much they are running on a given day and whether they are doing speedwork, etc. I asked Alison last night if she wanted to run this morning, and she mentioned that she was going to incorporate some slightly speedier miles into her run. She assumed I did not want to do that. But my legs are feeling okay, so I figured for company, I'd give it a try. We ran to the Tufts track and ran 2 tempo-ish miles (I felt pretty good, but very much like I didn't have another "gear" if I wanted to switch into it.) Then we did another mile-plus on the roads, mostly on the bike path. The plan was to do closer to 2 miles, but my legs started feeling really dead after about 12 or 13 minutes and I did not want to push it past that point. Then we ran easy for the rest of the run. It was rainy and chilly but the faster parts definitely broke up the run. There was also a very annoying guy running THE WRONG DIRECTION around the track in LANE ONE, so dodging him kept us occupied, too. (He finally got the point and moved out.)

I had a pretty long day at school today--two classes back-to-back without even a lunch break and then an exit counseling session for my loan. It's always fun to be handed a piece of paper telling you how much money you owe. I went to the gym after that but didn't do too much because it was already after 5 and I was getting hungry. Even though there was a brand-new People magazine available at the gym, I forced myself to read for school while I was on the bike. When I went to look through it when I was done, it was nowhere to be found. Now I'll never get the scoop on Tom and Katie's baby!!

As usual, it's already late, I'm tired, and I have a lot to do. Can you hear me sighing? But as graduation nears closer, I remember how nice it has been to live the student lifestyle for two years. So I'm not complaining!

Posted by becky at 8:29 PM | Comments (1)

April 23, 2006

Running, eating and working

I thought for sure it would be pouring when I woke up this morning--I heard it raining during the night and we heard from our relatives yesterday that it rained a ton in NY and DC, so I knew the storm was on its way up. But it actually wasn't raining when I left to run. It was super windy, though, and it did start to rain toward the end of the run. I didn't really feel like going very far, so I didn't! But I felt pretty good. I ran down to the Boston side of the River near all the MGH buildings and came back to Cambridge over the Mass. Ave. Bridge. I was really pretty cold the whole time (shocking, esp. for April!) I should enjoy it while it lasts :)

I met Mary, Wynne and another friend of ours for brunch in the early afternoon. Good food and good company--what more could you want? After that I came home to finally start my school work. It has not been the most productive day, probably because I always get sleepy when it's raining! This is going to be a busy week because I have a few meetings at school and I am trying to get things done ahead of time because we will be in DC next weekend and I won't have time to do much work. Bring on the stress!

Posted by becky at 7:32 PM | Comments (1)

April 22, 2006

Long(er) run

I'm so used to having my Saturday runs planned out with my crew. It was strange to wake up and realize that I didn't even have to run that far. I decided to do about 10 miles since my legs are now okay (although still stiff) and I had a route in mind. It ended up being a nice run. I was taking it nice and easy and I brought my iPod for entertainment. (Once again, a plea for headphone recommendations. I just can't stand the white Apple earbuds, they fall out of my ears!) I ran by Tufts and through a cemetery that comes out right by my grandparents' house. (I knew they were at temple though--their car was parked in front of the synagogue, which I ran by a few minutes later.) It was pretty chilly this morning and never warmed up too much. I was okay in shorts and a t-shirt except when the wind blew. All in all, it was a pretty good run and although I am used to going longer, I am trying to stick to my promise of taking it easy for a couple of weeks.

This afternoon, Matt and I went to MIT's home invitational for a little while. By that point, the sun had disappeared and it was very cold and neither of us was dressed properly. We saw a couple of races but not exactly the ones I had planned to see--the meet was running about an hour behind schedule. We had planned on going shopping later to take advantage of a sale at Bloomingdale's, so we headed there when we couldn't feel our hands and feet anymore. We had decided to get nice bedding, which we never registered for for some reason, and we got a lot of very nice stuff at some great prices. It will be our anniversary present, we decided.

Tonight we're going for dinner and margaritas at a popular Mexican place in Harvard Square with my school friends. I'm hungry and it's been a long time since we all went out, so I'm excited!

Posted by becky at 7:27 PM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2006

Enjoying some time outside

It was really nice out today, even by my standards. A little windy, maybe, but a bright and beautiful spring day nonetheless. I would pretend and say that the weather made it easier to get out the door early this morning, but it didn't. I was glad to get my run done early, but I was feeling pretty tired, especially toward the end. My quads are pretty much okay now.

Matt dropped me off at my class this morning and then went to pick up his new boss from the airport. He was here from DC for the day and the two of them were looking at some properties around the area. When I was done with class, I walked to Back Bay and did a little shopping while Newbury and Boylston Streets were still relatively quiet. I had a Nike gift card so I got shorts that have a little "Boston 26.2" seal (I saw a lot of people wearing them on Monday, actually.) I intended to get new Superfeet orthotic things but apparently Marathon Sports does not carry them. I could have sworn I've gotten them there before, but maybe not. I also did a little poking around in the Gap. I tried to keep away from the pricier stores!

I walked back to the Red Line through the Public Garden and Beacon Hill. It was a great day for it. Everything seems to be in bloom. I was kind of tired when I got back home finally, but I had to get on a conference call. Then I had another interview-type call after that. Predictably, it was not long before I had fallen asleep on the couch! I sure will miss these napping opportunities when I'm back in the working world.

I'm going to figure out dinner for us. Happy weekend to all!

Posted by becky at 7:44 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2006

Busy!

becky2.jpg

That's me in the green. Notice how everyone around me is smiling, and I look scared? Well, in addition to the fact that I always seem to have my "intense running face" on when my photo is taken, I really WAS scared! There was a drag queen clown of some sort jumping around right near the "Welcome to Wellesley" sign. I have a bit of clown-phobia (is there an official term for that?) and I was not very pleased to have him/her/it so close to me. I'm very glad that moment was captured on film.

So today I felt more normal (running-wise) than the past couple of days. Alison claimed she didn't mind running 12-minute pace in exchange for company, so I took her up on her offer. We did a loop I call the "Cemetery Run" because it passes in between two cemeteries. (Original, huh?) My body still felt pretty tired but my quads were almost back to normal. It was very warm and I was suffering from awful thirst the whole time. The one water fountain along the river that is turned on before May 1 was lying on the ground, an apparent casualty of some construction at one of the boathouses. I hope it is restored soon.

I had class this afternoon and then a meeting with a professor. After that, I went for a quick swim. I haven't been to the pool in way too long so it wasn't as boring as it might have been. I used my pull buoy the whole time since that is most comfortable for me and my legs didn't need another workout :) I enjoyed watching a bunch of students in the lane next to mine learn how to teach swimming to preschoolers who will be attending a summer program at MIT.

Tonight I had a conference call with the people I worked with last summer, so I haven't gotten much done. Tomorrow is the first Friday in a couple of weeks that I've had to get up early since we were off last week, so I better get to bed ASAP!

Posted by becky at 10:12 PM | Comments (5)

April 19, 2006

Still creaky

Well, I was out there once again this morning, trying to get my legs to work better than they did yesterday. Actually, I was marginally less sore today, but my body seemed more tired. I didn't eat such a great dinner last night and that could have been part of it. Anyway, I don't know exactly how slowly I was going, but I felt like I was barely moving. I did a loop that involved Fresh Pond. I haven't been there in a few weeks, I guess. There is a lot of construction going on there, meaning there are big trucks on a narrow walking path--lovely. I'm sure they are making it nicer or more environmentally friendly or something, so I shouldn't be annoyed.

I don't have anything too exciting to report from the rest of my day. I biked a bit, this time exchanging the trashy magazine for a scholarly article (needless to say, the time dragged) and lifted, feeling a little stronger than yesterday. Then I went to school for my class and after that, came back to MIT to go to track practice. It was very warm and sunny out, so for once I enjoyed standing/sitting around outside! The collegiate spring season is so short; MIT's conference champs are only a week and a half away.

Back to the books!

Posted by becky at 9:07 PM | Comments (1)

April 18, 2006

I love my quads

I don't think there would be anything I could do (except a lot more downhill running) to lessen the soreness that comes with running on the Boston course. I expected I would be sore today, and I definitely am. Oddly, my right quad is much worse than my left, and usually things on my left side bother me more. And nothing else really hurts too badly, which is good. The hardest thing is getting on and off the bus--now that is a big step.

Being the nut that I am, I hobbled around for about 4 miles this morning. The worst part was having to stop and start again because my quad didn't like that. My body didn't feel too tired, but I was definitely going very slowly. I did the same loop I did on Sunday, through Harvard Square and back along one of my favorite streets in Cambridge.

After class this afternoon I biked (slowly) and read a trashy magazine. Then I tried lifting, but I didn't do much because the standing up and sitting down was bothering my quad(s). I ran into one of Matt's friends from school who watched the marathon yesterday and he was surprised to see me there. (Obviously he doesn't know me very well!)

I'm so routinized that it feels totally weird not to have a track workout tonight. I don't have much of a choice right now, but I am going to try and be good (i.e. take it easy) for at least the rest of the week and maybe next week too. I tend not to take too many breaks in training but our club is taking a hiatus until May 2 so I will use this as a forced "break," I think. I'm already worried about my summer training with the move back to DC so I want to build back up slowly!

Posted by becky at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2006

Could have been better (or worse)

Another (well, only a second) Boston Marathon in the books. Today turned out to be kind of an "eh" day for me overall. In the grand scheme of things, I did fine. And although I feel like a broken record when I say I know I have a faster marathon in me, I think it remains sleeping in there. I could not have run the last 5 miles today any differently--I was shuffling after pretty much hitting the wall at 20 or 21. That being said, we were very conservative all the way to the hills and felt great. I have no idea whether picking it up then would have been the death of me...but I'm glad I didn't have to find out.

The best part of the day was that my training partner Wynne and I ran together the whole time. After months of doing track workouts and long runs together, this was very rewarding. She was way more energetic than I was in the late miles (especially around BC, where she went to grad school) and that helped a lot. Neither one of us was feeling too great during the last 1.2 miles though and I think we both helped each other. At track, Wynne is always saying "One and done" when we get to our last interval, so I reminded her of that today.

I feel like I have all these thoughts running through my head (not to mention a lot of reading to do, but that's another story...) so I am going to highlight some of the good and the bad of my day today.

Boston Marathon 2006: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (in no particular order):

That's all I can think of now. I'll add to my list if something else pops into my tired brain. I realize I haven't really talked a whole lot about how I felt, but I don't feel like rehashing it all. Like I said, I did fine, but I would hope that someday, my decent mileage and workouts will lead to something more. I'm going to try really hard to take it easy for the rest of the week. I don't think it will be too hard, actually!

Posted by becky at 8:27 PM | Comments (10)

April 16, 2006

Ready, set...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's almost time for the most hyped-up marathon in my little world. If the wind dies down a bit and the sun isn't too strong, I think I'll be a happy camper--at least for a few miles :) I had a nice little run this morning around the well-manicured parts of Cambridge, except when I started thinking how much longer tomorrow's run will be. I will do my best to quiet the internal dialogue from now until I finish running tomorrow. I'm kind of excited, but it might just be to get this over with so I don't have to worry so much about it!

I had a good day today otherwise. I did some work in the morning (thankfully, my computer has been behaving well) and met a friend for lunch in Harvard Square. We went to a place that has awesome sandwiches, but they are so pricey that we can only afford to split one! Anyway, it was fun. I saw a lot of people walking around H. Square with their red adidas bags from the Expo. It made me a little nervous but also glad that I got that done yesterday!

I've just been hanging out and relaxing the rest of the day. And hydrating, of course. Tonight Matt and I are planning to watch our HBO shows and I of course need to get my stuff ready for tomorrow. I hope I have a pleasant experience to report to all my faithful readers in about 24 hours! Good luck to anyone who is running!

Posted by becky at 7:28 PM | Comments (3)

April 15, 2006

Navigating the Expo and comforting a sick computer

We just got back from going to dinner with some friends and when I left, my computer was totally acting up. I'm not going to get into the details so as not to jinx it, but I'm trying to hurry through this blog entry in case it dies on me again. And tomorrow is Easter so the Apple Store is closed--that would not be good.

Anyway, I ran a few miles pretty early this morning and then met Mary to go to the Marathon Expo down at the World Trade Center. I felt a little more relaxed running than I have in the past few days, and I kept thinking how weird it would be to not do a long run all weekend. I get caught up in comparing my mileage week to week so I tend to stick to a routine. But I also quite enjoyed getting the run done quickly and having time to do lots of other stuff today!

We got to the Expo just as it opened, but it was already crowded. Mary was deferring her number and looking to buy a baby marathon t-shirt for her deferral reason! We also met up with another training partner of ours who is also pregnant and wanted to defer. Plus I ran into one of the women I've been doing long runs with, and we didn't even plan it. Getting my number was pretty quick once I figured out where to go, and then we browsed around for a half hour or so. I have a collection of Nike "Quick Chick" shirts from various marathon expos, but the one for this year's Boston didn't particularly seem like something I would wear. All I bought was an "I (Heart) Running" bumper sticker. The one souvenir I reall want was one I saw tonight when we were in Brookline: there are signs all over the roads warning drivers not to park there on Monday and they have a vintage-looking runner guy breaking through the finish line tape. So cool! I tried to snag one tonight but I did not have any sharp objects to cut through the tine. Maybe I'll find one Monday somehow.

After the Expo I went grocery shopping and then came home to do some work for the rest of the day. The aforementioned computer problems definitely put a crimp in my productivity, so I have a lot more to do tomorrow!

Posted by becky at 11:39 PM | Comments (6)

April 14, 2006

Hooray for Good Friday

My early morning class didn't meet today because it was Good Friday. Harvard didn't have the day off but this particular class is accredited at 6 different universities so our professors decided to give us Good Friday off instead of trying to accomodate everyone's spring breaks. I think it was a wise choice--there was nothing I needed more than to sleep late this morning. I had a headache for most of the evening last night and was glad to note that it was gone when I woke up. I met Alison for a few miles this morning--she was on her way to the track to do a workout and I was just looking for some company. I felt weird just going home when she was going to do something speedy, but I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind and enjoy the extra time at home to get things done.

I spent the morning cleaning up and taking care of some administrative duties for the class I TA. Then I had a conference call related to the work I did last summer (I am helping them transition some communication tasks to the people who will be working on them this summer.) Then I met a friend on Newbury Street for a manicure. I also stopped into Niketown to pick up a pace bracelet. It was warm out so there were millions of people roaming the streets. It was weird being right near the spot where the marathon finishes. When I ran Boston last time, I had no idea where I was for most of it, even the very end. Not that I know downtown Boston that much better after living here for 2 years, but at least there are some parts I recognize!

Happy Boston Marathon weekend to all--may it be restful and free of crowds!

Posted by becky at 6:39 PM | Comments (1)

April 13, 2006

Better

My groin was a little sore starting out my run today, but thankfully nothing like yesterday. Alison and P ran down to my place and then we ran to Harvard Square (at which point P turned off to go back home) and we continued to Memorial Drive and got almost to Fresh Pond before coming back through North Cambridge. It was a weird weather day--raining when I started, then muggy, then drizzling again at the end of the run. Considering the run wasn't that long, that's a lot of different types of weather! I never felt great today (a couple of aches and pains in my knee, the aforementioned groin soreness) but what happened at the end of yesterday's run totally freaked me out and I was so glad that didn't happen again.

I had a meeting over near school later in the morning, and then my parents took the T from Cambridge (it's been awhile since they've done that) to meet me for lunch. Our school cafeteria is actually pretty decent, so we just ate there. I walked them over to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum when we were done (which did not get such rave reviews, by the way) and then I went back to school for my class. I don't know if it's because I didn't have my coffee today or what, but during the class I got so sleepy all of a sudden. I just couldn't keep my eyes open and that hasn't happened for awhile. Not a good feeling especially since I want to be well-rested! I'm going to try really hard to get some rest the next few days. We went again to my grandparents' house tonight for the second Passover seder and it was a lot of fun, but I'm exhausted.

Speaking of being tired...it's bedtime for me.

Posted by becky at 11:08 PM | Comments (3)

April 12, 2006

What the heck?

Matt had to be somewhere at 6:45am today, so I took pity on him and his still-sore ankle and drove him to the T stop at Kendall Square. I figured it would give me an early start on the day since I stayed up until about 1 working last night and still had much to do today. I was SO tired though. I parked at MIT since I was near there and decided to do a nice, flat loop of the River. I felt fine starting out, and then about halfway through the run, my groin seized up and was totally restricting my stride. I tried stretching but nothing really helped. I was totally suffering. Alison suggested that my soreness could have been due to running in circles around the track last night when I complained about this to her later today on email. Maybe. Or maybe it is just me getting so worked up over tapering and having the marathon looming in front of me that my body is giving me weird signals!! I don't know what to think. In any case, I did some stretching and light lifting after that and decided not to do any more working out today. It feels better now, we'll see how I feel in the morning...

That's the update from me. I am waiting for my parents to pick me up so that we can go to my grandparents' house for the first Passover seder. I am looking forward to carbo-loading on matzah. Happy Passover to anyone who that might apply to!

Posted by becky at 6:09 PM | Comments (1)

April 11, 2006

Good evening for a light workout

Once again I'm pressed for time, so this is going to be quick. It wasn't too hard to get out the door this morning for a quick run since it was sunny and warm. (Well, probably in the low 50s--comfortable.) For me, t-shirt and shorts weather. It got kind of overcast and windy later in the day, so I was expecting to be cold like last week at track. But while I was home between my class and track for a couple of hours, the sun actually came out again. It turned out to be a very nice evening for our final pre-Boston track workout.

A lot of people in the club are running the marathon, so our coach had us do something at close to marathon pace and just getting a little faster. I did this workout before the NYCM too, but I did it by myself. It was much more fun with a group. We did 6 consecutive 800s, starting out at goal marathon pace and cutting 4 seconds off each one. Wynne and I were careful not to get sucked into going too fast--it was very difficult when people were totally not running their marathon paces. We probably started out a little fast, but we consistently got a little bit quicker and it never felt like we were running too hard. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to be finished, but it didn't leave my legs hurting or anything. I think it served its purpose.

I'm sleepy now but I have a homework assignment to do. I know that it shouldn't take too long, but I agonize over these things so I'm sure it will. Fun times ahead!

Posted by becky at 8:58 PM | Comments (1)

April 10, 2006

Rushed run

Matt's sprained ankle was still bothering him this morning when he woke up, so he asked me to drive him to class. I was just about to go meet Alison for a run and he could leave as late as 50 minutes from then, so I figured that was a good way to put a leash on myself. Neither one of us was intending to run too far, anyway. We met "in the middle" and then looped by the Tufts outdoor track and back via Davis Square. I was glad to note that my arch was not quite as sore/tender as it was yesterday (I still felt it a bit though.) We were chatting the whole time so it went by very quickly. I made it home just as Matt was coming down in the elevator to hand me the car keys. Except for the traffic getting down to MIT, it all worked out perfectly. Hopefully he can find someone else to give him a lift home tonight while I'm slaving away at my computer :)

Today was busy, but I enjoy my Monday classes, so it's a good-busy day. In the afternoon, I biked and lifted (not too much or too heavy) and then skipped out on MIT track practice so I could come home and be productive. I am trying to finish a lot of things by early in the day on Wednesday since my family will be here for Passover. I was doing pretty well last night until I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to watch my tape of The West Wing to find out who won the presidential election. I think it was a better choice than finishing a paper--doesn't everyone agree? At least I was happy with the (TV plot line) outcome!

Posted by becky at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 9, 2006

Taper frustrations

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the bowling report, half of Team Wex dominated last night. The male half. I had a mediocre first game, a terrible second game and then came back (with two strikes in a row!) for the third game. Matt bowled really well across the board, though. He and the other two guys we were with even battled it out for a fourth game, but the other wife (actually fiancee) and I were content to just watch that one. Actually, I could barely keep my eyes open at that point. I think the trail running yesterday made me more tired than I anticipated!

I accidentally shut my alarm off this morning instead of pressing snooze, so I didn't roll out of bed until 9:30 which stressed me out because I had (have) a lot to do today. The one nice thing about tapering though is that runs don't take as long. I only ran 5 miles or so. Although it wasn't that enjoyable. My left arch was killing me for a lot of the run, probably due to stepping funny on a rock or branch yesterday. I stretched it out a lot at one point and that seemed to help. I also had a weird pain on the very top of my shin. It didn't bother me when I got home so I forgot to ice it. Are my pains psychosomatic? Potentially. But they are psyching me out. And later in the day I felt antsy and like I should go for a swim or bike or something but luckily (for my legs) I just had too much to do. Cutting back on mileage may be good for some people but it drives me insane.

I pretty much did school work all day today and tended to Matt, who sprained his ankle playing softball this afternoon. Tonight we'll take a break to watch The Sopranos and then I better get a second wind to finish the paper I'm working on!

Posted by becky at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2006

Trying not to fall in the Fells

Well, this morning's run was not exactly what I had planned, but I suppose that is okay. Wynne, Alison and I drove to our other running partner Alyssa's house and parked there. I had suggested a nice, easy short long run in the Fells since I hadn't been there since the fall. Alyssa lives a little over 2 miles from one of the entrances and suggested starting from her house. We started out kind of fast but did slow down a little upon a general group protest. When we got into the Fells, Alyssa took us on a loop that she often does. The other few times I've run there I've done much less treacherous loops, with a lot of it on a "fire road." The "orange" loop that we did today was very rocky and slippery with steep uphills, downhills and switchbacks. I suck at hard trails and I sure was feeling that way today. I was also being extra careful not to fall and injure myself--that would be perfect timing.

Anyway, I survived okay (we were in there for about an hour) but my groin started bothering me about a half hour in. I haven't had any HHG problems in weeks so that was an unpleasant surprise. It was probably due to the way I was (gingerly) running on the trails. When we got back on the road I felt somewhat better, but my butt was very sore. Instead of running directly back to Alyssa's, we added on a couple of miles to get some of the trail soreness out of our legs. I was pooped when we were finished, and it was definitely not the nice and easy run I had intended on. I feel a little bit better now a few hours later and after using my heating pad, but I want all of this soreness to disappear ASAP. Ugh!

I've been doing school work all day, but it hasn't been so bad since it's a pretty dreary day out anyway. (In case the Boston weather gods are reading, this temperature is fine with me, but a little less wind, please.) Tonight Matt and I are going bowling with a few of his friends from school. He's been wanting to go for a while. We are even eating dinner at the bowling alley--very exciting. I'm sure I won't be able to resist the spicy "disco fries" (as we called them in high school). I usually have one good game when I bowl and then I lose concentration. We're taking on another couple so hopefully Team Wex will dominate!!

Posted by becky at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2006

Just another Friday

Boy, it was not easy to get up this morning in the dark. Now that we changed the clocks, it's not as light out for my early Friday runs as it has been for the past several weeks. I was meeting Alison though, so that helped me get out the door. We did my usual Friday loop since I know exactly how long it will take and because hey, I'm a creature of habit and it's comforting to have a routine. I noticed earlier in the week that my left foot has been tingly, both when I'm running and when I'm not. I've had issues with numb feet before, but it's not quite at the pins and needles stage, it's more like the very end of having your foot fall asleep--just some lingering tingles. I think it might have to either do with uncomfortable ballet flats I wore last week or tightness in my arch. I'm doing my best to stretch it out and hopefully it will go away as quickly as it started. Aside from the tingling, my legs felt okay. I was still kind of tired but we were talking the whole time so that made the time pass quickly.

I was pretty busy for the rest of the day--I only had time for a 35 minute nap (I definitely could have slept longer.) I went to class, did some grocery shopping, cleaned my apartment and then had a conference call and a very informal phone interview. After that I went to get my manicure and then to my grandparents' house as usual. My grandmother is busy baking up lots of Kosher for Passover cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. I'm not going to "keep Passover" this year, mostly because of the marathon but because I am not religious/observant in any other way, so to be observant one week a year seems kind of hypocritical.

Matt and I are staying in tonight and catching up on our HBO shows. It's just the kind of night I need. Happy weekend!

Posted by becky at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2006

Bright and windy

I overdressed a little this morning to make up for my shorts-in-the-snow mistake yesterday. I heard the wind chimes blowing around when I woke up so I assumed it was pretty windy, although Boston.com didn't mention it. It was a pretty morning though, nice and sunny, and I decided to chance the wind and run by the river anyway. I saw 4 or 5 crew boats out, although I couldn't identify which team they were from (BU, MIT and Harvard all have boat houses in the same general area.) The wind wasn't terrible, and the temperature was warm enough so that the gusts didn't bother me too much (maybe I'm just getting used to the wind??) I've been feeling like I need to slow down on some of my recovery runs and I tried to take it really easy today and just relax. I felt okay at some points and then just kind of sluggish at others. I find that when I run by myself, I think too much. I'm also worried about the marathon--the weather, the fact that my legs don't feel that great, concerns about having blown it by running the National Marathon, etc.--and I'm sure that is playing with my mind, which is in turn causing me to have some bad runs.

Anyway, enough negativity. The rest of my day was pretty good, if not too exciting: did some work in the morning; went to school in the afternoon and then to MIT. It was very hot in the gym today and I was sweating (even more than usual.) I was wearing my Cornell Athletics stolen t-shirt to lift and I had a weird moment when I looked in the mirror and saw another guy wearing one, too. I guess I could have asked him, "What sport did you play at Cornell?" but I wasn't that motivated and apparently he wasn't either since he didn't ask me! After lifting I hung out at track practice for a bit. There were a lot of pre-frosh around since this weekend is visiting weekend for accepted students. They are all so smart and choosing between schools like Princeton, Harvard and MIT. What a choice! (I applied early decision to Cornell so I never really had to make a decision. I imagine it would be tough.)

I'm glad it's almost the weekend, but I have so much work to do, especially because my parents and sister will be in town next week for Passover and I want to spend time with them. So...back to work!

Posted by becky at 7:21 PM | Comments (2)

April 5, 2006

April (snow) showers

I'm sure I'll miss the occasional snowy day in April once I head down south, but today it was kind of annoying. Pretty, but annoying. I didn't look out the window before leaving to meet Alison so I didn't realize it was precipitating at all. It was near 40 degrees so I was wearing shorts. I didn't "freeze to death" or anything (as one man we passed asked me if I was) but my legs did get a bit stiff. It was very wet snow, too, and we both complained about being soaked. My wet gloves made my hands especially cold. But aside from those complaints, I felt okay today, especially considering that I was feeling pretty tired and sore after last night's workout. Maybe the cold air numbed my legs or something. Hey, whatever works! Anyway, our route was pretty much on main roads in Cambridge and Somerville today. Not too scenic but appropriate for a bad weather day.

I had a conference call for about an hour in the morning and then I got some reading done on the bike before a little lifting. Then I had to give a presentation in my masters seminar about my experience at my summer job. I hate talking in front of a group and the school was testing the fire alarm equipment while I was up there! I think it went okay though and I was glad to be done with it.

I am starving right now so I'm going to go figure out what to do for dinner!

Posted by becky at 6:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 4, 2006

Ridiculously windy

Alison already wrote about this situation on her blog, but I'll tell it quickly in my own words. Last night, Wynne, Alison and I made plans to go to the track early this morning, mostly because Wynne had to work late tonight and we all wanted to get it over with. But when I woke up at 5:40, it was pouring and windy. I was secretly hoping that someone would call and nix the workout so I could go back to bed. That's exactly what happened and I very much enjoyed being able to get back into my warm bed and catch another couple of hours of sleep. When I eventually did roll out of bed, it had pretty much stopped raining and I did my usual pre-workout 3 mile run. It was fine although I was thinking about how I really need my new sneaks to arrive (and they did later in the day.)

I did work for a couple of hours in the morning and then Mary and I met for lunch, which was nice. We hope to make it a weekly thing. Then I went to school for my class and by the time I was done, it was cold and windier than ever. I was dreading having to run around the track especially since wind has been bothering me a lot lately. Thankfully the workout was pretty short, just 3xmile, but we were supposed to do them at 5K pace, so pretty fast. I was within 2 or 3 seconds of the same time on each one, but it was a bit slower than I had hoped to go. The wind was pretty nasty especially on the third one and I felt like I was working so hard just to keep my pace. It was not fun! I was very glad to be done. Alison and I tried to explore a little on some side streets during our cooldown but it was getting dark quickly (not to mention snowing/raining) so we ended up on one of our usual routes pretty soon.

It's late and I have a lot to do so that bare bones description will have to do!

Posted by becky at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2006

Ugh, feeling crappy again...

I met Alison at her house this morning for my run. I was glad to have company, but I could tell from the beginning of the run that I wasn't going to be feeling too great. My legs were just heavy and strangely sore (I did not do anything out of the ordinary yesterday that would have caused them to be this way!) Baffling, and not how I expected my first run of a taper week to feel. Anyway, we did a loop that I believe was entirely in Medford and did not encounter anything strange or exciting. I did have a terrible itch in the middle of my back and I picked up a stick to use as a scratching tool at one point (it worked great!)

The rest of my day was pretty busy. I had 5 hours of class and then went to the gym to bike and lift. You could tell MIT spring break was over because tan people were all over the place at the gym. Then I helped time some track workouts. It was drizzling a little but not quite as cold as I was worried about. I was wearing a lot of layers, though.

It is supposed to rain for a lot of the day tomorrow and be kind of chilly. Perfect for the first outdoor track workout of the season!

Posted by becky at 8:32 PM | Comments (0)

April 2, 2006

Feeling better

I woke up with a headache this morning but drinking water and taking Advil seemed to take care of it pretty quickly. I procrastinated running for a little while because I was worried I would feel as crappy as I did yesterday, but actually I ended up having an okay run. I set my standards very low and promised myself I'd only run for 30 minutes if I felt terrible. But except for the wind, which was really whipping everything around, I felt pretty decent--much better than yesterday. The humidity level dropped significantly since yesterday, so I'm wondering if I was just reacting to that...or maybe I have slight allergies that act up when it's humid? Something tells me I'll be able to test that theory in the coming months.

I was not too tired during the day today for once since I got a decent amount of sleep last night, so I was pretty productive with school work. It's nice to have Matt around again; today we both sat side-by-side at our computers all day. How romantic :) Tonight he has an event and I am going to a birthday potluck, so we'll have to catch up on The Sopranos later in the week!

Posted by becky at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 1, 2006

Bound to happen

Today I had the type of run where I couldn't believe I had run such an enjoyable marathon seven days earlier. I woke up feeling very not well-rested; I was yawning and lightheaded. I knew I was in for a challenging run but I really just wanted to get it done. At least I wasn't alone--actually my running partner Wynne was not feeling so great herself. We were both just super sluggish and dragging. It was also the first day in some time that I actually noticed the humidity (it was 75% when we left.) Everyone knows how much I love humidity, so I'll just leave it at that. I wasn't sure how far to run today but decided to err on the side of caution and cap it at 2 hours, especially given how I was feeling. We ran through Allston and Brookline to get to Jamaica Pond, did a loop of the Pond and then came back along the Emerald Necklace.

My tiredness was mostly in my legs, but I did have a couple of moments of lightheadedness again like I had last Friday while running. I didn't eat the best dinner last night so I'm going to attribute it to poor nutrition and/or dehydration. Whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant. I am dreading changing the clocks tonight because it means I have one less hour to recover for tomorrow!

I got some schoolwork done today and then decided at the last minute to go see Thank You For Smoking with Mary. It was a good social commentary on the tobacco industry and the DC lobbying scene, but I thought it was a little unrealistic. (That happens sometimes in movies.)

Good luck to all those racing Cherry Blossom tomorrow! Always a good time and I hope to be back racing it next year!

Posted by becky at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)