Marathon Weekly Update

What to do with myself now that the marathon is over?

I should be sleeping right now. I am dog tired and was in bed but I can't sleep. This problem has been plaguing me all day. I know I have lots on my mind and it doesn't all make sense.

First of all, I have been trying to upload pictures from the marathon into this post so you can click on them and go to my flickr page. Apparently I'm not technologically savvy enough to do that, so just click on the flickr button on the right hand navigation bar if you are interested in seeing me and my group. I do have to state right now that I'm not looking my best. I really imagined that I would lose a lot more weight in my training, but I didn't. The water bottle fanny pack that accentuates my middle doesn't do much for the world of fashion either, but it did keep me hydrated and fed during my 6 hour run. I'm also not a big fan of my arms, but it was hot as hell and I was trying to run in as few clothes as was legal (and comfortable). So now that I have all of my neurosis aired out I can get to the post marathon info.

I went back to work after Libby left and muddled my way through two days before the weekend. Much of my time was spent talking with the few people on campus about my marathon experience and answering the never-ending question, "So, do you think you will run another marathon?" I don't know know people. For God's Sake I just ran 26 miles, what more do you want from me? One of the men I work with signed up for the marathon on a whim on Saturday. Yes, you read it right - he signed up the day before the marathon. Now of course he is in great shape, runs and rides his bike religiously, and has done lots of other marathons. But seriously, he was reading the paper on Saturday morning and decided to head down to the Expo and register for the race, AND he finished in 3 1/2 hours. That kind of deflated my bubble a little, but I'm still feeling good about finishing.

On a more interesting note Joel and I went out on Friday night. Now you may be thinking, "Where have I heard that name before?" and I would respond, "Remember that guy that I gushed on and on about who then told me he needed to concentrate on his friendships, yeah that's the one." We went to dinner and to listen to one of his friends play the sax in a jazz band in the Tenderloin. It was a fun evening and one that left a lot of questions up in the air. All I can say is that we may possibly be dating, but we may not. More to come on that one.

Sunday I spent the majority of the day at the Stern Grove Music Festival, a 2 month string of free concerts in the city. A group of us drank wine, ate way too much food, and listened to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra for hours in the sunshine. On Monday I headed to the doctor to get a referral for my foot, only to find out that I don't need a referral for a podiatrist (that one still pisses me off). That evening I met up with all but 3 of the Salazars at the Zeitgeist, a great beer joint with a wonderful outdoor patio, to rehash the marathon and our recovery from it.

Thursday and Friday were filled with doctors & dentist appointments, poking and prodding, x-rays, bloodwork, shots, and general sour grapes. I won't even go into the details but suffice to say that I was walking around with a thundercloud over my head and it is good thing that people stayed out of my way so I didn't kill them. This weekend I spent a lot of time puttering around the house and organizing (what I do best). I spent some time thinking about what I might possibly want for my birthday - I know it is still a month away, but I'm always taken off guard when my parents ask me for a list.

This morning I woke up at 6am and went through a very familiar routine. I washed my face, put on sunscreen, dressed in running clothes, taped my arches, covered my toes in body glide, and headed out the door to run. I wanted to do a 5 mile run this weekend so I can stay on track for the possibility of running a 1/2 marathon this fall. The Mayor of San Francisco was sponsoring a 5 mile run that benefits the children of a poor area of SF, so I signed up. I got to the site way too early and spent about 45 minutes talking on the phone in the car before taking the shuttle to the starting point. The race began at Monster Park (formerly known as Candlestick Park) and ran to AT&T Park (formerly known as PacBell and SBC Parks). I met a woman who is a recent transplant to SF on the bus and we decided to run together. We chatted whole way until we hit the 4 mile marker. I decided to run full out for the last mile and it felt really good. The amazing thing was my time. For 4 miles we ran at about an 11 minute pace and I ran the last mile in 6 minutes. Yes, you read right - 6 minutes. I don't know if I have ever run that fast, and it felt fairly good. I knew I was pushing myself, but not to the point of breaking. I don't know what this means for my training, but I'm impressed with myself.

I have a date tomorrow night with a new guy who lives in Oregon, but travels to SF all the time. I'm not sure about this one, but am willing to meet up with him to see. I had a conversation with my friend Amanda tonight and it was great to be able to catch up and chat in a way that we haven't had time to do in a long time. Something she said has really stuck with me and I think this may be why I'm writing in my blog at 11:30pm instead of sleeping. She told me that I have taken in a lot of stray kittens in my day and fed and socialized them so they will be happy with someone else. I realized that this is true - I'm a foster home. I'm really good at taking someone who is lost, giving them a little love and attention, and letting them go - and there are lots of women out there who are reaping the benefits of this. Amanda told me that she thought I deserve a love that doesn't need fixing up, an "all consuming, can't drive, can't eat, don't even think about all of the little things kind of love that makes you goofy." And, you know what, she is right. I do deserve it. The only problem is where and how do I find it? I don't think she has an answer for that one.

posted by Heidi @ 11:02 PM