Psyched for Strength

So it's November. In my previous post, I mentioned a "Strength Routine Challenge" which requires participants to complete two strength sessions per week throughout the month of November. Consider this my official application - I'm in! And I already kicked it off yesterday with a yoga workout, so I'm on the board. My second workout is slated for Sunday (since I count my running week Monday - Sunday, I will do the same with this.) I'm really looking forward to it!

In an ironic twist of events, it snowed in New York last week; in Chicago, it was absolutely beautiful. My last two runs have both been 7 milers and have been in ideal conditions. Saturday, the whole family went on a run to the Lincoln Park Zoo and back. Though we didn't tour the zoo, we did venture in a little bit and might have seen a llama or two. Tuesday I had another terrific run of 7 miles, which has me feeling a little more confident about completing the distance on Saturday (9.3 miles). I will say upfront that I don't expect to run much faster than ten minutes/mile, but I do hope to finish strong and with some spare energy! C, from Team Stick, will be here for the race and I want to survive our rockin' post race plans!!

Other than that, I added a short swim to my workouts this week. Monday night I swam about a quarter mile, though I didn't diligently count laps. Instead, I relaxed and let my mind wander. It was highly therapeutic and I'm going to work on chilling with some pool time a little more often.

Before I forget, I want to wish all the nyc marathon participants the best of luck on Sunday!! Though I am far away and won't be handing out power gels (or engaging in antics at Fort Wadsworth) this year, I will most definitely be thinking about all of you! nyc happens to be one of my favorite races of all time. I ran in '06 and '08, and while I clocked some pretty slow times, I had an absolute blast! Let's reminisce.

2006 ..

 2006 - around mile 19

 2006 -fall foliage

 2006 -almost done

 2006 - my "fans"

2006 - part of the crowd



And 2008 ..

 2008- marathon expo with the Sticks

 2008 - powering through

2008 - almost done

2008 finisher

Team Stick at nyc 2008

Such good memories! Good luck to everyone running nyc this weekend! You will love it! The energy is amazing and the fans are outstanding. Enjoy every mile.