NYC is a lottery right, so you got in? Wow, thought that was pretty hard to do. Gosh I'd like to run that one, it's been on my list. Maybe I could join you. My DH will no go with me because of kids in school so it'd be a quick trip for me but I just didn't want to be alone for all the pre-race part.

Actually, I got a free entry from ING... they have our disability plan, and I guess this is one of the perks of being in the benefits department cuz our rep gave me a sponsored entry! I'm hoping I can defer it to next year, if not then maybe I'll just have to buck up and go!! I'd love to run it, but it would be fun to go with someone and DH hasn't said much about it. I think he just assumes I'll cancel it... I haven't yet. Ever the optimist. Hey Dave... easy is as easy does, right? I just find it hard to go slower, I feel like I'm shuffling. My form goes to hell and it makes me more tired than just getting out there and running a comfortable pace. If I really have to go slow I usually hop on the treadmill where I can dial in a pace and leave it... although I usually get bored after a couple of miles and bump it up anyway. I'm hopeless. Heading for hills tonight... Looking at going up the "hill" that is the core of the Equinox. More of a mountain by many standards, and I know I'll do a lot of walking (and huffing and puffing), but I haven't tackled that one yet this year and the race is exactly one month away!! (Eeek!!)

Flyby post for me for now, although I have enjoyed reading up on everyone. Third recovery run of the week this morning. I've had no zip at all. Was planning 40-miles for the week and will stick to it. I'll rest more next week if I don't break out of the funk. Monday I was sick mid-run and post. We opened up the windows with the cooling temps and my allergies have come back bigtime. Hope this weather holds. New shoes should arrive today and I need them. I am feeling every step with the current ones. DD arrives tomorrow. It will be good to see her. We are all going to the football game with Illinois on the 30th. It will be a great time. I am so ready for college football.

Husker - sounds like a smart move! I hope it works! Pace - YEAH for your daughter coming home!! I bet you are super excited! And I hope the new shoes do good things for your feet.

I'm hopeless.

This time I wasn't trying to give you a hard time, just pleased with the improvement in my slow pace even at the same (143) HR. As long as my HR is down, faster is better for my easy runs. Yesterday it was around 8:30 so that was about a 30 second improvement. I only wish I could keep up with you on race day. Too much family drama here on vacation. I guess there's a reason we move out of our parents house. May get a run in later today but I'm not betting on it.

Bugs I love your picture! Stunning, my dear. And we are soul sisters, I swear. The day I get all my crap together I'll probably fall over dead from shock! I have a few of those horrid piles of $hit building up in the house. What kills me is, most of it is not mine! And my guys (all three of them) go digging around looking for stuff, cursing that they can't find something they just knew was there, but they never do anything to clean it up!! So it would seem that they all expect ME to do it... I just say, "well, if you'd clean up this stuff and put your things away, maybe you could find it!!" Argh. And it seems so unfair that when I have a few free moments, I think "Oh good, I can get this done or that done," and when they have free time they watch tv or take a nap!!! Grrrrr. Ok, [/rant] Brian, ice is your friend!! Forget the peas... get some paper Dixie cups, fill part way with water, freeze, and then use said frozen cups to ice your shins. Peel the paper off the end so the ice is exposed but you still have a paper cup "handle," sit on the floor with a towel under your calf, and rub that sucker back and forth over your sore shins. The ice will melt and drip, so you need the towel. By the time the ice is pretty much all gone, you've done a good icing job on your shin. Ice, ibuprofen and rest are pretty much the best cures for shin splints. And icing at the first sign (and backing off, like you're doing) will hold them at bay. Also, make sure you're not heel striking when you run, and go easy on hill work while you're healing. Shin splints suck. I had them in 2006 and tried to get rid of them before the Napa Marathon... really took the joy out of that one, I'll tell ya. Nice running Dave. And if you can do those paces in training, they'll be there on race day. I promise. Last night I ran up the Equinox hill. Well, "ran" is not quite right... I run/walk this thing. I haven't done as much hill work as I should have by now, so was concerned my time would suck and I'd die out there. But it was ok. Legs got tired, but I was able to keep up a good walk/run rotation the whole way. Went from mile 7.7 to just past mile 14, then turned around and went back up to the peak (about mile 13.5) where DH met me on his motorcycle to take me back down the hill. Then I ran from the base of the hill back to the car (.7 mile) to end on a nice flattish section. 7.7 miles in about 1 hr 21 minutes... Not bad actually. (all concept of marathon pace sort of dies on this course...)

Bugs I love your picture! Stunning, my dear. And we are soul sisters, I swear. The day I get all my crap together I'll probably fall over dead from shock! I have a few of those horrid piles of $hit building up in the house. What kills me is, most of it is not mine! And my guys (all three of them) go digging around looking for stuff, cursing that they can't find something they just knew was there, but they never do anything to clean it up!! So it would seem that they all expect ME to do it... I just say, "well, if you'd clean up this stuff and put your things away, maybe you could find it!!" Argh. And it seems so unfair that when I have a few free moments, I think "Oh good, I can get this done or that done," and when they have free time they watch tv or take a nap!!! Grrrrr. Ok, [/rant]

I hope for your sake you are not blessed with a sister that has it all together. I do and she just shakes her head at me. Quick looking at marathons, there is the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll marathon and I can get frequent flyer tickets to it. I wonder if I really have the guts to do this. I wouldn't put any time pressure on myself, just go to say I've done two in a short amount of time and actually got out of MN to run once.

Too much family drama here on vacation. I guess there's a reason we move out of our parents house. May get a run in later today but I'm not betting on it.

Sorry to hear that. I think most of have a family like that. Mine use to be a riot. Could not get together because sister inlaw might have slept with brother inlaw, sister slept w. brother inlaw (and I found them), people wouldn't go to x-mas at so and so's house, bitchie step-mother.. I mean it was just bad. DH really was thinking, "What the hell did I get myself into." But now parents are both gone, brother inlaw is out of the picture, people have their own families etc... Time with extended family is rare and so the fighting is all in the past. Life seems quiet but a bit lonely also. My point is sometimes I wish I could go back and hear all the fighting because it meant we are all alive and together. So hopefully you can stay out the mess. Sometimes when it comes to all that drama it's easier just to "eat a little crap" and keep the peace.