What an epic day!

First let me say how silly I am for the title of my post on Sunday. It should have been Almost Silent Sunday…not Saturday. Lol. Post Marathon brain fog I suppose! 

Second let me apologize for the novel you are about to hopefully read 🙂 Also, I purchased the pics from Marathonfoto but they aren’t available for download yet…grrr! So I apologize for the proofs. OK here goes…

Sunday started at 4:20 amI got up, showered and dressed and was having my breakfast by 5:00 am

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Hello,

I’m almost done with my recap for the NJ Marathon but just waiting on a few pictures. I warn you now it’s a novel so be prepared =)

Yesterday I focused on recovery and hydration.

hydrate

requirements for the day after a marathon…wear your finisher’s shirt and HYDRATE!

As I was thumbing through some of the pics we took I noticed how cool this one was that my new iphone case that says 26.2 shows through the clear pouch so nicely on my fuelbelt!

iphone case

cute pink iphone case makes the second best fashion accessory. The “necklace” is the best accessory =) Two HAPPY girls!

Since I’m not running today I took Duncan for a little play time at the park really early (as in BEFORE COFFEE EARLY!). We were on the baseball field and apparently he found himself a ball =)

photo 2 photo 4

 

Since NJ is complete I pulled the trigger and registered for my next marathon. San Francisco here i come!!!

sf marathon

time to train for hills!

I hadn’t anticipated running more than one full marathon this year but I wanted to be there to support Lisa’s sister Valerie as she runs her first full. I have NO time goals for this one. I just want to take some great pictures and enjoy the journey. =)

Hoping to have that recap up tonight or tomorrow.

Question: do you like water? Are you a purist or do you add anything to it or go for flavored kinds?

I am still recovering but wanted to let you all know I now have a shiny new PR by about 9 and a half minutes.
I finished the NJ Marathon in 4:38:31 and had an amazing race! Here are a few pics until I can get you a recap. Thanks for all the support. 🙂

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It’s getting so real! I get so excited for the whole packet pickup process that goes down at the expo. The best part about the expo for the NJ Marathon is that it’s right at the starting line.

photo 5-1

 

Run the shore or run the whore? LOL

 

run the shore? or run the whore? =)

run the shore? or run the whore? =)

 

photo 1

It’s at the Monmouth N.J. Racetrack (notice the little jockey’s flanking the entrance.)

First order of business was dropping of the sneaker and canned food donations. Thanks to my friends Cathy and Diana, we collected about 20 or so pairs of sneakers to donate and a big bag of canned food.

sneakers to donate

so many sneakers most used but some practically new going to good homes 

photo 2-1Next up, I headed over to the VIP booth to pick up my packet.

photo 3-1

njm2014-bibcollage

Most people paid $75 to be a VIP but I won it as a part of a giveaway on Facebook. Score! It includes things like a special VIP tent at the start and finish with our selected pre and post race food options. They offered quite a selection but I chose a bagel in the morning and cheese, fruit and pastries at the finish. I also get free VIP parking which will be a huge deal for sure tomorrow. =)

photo 2My friend Mitch is running too. He was late to make the decision and they had sold out but put him on the waiting list. He finally got the call there was room for him so he registered on site today at the Expo. Yay Mitch! And Jane went to the expo yesterday but I’ll most surely grab some pre-race pics of us tomorrow.

I almost bought myself a cute shirt that basically was a repeat pattern that said “I love running, I love it not”, but they only had S and XL left. Is the whole world a medium????!!!! So instead I bought this adorable iPhone case for 3 bucks!…

photo 4

 

We stopped over at the Pace Group table and I spoke with the 2 guys who are pacing the 4:40 group. Matt and Brian are my guys! Matt is a 3:10 runner but this will be his first time pacing so hopefully he remembers he’s not pacing the 3:10 group! Brian drove up from Virginia to pace. He’s a very dedicated man. I asked what their plan of attack was. Apparently they are shooting to actually finish in 4:38 or 4:39. 2 minutes shouldn’t sound like a big deal but when I’m already shooting for an 8 min PR for 4:40 that means I’m potentially shooting for a 10 minute PR! Yikes! They said they will slow down through water stops but not walk. This worries me because I usually walk while sipping my water. So while I am starting out with them I’m prepared to bail and run my own race if I have to. I’d rather enjoy the race and not stress.

Once I got home I realized i had missed lunch so I ordered PIZZA!

PIZZA

PIZZA

I ate 3 slices already (around 3:30pm) and I’ll probably eat another slice in a few hours! And then I’ll save the rest for tomorrow when I get home! Win-Win! Gotta get that carbo-loading in check….The day before a marathon is better than Christmas! I had pancakes for breakfast too!

pancakes

someone was hoping i’d share

So now i’m just chillin’ with the pooch (and his toy), and then I’ll get started with the whole ritual of laying out my clothes etc. I’ll spare you that this time. LOL!

photo 5

So hopefully next time you hear from me I’ll have crossed the finish line in one piece with a smile on my face.

thanks for the great message Distant Runners!

thanks for the great message Distant Runners!

My time goals are:
A goal is to stay with the pace group and finish in 4:38-4:40
B goal is to finish twice as slow as Shalane Flanagan’s Boston time coming in at 4:44:04
C goal is to squeak in a PR at 4:47:59
D goal is to break 5 hours

But my overall goal is to celebrate my 16 weeks of training and enjoy the run.