Today's Taste of Spring 2008

Recalls the spring that wasn't quite in 2007, for it was just over a year ago that my dad was first hospitalized on the very day that I was making the 7-8 hour drive to visit. I recall how it struck me somewhere between here and Giddings that I had forgotten my bag of clothes, but I had remembered my bags of music and food. I nearly made a u-turn on Hwy 290, but decide to plug on in lieu of adding another hour or two to the drive. When I did arrive, it was straight to the ER. I stayed the night in that ER cubicle with him, on a stretcher beside his. I remember realizing that the 15 hour wait for a room was another of the post-Katrina infrastructure problems that no one ever really discussed, incapable as they seemed of moving past the more palpable traffic issues.

And so it began, Spring 2007, observed through the windshield of various Enterprise rental cars and the windows of several hospital rooms. Challenging my si joints and illiopsoas, I climbed stairs in the hospital for exercise, slept on the overused, vinyl, fold-out loveseat-chaise thing in the hospital room(s), and, on several occasions, made the entire drive non-stop, just to see if I could. All the while, we were filled with so many questions and no answers...Why the low hemoglobin? Why the DVT? Why the swelling? Why the pain?

Fast-forward a year...these earliest indications of a soon-unfolding spring have me filled with hope as I inspect trees and other perennials for signs that they too have been renewed. Days lengthening in anticipation of all of the new season's rituals: our favorite 10Ks and festivals such as the Kite Festival, Eeoyre's Birthday, patio-living, late afternoon outdoor exercise, re-opening of Deep Eddy Pool...

Today was splendid...completely and painfully exhausted from Ricky's late night gig and my venture with a friend to a midnight movie, we were anxious to be outside in the late February warmth under a cloudless sky and to further our recovery from last weekend's half marathon. To the mountain bikes we turned (I honestly felt a little too fatigued to deal with the technicalities of the road bike) and to our old 18 mile route down North Loop to Balcones to Lake Austin to downtown and back up Duval...it's been since October, since just before Ricky's back injury that we've pedaled Balcones. It wasn't quite easy, but it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, particularly handling that hill we hate on Pecos. In any case, it felt good to pedal like that again at a nice, slow pace.

13.1

things NLBG learned from, through, and during our first half:

1. Accelerade still rocks!
2. Gel shots: great while pedaling, messy while jogging. Shot blocks next time? (does this mean we're doing this again?!?)
3. Hydration belts dorky, but really so practical that we don't care anymore
4. Deliverance not so much an inspirational choice of pre-race film
5. Self-imposed, trainer-suggested, even mandated, pre-race resting not only effective, but permits me to practice, with trainer's blessings, nonetheless, the one thing at which I truly excel: lounging, formally known as "tapering" in cases such as this.
6. Our quads hated us on Monday
7. So did my right hip flexor (that no-longer-hidden prankster!), but, shockingly, not my si joints
8. The full marathon winner finished twice the distance in 40 minutes less time
9. Training matters, and NLBG trained pretty well
10. Hydration and nutrition matter, and NLBG took this seriously and was smart about it
11. We accomplished something we never thought possible
13. I'm stronger than I was even before my si joint/hip flexor disaster
13.1: Ready for a marathon?!

It's 6am and 40F

Here we huddle in the pre-dawn darkness and cold under the patio heaters on Congress Avenue, waiting for the start gun at 7am.

We Did It!

Our very first half marathon!!

That's right...as it turned out, there was still a finish line there on Congress for us to cross! What an incredible feeling!

Here goes, the official NLBG Race Report:

Getting possessed and excited like I do, I had set the alarm for 4.30am, just to make sure we had enough time to get down there and park...which we did. We spent a few minutes sitting in the car to stay warm. It was about 40 degrees and dark, of course. The good news was that they had set up some patio heaters, so we huddled under one until just before the start. It felt pretty festive, seeing so many others in the pre-dawn cold...enjoyed chatting with a few fellow runners under the heaters.

Before we knew it, the start gun went off accompanied by a lovely fireworks display over Lady Bird Lake.

The plan, given our injuries/conditions and our somewhat belated training attempt, was, of course, to walk the entire distance. But, we do have a tendency to get possessed and carried away, as some of you know. Therefore, after walking the first three miles up South Congress, we decided to try to jog, slowly and calmly, down S. 1st back to downtown. Why stop there? We kept jogging all the way over to Mo-Pac (mile 7). I walked up a short hill and then did a mix of jog/walk the remainder of the way -- trying to jog a little on the flats and downhills, while taking the uphills slowly, walking. Finished an hour faster than expected at 2:48 (by no means brilliant or fast, but far exceeded expectations!) and that feels really good! The really amazing thing is seeing some of the full marathoners, who have just covered twice the distance, cross the finish line at the same time...I really admire anyone who undertakes that challenge...

The course was fun. The volunteers and fan support were fantastic! What a tremendous boost it is to hear music, cheers and words of encouragement along the way.

Quite the accomplishment for the NLBG! We amazed ourselves yet again...

Thanks to everyone for being supportive!

26 Miles for 26 Charities

The AT&T Austin Marathon is launching a program that I think is pretty cool: selected nonprofits will have the opportunity to raise awareness and money while volunteering on the race course at aid stations. While I think that all of these organizations are special and serve an important place in our community, there is the one that NLBG supports in particular...the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG). It's great to see that LAF will be represented in the marathon like this. Hopefully, we will have the chance to see the LIVESTRONG stop on the half marathon course...

Check it out: 26 Miles for 26 Charities

The Great Taper Caper

NLBG in so-called taper mode for the week.

Food?
A veritable week-end gras: You see, it was the Festival of Chocolate at Central Market...chocolate samples galore -- from chocolate cherry cordial coffee to chocolate ice cream to Miles of Chocolate to, to...too much! Saturday found us having oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. Definite need to taper sweets!

Exercise?
More encouraging than our weekend food excesses!

Friday: We both had great sessions with Sam. How does he come up with this stuff? He gets me to do things I can't even dream of and I find hard to describe. It always makes me realize how far I've come since my si joint freakout.

Saturday: 7 miles on the mountain bike

Sunday: five mile walk; we managed to do a very slow, very easy and relaxed jog for about 2 miles. Some hip flexor and hamstring tightness, but it felt really good! Most importantly, no si joint pain yesterday or this morning.

Remainder of the week should go something like this:
Today: walk
Tomorrow: walk or bike ride
Wednesday: Tai Chi
Thursday: walk
Friday: Sam
Saturday: off
Sunday: on verra bien!!

We Walk

Up the hill, down the street, across the trail, up the hill, down the street, up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, down the street. For 13 miles. Mission accomplished. NLBG fatigued and pleased.

Fact: We can walk a half marathon.

Question: Can we walk a half marathon in time for there still to be a finish line?
Well, only time will tell, and I know that what will be will be and that, at least, we will have tried. Therefore, I feel almost at peace with this belated undertaking.

Thoughts while walking:
I love Clif Bars and Accelerade.
I love my new men's ASICS; they seem to have more cushioning than the women's.
I love getting stronger and maintaining a positive attitude, even with developing heel blisters and increasing heat.
I wonder how it would feel to walk a full marathon.
We look a bit geeky, hydration belts and all, trekking down the actual course!

Cedar, Still

But that won't stop me.

The weekend forecast is sunny and warmer, and we all know what that means! A training we shall go!

(Mal)heureusement, no wheels involved. "Why?" you inquire (even if you're not, I'm telling you anyway). This brings us to these brilliant ideas of mine, which almost always astound myself AND Ricky. Ideas like walking a half marathon, for instance. And, oh, the pressure. 13.1 miles in under 4 hours? With my hypermobile si joints and Ricky's healing lumbar discs? Are we mad? (I'll refrain from answering that one for the moment).

So, training, right? Right. Well, we both have sessions with our trainer today (yep, Ricky now sees Sam weekly as well). Tomorrow will be our day off (shockingly, the NLBG may attend the American Gladiators casting call because Sam is planning on trying out!). Sunday morning...we're looking at a 10-13 mile walk. We survived 10 last Sunday, but we need to pick up the pace a little to improve our time.

The next couple of weeks, then, will be devoted to our walking training and much less to our spinning. Once we get this out of our system, the NLBG will pedal more!