Run Jen Run: NYC Marathon Training

6 weeks down, 10 to go!

Last week started off with a rare Monday recovery run. I knew that the next couple of weeks are going to be tough at work with my entire front desk staff leaving for school and my new staff coming in were not through the onboarding process yet so I snuck in a run when I could. I had a few morning clients and was done by 1pm. Craig and I took a quick trip out to Home Depot, stopped at Osterville Fish on the way home then I was out the door for a little under 3 miles. My legs were tired. I was pretty pumped though because I had a zoom call later that night with Team Meb! Craig cooked up an awesome meal with tuna, rice, asparagus and a stuffed scallop while I chatted with my team. It was fun and very motivating listening to Meb’s stories about NYC and hearing questions from my teammates.

Did you know? Since the MEB Foundation was established, they have donated more than 70,000 pairs of shoes to children and communities around the world. How cool is that?

Tuesday was a long day at work… 5:45am-6:15pm. Yuck. I didn’t run but I did teach a class. Then I got Thai food take out on my way home.

Wednesday was a better day. I was home at a decent hour, ran 5 miles - felt amazing during it - then met my parents for a drink at Naukabout. I taught my two aerobics classes on Thursday morning, had to close up at work then was treated to a massage from Craig. I sure needed it.

It rained most of the day on Friday. I had a few instructors out so I taught a bonus HIIT class in the morning and kicked everyone’s butt - including my own! The weather cleared up so after closing up the Athletic Club I went out for 4 miles. I didn’t stop once - mostly because I didn’t get started until about 6:15pm and I wanted to get home to the pups. It initially felt a little cooler and the rain may have stopped but it was SO HUMID. I stupidly wore a sweatshirt. By the time I was done it was a totally different shade of blue. Soaked.

I taught classes Saturday morning, closed up at work and was ready for bed. Craig had other plans. We were on our way out to get ice cream but detoured out to Chatham to meet up with our NH friends Drew and Molly that happened to be on Cape for a few days. Even though I was tired, we had a blast. Such good people. By the time we got home at about 11pm I was totally exhausted and not looking forward to running 14 miles the next morning.

I was wide awake Sunday morning around my usual time even though we were up a lot later than normal. I packed up my running gear and made my way to Falmouth. It had been a few weeks since long running in Falmouth and I was looking forward to the route I had planned out. I was tired before I even started and sore from my Friday and Saturday classes. Oh and it was 70 degrees with 98 percent humidity, a dew point of 70 with 4 mph winds. It was going to be a fun one.

About 2.5 miles in, I was dripping from every pore in my body. I actually took selfies along the way to watch the progression of sweat marks on my shirt. Pace wise I was cruising along, taking my time, trying to enjoy the run. I passed a lot of other runners and walkers out on the roads. I got to one of my beach stops with about 3.5 miles to go and realized I was almost out of water. That never happens. I called my mom and luckily she was on her way home from pickleball. She met me a half mile later with a bag of ice and a water bottle refill. It was so hard not to jump in her car for a ride home but I toughed it out and finished my second 14 miler of training.

It’s funny every marathon I’ve trained for, I’ve craved something different. My last marathon was cheeseburgers. One marathon was very specific - I wanted a scallop and bacon pizza from a place on Main Street Falmouth. This time around, all I want is a frozen drink after my long run. Must be a summer training thing.

With that being said, after my run Craig and I went to the Poppy Raw Bar and of course I had to try their strawberry mudslide. I am on a mission to find the best mudslide on Cape Cod. Right now the Poppy Raw Bar is up there in my rankings behind The Port and the Beachcomber. We also slip oysters, littlenecks, a bowl of chowder, a stuffy and a crab cake. All delicious and a perfect post-run treat. We may have stopped at Naukabout on our way home too for a pina colada sloshie. Craig wanted to pick up his tips from the night before and one just happened to land in front of me. Oops!