Crime and Punishment

Fourth classic off the list! Yes, I will continue exclaiming each one as I finish it. I have 6 to go. Man, I gotta find some shorter classics. In the time since I read the last classic, I had actually decided to re-read the Harry Potter series in preparation for the last movie. It took me about the same length of time to read all 7 HP books and this particular classic. Once I completed the HP series (and yes, I went through withdrawal again), I started Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Now I’ve never read this before (obviously that’s why it’s on the list) and had no idea what it was about. I downloaded it onto my Kindle and decided to give it a go. 15% into it (yes, the Kindle is very accurate), I was in for a shock. Note: spoiler alert. The main character goes and murders a woman (with her sister as collateral damage) with an axe. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that at all.

The remainder of the book takes you through the character’s Napoleonic beliefs and his torment over the murders. There are a few more surprises later on and an ending that was somewhat expected. All I know is those Russian authors like to have extra long names for their characters. And they go by their full names. This is why these books are so damn long.

Overall it was good. I probably glossed over portions of the book again like with the other classics, I had to make sure I had the characters straight. They have 3 names apiece and they go by a different in each part of the book. Not confusing at all.

Time to choose my next book…

Boston Qualify

I have run 4 marathons so far. My first in Alaska 4 years ago where I vowed I'd never do another, the following year was Marine Corps where I accepted my medal from a cute Marine, and for the last 2 years I ran through the 5 boroughs of my home city–NYC. For the last couple of them, I had decided that to qualify for Boston could be achievable, but it has eluded me. I do blame the awesome spectators in Brooklyn that got me to run slightly faster than I should have because I was so excited, and that damn beloved Queensboro Bridge. So for my 30th, I'm going to attempt yet again. But make it slightly (hopefully) easier to accomplish than crossing over 5 bridges.

Which marathon do I run?? Decisions, decisions, decisions. I, of course, looked for a flat marathon. Especially now that the BAA has taken the liberty to make this a bit more difficult for me. Instead of trying to break 3:40:59, I now have to break 3:35:00. Thanks Boston.

I considered Chicago, Berlin, Amsterdam, Philly and a number of other flatter, slightly easier courses to attempt, including the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, not far from where I grew up. Since I will be living in London for a good portion of my training, I figured an international race is the way to go. I've already been to Berlin a couple of times, so I decided on Amsterdam! It’s cheaper (only 55 euros!), I’ve never visited the city, and I’m sure I could find some ways to celebrate when I finish.

I signed up about 1 ½ months ago and it’s official. I will be running the Amsterdam Marathon on October 16^th to attempt to cross off #3!

Now let’s take a look at the time that I need to qualify quickly. I like numbers, so I’m going to ramble on about paces, times, ect. Due to the new qualifying standards for Boston, as a 29-year old, I need a get 3:35:00 to qualify for Boston. This means that I have to run an average of an 8:12 minute mile for 26.2 miles! They have also gotten rid of the 59 second leeway they have given in the past. So essentially I need to break 3:35:00. I don’t trust myself to get exactly 3:35.00, so I need to aim for a slightly faster time. So maybe 8:11 per mile?

I went onto the Runner’s World training calculator to see what my chances are based on previous race times. First, I plugged in my fastest (and only recently timed) mile from last September, which was 6:20. I’m sure this won’t be my fastest ever mile time, but it would work for this exercise. And we are in luck! My predicted marathon time would be 3:21:51. Totally BQ'ing.

EXCEPT, is this really a realistic approach? When I put this mile time in, it says my best ½ marathon time should be 1:36:49. Which I have gotten nowhere near. And I have run a lot more ½ marathons than any other race. My best ½ marathon time is 1:43:20. So I put this time into the calculator and it predicts a 3:35:27 marathon. 27 seconds too slow! Argh.

I feel somewhat (only a bit) confident I can at least realistically attempt to qualify, but it will be hard work. I have to get my butt in gear and train properly over the next few months. I will appreciate any words of encouragement that comes my way. I will need it. That and a personal trainer.