september book update

I definitely had a range of reading this past month, even with only 3 books.

 

Dream New Dreams: Reimagining my Life After Loss by Jai Pausch

I had read The Last Lecture, a memoir by Randy Pausch, over a year ago . Randy decides to tell his story after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, something for his kids. It quickly became a bestseller, but was very sad. I do recommend reading it.

 

A few years later, his wife Jai, decided to write from her perspective of caring for her husband during his cancer treatment. It was nice to get her point of view of their life together. Her focus was to tell people about the difficulties of caring for a loved one in such extreme circumstances. And it was tough.

 

It was a quick read, and if you are looking for seeing Jai’s side of things it was good to read.

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Go out and read this book now. Yes, it’s that good. And crazy. On Amy and Nick’s 5-year anniversary, Amy goes missing. It seems as if something has gone wrong. You get both perspectives as you read Amy’s diary leading up to her disappearance and the hell that Nick endures as he’s faced with the possibility of being charged with his wife’s murder.

 

As the story unfolds, there are many twists and turns, as you delve into each character’s psyches. I’m telling everyone to read this. Oh and it looks like there will be a movie—which I’m planning on seeing once it comes out. 

 

IQ84 by Haruki Murakami

This took me most of September to get through. It wasn’t tough, just long (I guess it was published in 3 volumes). Years ago, I had read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by the same author. It was a memoir about how the author got into running. For obvious reasons, it was given to me to read. When I saw that 1Q84 was on the bestseller list last year, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but put it on my list.

 

The story alternates between Aomame and Tengo as they find themselves in this alternate world of Little People, cults, Air Crysalises, and other crazy things in Tokyo. Each of them journey this world, trying to figure it out.

 

I liked the book, although it wasn’t my favorite. I do want others to read it so I can discuss it with someone. I did think the book was too long. Also, I have too many questions that are now going unanswered.  

 

Next up is The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, which is also the next book club book.
 

30/30 books in 2012.

10 day forecast

This is the day I've been waiting for ages—the 10-day forecast. Lame, right? No. In less than 10 days, I'll be running the Chicago Marathon. It can pretty much go 2 ways. The weather can be crappy, I may not eat enough, or my body just won't cooperate and I'll do worse than my PR of 3:39. OR, the weather will cooperate, my training will pay off and everything will go well for a sub-3:35 (or at least a PR) time. 

 

Now I'm not saying the weather will drive any of these other factors. But I think I have enough control over them, that assuming the weather is good, everything will go well. Now the weather is another story. In this link, you'll find a mini history of each race since the race began. I don't want to bore you with all the details of the weather, but will give you a quick snapshot of the last bunch of years, starting in 2007 when I ran my first marathon.

  

2007: Temperatures soaring into the high 80s combined with high humidity forced organizers to halt the race for the first time in history

2008: With another year of hot temperatures predicted on race day almost 33,000 runners started the race and 31,344 recorded official finish times.

2009: In a welcome departure from the past two years, race day temperatures were in the low 30’s

2010: The participants in the 33rd annual Chicago Marathon were no exception Sunday, as runners experienced the third-hottest race in 20 years.

2011: Climbing temperatures slowed thousands of runners in Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon

 

So yeah, you can see why I'm a bit nervous about the weather. At least NYC in November is predictably on the cooler side. Early October in the Midwest—not so much.  

 

And now that it's 10 days away, I can stalk weather.com daily. Today, the forecast for October 7th is a high of 60 and a low of 47, mostly cloudy. Not terrible. And definitely not in the 80s. Here's hoping for an ideal race day—weather-wise.

 

trivia

Last night I checked off trivia night! I've been wanting to go for ages and just never got around to it. I love trivia. If I can get home from work in time to watch Jeopardy—it's a good day. Obviously I missed Jeopardy last night, but instead met up with a couple of friends and my sisters at Professor Thom's (yeah, yeah it's a Red Sox bar—boo) to participate in 5 rounds of trivia. Wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was actually quite organized. Each round was a bit different with question/answer, true/false, and multiple choice with a wide range of topics. In total, around 25 teams competed. We didn't place in the top 3, but there were a lot of teams behind us.  We could have done better, but the last round was tough and we guessed most of them. For the most part, we were able to pool our knowledge ranging from politics to sports. In this link, you'll see the questions and answers they gave us. How do you fair? No smartphones!

Oh and we got to come up with a team name to see if we can win something with our creativity. Well apparently we weren't that creative, but at least there was a theme amongst everyone playing. From now on, we'll be known as Honey Boo Boo Child & The Replacement Refs.

My only complaint was the length of time it took. Since it was a Tuesday, I wasn't looking to stay out too long since I started coming down with a cold and I'm not as young as I used to be. I just can't stay out that late. I'm now going to make my way around Manhattan doing trivia. Let me know if you have any good places!  

 

Honey Boo Boo Child & The Replacement Refs

Oh and if anyone is insterested in testing their trivia knowledge, go to sporcle.com. It's loads of fun.

delaware

Dewey Beach

I’m halfway through the United States of America! My plan is to get to all 50 before I turn 50. It would be cool if #50 was Hawaii, but I don’t think I can wait that long.

So Delaware was #25. I spent Labor Day Weekend in a new state. Like with RI, I've also driven through Delaware a few times, but never lingered. A group of us drove down to Dewey Beach and pretty much spent our time at the beach, playing games, and consuming food and drink. A pretty good weekend if you ask me. I of course had to get my long run in, so did that first thing Friday morning. I didn't want to get lost, so I made my way down the Coastal HIghway for 10.5 miles and turned around. Let's say I was tired and ready for a beverage and a dip in the ocean when I finished.

Delaware is the First State and home of tax-free shopping. I didn't do much shopping, even with the outlets so close, but did have a few 'firsts'. First Grotto Pizza, first Capital Ice, and first Dogfish Head beer.

 

Besides the beach, Delaware has a ton of microbreweries and wineries. So of course, we went to Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats fo dinner one night. Instead of choosing 1 beer to go with my dinner, I decided to go with a 5 4-ounce selection of beers. They were all pretty good, with Midas Touch and Raison D'Etre as my favs.

Doghead Fish Sampler

 

My first trip to Delaware was a success. I officially checked off 4 states so far this year. I don't have any other trips planned, so that may be it for 2012. Twenty-five more to go!

august book update

In August, I only got through two books (one of which I started in July). I guess that's what happens when you decide to read Three Musketeers, which is approximately 715 pages.

Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The book was pretty good. I liked The Count of Monte Cristo better, but this has a series of books that follow the Three Musketeers through decades. The book was quite long, so it did take me a while to get through it.

I saw the movie when I was younger, but don't remember much except there were 3 men always getting in sword fights. Obviously the book goes into much more detail and chronicles how the 'fourth' musketeer, D'Artagnan, joins the ranks of the famous trio. In a few months, I'll read Twenty Years Later to continue D'Artagnan's story.

Until We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
This is another book club book, about working in an office. I figured it would be interesting since it takes places in a Chicago ad agency and it was. I definitely understood a lot of the happenings in the office since that's what I do every day. The book goes into various characters during a series of layoffs, which hopefully won't ever happen to me.

I'm glad I read the book and there were some funny parts (but only in the I-understand-this-from-working-in-an-agency POV), some sad parts, and some shocking parts. It really got me thinking about my old company and the people I used to work with. I spent about 4 years there, the longest at any job. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the book. There are some parts that will be interesting to discuss, and others that made me question what I'm doing day in and day out. I guess this is meant to be thought-provoking.

As I'm writing this, I'm anxious to get back to Gone Girl, which has been a suspenseful hit so far.

27/30 books in 2012.

dear nyrr

Dear NYRR,
 

Yesterday I received an email with the latest news from you in regards to the NYC Marathon. No bag check. Really? I decided to run the Chicago Marathon this year, but I live in NYC and my 2 sisters are running, along with many our friends and their families. Most live here, but some are traveling down to NYC to run the largest marathon in the world. How do you think the bag check will affect them? Well I will tell you.

 

I ran the NYCM in 2009 and 2010. Below you’ll see my list of items that I brought with me. I try not to bring a lot since I don’t want to carry it, but there are items you just need after running 26.2 miles.

 

In no particular order:

• Keys: To get back into my apartment later
• Metrocard: To get to Staten Island and back home later
• License: A form of ID just in case I need it, oh and to get into the bar later that day to celebrate
• Insurance card: Because my doctor friends tell me I should have it in case something happens
• Phone: To get into contact with family and friends post-race. Also to tell the Facebook and Twitter world how my race went.
• Camera: To document the momentous day that took months of training to accomplish
• Change of clothes: Because I sweat (a lot) and its cold in November
• Face wipes: To try to get some of the sweat off of my face post-race
• Food and drink: Yes, this will most likely get consumed pre-race, but I may want a snack later on or a drink (water bottle, Gatorade)
• Cash: In case of emergency  
• Credit card: To celebrate, and buy lunch and  beer post-race
• Misc items: Chap-stick, extra hair tie, ect

This isn’t even including any medication that some people require, like an inhaler.  I’m now fortunate to live close to the NYCM finish line. But I used to live in Queens. Which is far from the Tavern on the Green finish line. I didn’t have the luxury of popping over to my apt to shower and get personal items post-race. Honestly, if I had, I probably would have passed out and not moved until Monday morning. But after months of training, all you want to do is celebrate with your family and friends who supported you all those months and cheered you on during the race.

I know that not too long ago, ok 15 years ago, people didn’t have cell phones. They survived. I get it. But the NYCM wasn’t the size it is today. You tout you are the largest marathon in the world; well you need to accommodate your 45,000+ runners. In 2009, I ran the NYCM hoping to Boston Qualify (I had a great race the previous year and thought it could be possible). Well that didn’t happen. Not sure what I did wrong, but I was slightly faintish after I finished. I called my sisters and dad to locate them on CPW. I was slightly out of it and couldn’t comprehend where they were. I finally found them, and I had a phone to communicate with. What if there’s nothing to communicate with? Should we use smoke signals? Oh wait, where would we put our matches? Oh and I’m pretty sure the NYPD wouldn’t be pleased with their no fire policy in Central Park.

I’m about to run my 6th marathon. I’ve run marathons in Alaska, DC, NYC, and Amsterdam, and am about to head to Chicago. I understand what it takes to travel locally and long-distance for a race. Although, going to Staten Island seems like traveling long-distance. If you are lucky, you have friends that could meet you at the end. But, what are you going to give your friend all your stuff the night before? So yeah, let’s run around NYC to coordinate the night before a big race. And if you are visiting? You may not have anyone to help you out. So you are stuck. Unless you find a random Good Samaritan. But I doubt it. 

I was contemplating on running the NYCM again next year. It’s a great race and it’s not like any other. However, I will now stop contemplating. I had planned on getting my 9+1 just in case. So far this year, I’ve run 4 races with NYRR. Five toward the 9+1 if you count the cancelled Manhattan ½. What has stopped me from signing up for other races? Well increased fees number one. Apparently members don’t get as much as a discount like they used to. I’ve been running with NYRR since 2007 and it’s sad that prices have gone up this much. Also, there are now shorter deadlines for the race fee increase. For example, if I wanted to run the Fitness Games 4-miler on September  15^th, in order to benefit from the lower race fee, I would have had to sign up prior to May 28^th. That’s over 3 months in advance. Really, 3 months for a 4-miler? I didn’t know what I would be doing in September back in May. I know plenty of people who have had unexpected travel plans come up or they get injured. My friend signed up for a ton of races this year and hasn’t been able to participate in most due to injury. So not only did she waste her money, but now that’s one less spot for another runner. But there’s such a demand, that runners sign up so far in advance and now races now sell out much quicker than they should.

So the price difference doesn’t seem like much when delaying your registration—only $5. But that adds up over time. In 2008, I ran 18 races. If I had signed up late, that would have resulted in an extra $90. I’d rather spend that on a new running jacket. The price of the marathon is now over $200. Outrageous. For a non-elite runner, who doesn’t qualify with time, this is what I would pay to run the NYCM in 2013.

• $40 for NYRR membership
• $216 for the marathon fee
• 9+1 races on average of $30/race 

This totals $526. To run one race? No more. Last year, I paid 59 euros to run Amsterdam, which was equivalent to $85. I’m running Chicago and paid $150. Yeah, still pricey, but didn’t have to pay for all these other races like I hav,e and would have to for NYC.

So NYRR, you are just getting too big for your britches. I’ve been supporting you since I actively started participating in races back in 2007. Not anymore. I really wanted to run the 5^th Avenue mile in September, but $30 to run a mile? And now it’s $40 to run one of the 5 borough ½ marathons. All races used to be $17, and now they range from $20-$40. It’s just too much. You don’t even get a good technical t-shirt for most of these races.  I spend enough on running, I can’t validate spending more.

 

I do really love the NYC Marathon, but I can’t support it any longer. I know that people will continue to pay these outrageous fees and accept these ridiculous race day demands, so this may never improve. I will go out there and support those running, but I no longer support you. Maybe in 10 years or so when you change your policy, I’ll reconsider.

For now, it’s time to support other local running organizations.

Sincerely,
Shawnessy

rhode island

Del's Lemondade

This past weekend I checked off another state off my list—Rhode Island (#24). Months ago I decided to run the Providence Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon. I figured it was a new race and a new state—all in one.

I have been to RI. Just only to the bus station and driving through. So I don't count it. I have to do something there and I figured running 13.1 miles in the state would totally count. Although since the state is so small, I was wondering whether I'd actually run into another state, but luckily Providence is far enough away from the borders of CT and MA.

I didn't sleep in RI, since I stayed with my friend in Boston (only 45 minutes away). On Saturday I had to get my race stuff, so this was my opportunity to get a sneak peak. We resisted shopping in Providence Place but it looked like it deserved a return visit. We had to have Del's Lemonade, which RI is known for. And it was delish. Pretty much a lemonade slushie. Perfect on a rainy, summer day. Or not. But this girl eats ice cream in December, so it worked out totally fine.

It was time to head back to Bean-town to stay out of the rain, get some pre-race food (which included peanut butter cup ice cream at Quincy Creamery), and get some rest.


As most of you know, I'm training for Chicago and am following a semi-intense plan. Per usual, I like to run a 1/2 to assess how my training was going. My 1/2 PR is from RnR Philly 2010, which was too long  agoto use as a guide for this year's marathon. So I was hoping to PR or at least pretty close to it in this race.



Providence

Very early Sunday morning, we flew down the deserted highway and crossed the state border. At 7am, in 60-degree weather and the sun shining down, I crossed the starting line to get my 13.1 mile tour of the city (which included too many hills for my liking). Providence was actually pretty nice. I guess there are some not-so-nice parts, but they decided to keep us runners away from those areas.


We ran through the city, up to some residential areas with folks cheering from their porches, down to the river and back through downtown. It was relatively quiet on the course but did get to see my friend Sue cheering for me a couple of times towards the end (when I needed her).

Running along.


Overall I felt good. I finished with a 1:43:20 time (5 seconds slower than my PR). The hills were slightly rough, the 1:45 pacing group passed me at the beginning (even though I was at a 7:45 pace), and I felt slight remnants of last week's 19 miler, but it was good. Now I'm wondering if I could have pushed myself a bit more if I had remembered my PR time. Or if there wasn't a hill at the end. Either way, I felt good when I finished and was extremely happy with how I did. I'm sure to PR on a flatter course at some point. I feel more confident about Chicago and will definitely continue with my current training plan to ensure optimal results.

To celebrate, I had a beer and listened to Karmin at the post-race concert. Oh and had a lobstah roll back in Bawston. Yummy.

I've now visited my 3 new states for 2012. I do have one more lined up though for good measure. Which will take me to the halfway point.



Post-race concert: Karmin