Beyond actually agreeing to run the marathon, this experience has made me do things I thought I would never do. For example, commuting home by foot. My apartment in BK is about 8 miles from my office in Manhattan, and last week I actually ran home from work. In some ways, this was more pleasant than my normal 3-subway commute, and only added about 30 minutes.

When I finally got home, I relaxed with a bath. I lied. It was not relaxing because it was an ICE BATH, which is supposed to help alleviate runner pains. As I sat in my small, NYC softscrub-with-bleach-coated-bathtub (the only thing worse than an ice bath is an unclean ice bath), I realized why so many people prefer other, more enjoyable post-work activities to running home and then bathing in ice. I will be sure to fit in more happy hours after the marathon!

Training for the marathon has also brought out my survival skills, and I’ve become very resourceful. For example, I’ve learned to elevate and ice my knee at work. I have a drawer full of plastic bags at work (As my work friends know, I’m a plastic bag hoarder; this issue will have to be explored at another time, perhaps on another blog. However, if you do have any suggestions for environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of plastic bags after you use them, please let me know.). I fill up said plastic bags with ice cubes and tie it to my leg (with another plastic bag). I then rest my leg on an upside down recycle bin under my desk.

On a lighter note, I did want to share 2 videos I took on my iPod from a scenic 11-mile run I did one recent evening. These videos were taken on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, around sunset and once it got dark, when the Brooklyn Bridge is lit up. The quality is pretty bad but hopefully you can see the cool Manhattan views  (read: I wanted my post to be cooler than Sam’s and Todd’s).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Gxfd5rDX4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXDkpPCsQfM

Also, I’m proud to say I completed my pre-bday 17 mile run last weekend! This week’s runs have been painful (I may have shed a few tears during an 8-mile run this week), but hopefully I’ll be up for my 18 mile run with Sam on Sunday. No one enjoys the art of eating post-run like my sister, so we’ll be sure to consume our body weights in food during her NYC visit this weekend.

PS – Todd’s and Sam’s recent posts actually are cool – scroll down.

-Amy (now 24), Brooklyn, NY