NYC Marathon (Race Recap)

New York City, New York

Sunday, November 2

Marathon #27

Weather - Sunny and WINDY

I first started entering the lottery for the New York City Marathon in 2010. I didn't get in through luck, I got in through the (now extinct) three strikes and you're in rule. I had been looking forward to running this marathon for FOUR years.

Daylight savings was the night before the race. I was really concerned about oversleeping and missing the race so I set multiple alarms so that didn't happen. As a result of the automatic time change I ended up getting up an hour earlier than I needed to. I tried to snooze, but I was too jittery and excited. I got dressed, said a quick goodbye to Ariel and headed out at 6:40. I stopped to get a quick cup of coffee before heading to catch the subway to the ferry. I also had my handy dandy pre-race beer ready to go:

Maybe because it was Sunday, or maybe because it was early, I had about a 15 minute wait for the subway. I was a bit concerned that I had gotten on the wrong line as I did not see that many runners. Not being sure what security was going to be like, I drank my beer on the train. However, the more stops we hit, the more people got on. I followed the herd to the Staten Island Ferry. We departed pretty much as soon as I got there (just before 8:00 am).

The ferry didn't take that long - maybe 15 or 20 minutes. I used the bathroom before I got of the ferry. It was super crowded on the exit and I wasn't quite sure where to go, but I was thinking - it's only just after 8:30, I have plenty of time...

I decided to get in the super long line for the bathrooms when a race official came up to tell us that the last shuttle bus to the start was leaving in 15 minutes. Shuttle? Man, I should have looked at some of my race information. I didn't know there was a bus?!

I risked the bathroom line and then got into a mass crowd to get on the bus. BILLIONS OF PEOPLE. Not even sure how long I was in line or how long I was on the bus, but by the time we got to the start area it was already after 9:30. My corral was supposed to be open only from 9:40 to 10:10...

There were a lot of NYC police at the bus drop off. We were all scanned with metal detectors and our bags looked through (if you had one, it appeared I was one of the only people that didn't). I found a set of bathrooms, and then I had to try to find my start. Due to the high winds, a lot of the signage was not put out, but luckily there were a lot of people telling you where to go (with three different starting areas, this was helpful).

I finally found my corral at 10:08. I tore off my throwaway thinking I would squeeze in. A few minutes went by and I thought I missed my start. For the first time all day, my bib was finally checked and I squeezed in. Another quick trip to the bathroom and we were immediately hustled onto the bridge. I had looked (briefly) at the profile and thought that the start was really the only hill. (LOLOLOLOLOLOL)

I had a bit of nervous energy as we surged forward. 7 months ago I had this elaborate plan to train and go for a PR. As you all know, that didn't happen. Not even a little bit. The first mile was rough. The winds were INSANE, and it was all uphill. My calves were TIGHT from not running all week. I gutted it out and the other side of the Verrazano Narrows ridge (the downhill) was pretty Great. I was already heating up so I took off and tossed my long sleeve thin shirt I still had on. (As a note: WTF runners, why were you tossing stuff where you stood? Move to the side? I tripped over shirts, trash bags and hats ALL DAY LONG).

The course finally all merged together around mile 3, where the first of the aid stations was located (and there would be an aid station roughly every mile until the finish). I still had hand warmers in my gloves but got hot and tossed them around mile 4.

Most of the race is really a blur already, but I vaguely remember that I really enjoyed the first few hours of the race. Running through Brooklyn was pretty great, and it was UNREAL to see the number of people lining the streets to cheer for the runners.

I was cruising along at a pretty decent pace. Not feeling GREAT, but not feeling terrible either. I had a plan to take a gel every 4 or so miles and only sip on water so I didn't get any cramps. The wind was awful and there were times I just tried to keep my head down. Somewhere maybe 10 miles in is when the chafing under my right arm started. That was painful and got gradually worse as I kept running.

Not sure where this was on the course - but really my only good race pictures

And then we hit the Queensboro Bridge. For all the other bridge crossings the runners were on the top and the cars on the lower level. Not this one. It was dark, windy and LOUD. I started to get a headache that would last the rest of the race. I don't know what it was with this bridge, but all of a sudden I was DONE. It was a reminder of the horrible tunnel we ran in during RnR Seattle marathon. My legs were tired, I was tired, I just wanted to be done with this race. I started to walk A LOT. Everything felt uphill.

We headed across the Willis Avenue bridge into the Bronx.  There was finally "food" on the course (due to the late start I was starting to get really hangry). I grabbed a bit of banana in hopes it would give me some energy. With no trash cans all the banana peels were just tossed in the street - VERY slippery.

I knew we would run parallel to the park before heading in, but since I hadn't actually looked at the map I didn't know how long it would be. It was starting to get colder. Between the sun setting early and the shade from the buildings, I was getting pretty miserable. I was really having a hard time. I was really trying to have a good time. I was really trying to enjoy myself. To be honest, I wasn't. I was suddenly super sensitive to the smells. The last 6 miles of the race I kept thinking "Did someone just vomit? Is that trash? What is that wretched smell??"

FINALLY, we entered the park. FINALLY. I knew we had about 3 miles to go and I was going to give it what I could. I assumed it would feel more downhill since practically the whole course had felt like a gradual uphill.

My body might have been exhausted, but for the first time all day I was really enjoying the scenery. The changing leaves in Central Park looked amazing. The sides of the road were lined with people. I was finally starting to feel the excitement of the finish line!

I was having weird aches, tightness and pain on the inner part of my thighs, just above my knees. Pretty much every step was incredibly painful, but I just wanted to be done and sitting down. My watch clicked over to mile 26 and I thought I could surely run it in for the finish. I gave it everything I had and for the first time in my life I barely could run across the finish line because my entire lower body just locked up. Thankfully, there are no pictures of me grimacing in pain as I crossed the line.

Official Time - 4:57:26
Official 5K - 31:23
Official 10K - ?? - must have missed timing mat
Official 15K - 1:35:56
Official 20K - 2:09:00
Official Half - 2:16:42
Official 25K - 2:44:44
Official 30K - 3:21:01
Official 35K - 4:00:55
Official 40K - 4:40:48
Overall Place - 35759
Gender Place - 12460
Division Place - 2175
Garmin Time - 4:57:31
Garmin Distance - 26.52 miles
Garmin Pace - 11:13
Miles 1-5: 10:49, 9:45, 9:50, 10:04, 10:23
Miles 6-10: 9:49, 10:07, 10:29, 10:57, 10:18
Miles 11-15: 10:39, 10:24, 10:58, 10:53, 12:50
Miles 16-20: 11:20, 10:57, 11:01, 11:57, 12:49
Miles 21-26.2: 12:28, 12:42, 12:16, 13:37, 12:04, 12:14, 11:10

Can you see where I completely fell apart?

Collected my medal, got my "food" bag and then spent the longest, windiest walk of my life out of the park. The finisher area was at 63rd and they had us walk all the way up to 85th (?) street to exit? We were not given our finisher poncho until we were closer to 72nd street, and I didn't meet up with Jessa and the kids until I got all the way back to 63rd or so. I for real had to walk about 2 miles just to get out of the race.

We then headed to the subway so we could get food before heading back to the hotel. I had a hard time getting down the stairs, and it was the MOST CROWDED EVER:

We spent some time trying to decide what to eat and finally settled on a cute Southern/BBQ restaurant "Southern Hospitality" - where I enjoyed some delicious BBQ nachos and mac & cheese. Oh, and beer. Sweet, delicious beer.

Thoughts:

• The expo is huge and crowded and the lines for official merchandise were INSANE. They could easily have expanded out into more rooms, but there were other events happening the same day.
• I cringe even typing this. I would not run this race again. I personally do not think it lived up to all the hype. I looked forward to this race for four years and I was disappointed. I would run the NYC Half again in a heartbeat. This, all of this, was not the best for me. I loved my visit to NYC. LOVED IT. This race, this course, not so much.
• Logistics: A bit complicated, and I am glad that I didn't go into the subway system blind on this. I felt comfortable enough with the neighborhood we were staying in (Hell's Kitchen) to get to the right line and get to where I needed to go. I just didn't realize HOW LONG everything was going to take. I thought for SURE four hours would be plenty of time. I barely made it to my start!
• Aid stations: PLENTY. I think they had Power Bar gels (which I hate), so I am glad I brought my own gels. Plenty of water, plenty of volunteers. I think every other station had Gatorade, but only that icky lemon-lime flavor. There were NO trash cans for the athletes so the road was drenched and there was tons of cups/trash in the street. I don't know if it just doesn't make sense to have trash cans for a race of this size, but that bothered me a bit.
• Weather: Yes, it was just as ridiculous as everyone makes it sound. I didn't find it cold (while running), but 30 mph gusts are no joke. It is hard to run against the wind, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's draining and tiring.
• There is an unbelievable amount of crowd support. The loud music and cheering actually gave me a headache (sounds so lame, I know). There were signs everywhere, a TON of energy, if that is something that you look forward to in a race.
• The shirt is ok - I will wear it as a thin long sleeves.
• The medal is AMAZING. Very cool.
• Post-race food. WHAT. We were given a HEAVY bag with a Gatorade, bottle of water, protein shake, power bar, bruised apple and a tiny bag of pretzels. WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT. I was so mad when I finally was able to sit and open my bag hoping for a delicious snack to eat before I got dinner and that was all that was in there. 
• The poncho (once I finally got it) was GREAT. No arms, more like a fleece-lined velcro cape with a hood. It was a bit awkward to hold anything or try to use my phone, but it probably prevented me from getting hypothermia.

With all that said:

• No, I did not have the race I wanted. No, I did not feel as great as I wanted. 
• Yes, I am disappointed in the event, and in my performance. Some of that is probably legit race-related, and some of it is because I just had a bad day.
• YES, I am super glad I ran this race. Even if I did not have the best time, I really enjoyed the overall visit to NYC and I am so happy that I took extra days to enjoy the city, which is remarkable.
• The volunteers are amazing. Every last one of them was appreciated!

I know my opinion is probably not that popular, but it is what it is!

Week in Review (April 29 - May 5)

Tuesday - Dun dun dun... first time attempting "speed work" in a hundred years. I pulled up paces based on a recent half marathon time of 2:18 and it gave me times of 9:10 for a 1200 and 9:05 for 800's. Now, at some point in my running life, I was able to run such paces. And I was able to do so for an entire half marathon. I won't lie, these paces terrify me now. I did my mile warm up, and felt pretty good. That is, until I actually started the speed work. On schedule - 2 x 1200 @ 9:10, 4 x 800 @ 9:05. What I managed to pull out was NOTHING close to that: 1 mile @ 10:59, .60 @ 9:20, .25 @ 9:52, .25 @ 9:32, .25@ 9:16, .35 @ 9:03, .30 @ 9:00, .35 @ 9:37, .25 @ 7:52, .50 @ 9:12, 1 mile @ 11:45 (with first 90 seconds walking). So basically, I was able to do one 800 sort of close to pace, that's it. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it, I haven't done speed work in a LONG time, and the whole point of this program is to improve my running so I can have a great race in NYC.
Wednesday - Walked a bit on the treadmill during lunch and tried the new abs video. I am amazed how taking just a little time off from doing core work makes it SO HARD again. After work, went to BodyPump. I'm killing the cross training part of my training!
Thursday - DUN DUN DUN (again). First TEMPO run in ages. I was actually dreading this more than the repeats, and was sort of surprised that while it was HARD, it was not AS BAD as I thought/expected. Goal - 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 10:05, 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 10:05, 1 mile easy. Actual - 1 mile @ 10:53, 10:07, 9:57, 1 mile @ 11:17, 10:06, 9:53, 1 mile @ 10:55. So... pretty decent!
Friday - Nada. Ate pizza. Drank some beer.
Saturday - Runs With Scissors half marathon. This was dismal. I was tired from the beginning. Maybe I need two rest days after a tempo run for a decent race? I forgot to look what the goal pace was, but I think it was around 10:55? I was closer to 11:35. Wah. A and I spent the remainder of the day at another BBQ.

Sunday - Lower body sculpting video.
Monday - Upper body superset with cardio. This one is ok, although when I selected it, I stopped reading at superset and didn't realize there were minute long cardio intervals. At least there were no jump squats? Then I did the abs video again. A joined me for a bit, which was mildly hilarious.

Weekly Miles Run - 25.21 (12.1 treadmill, 13.11 racing)
Weekly Cross Training - A bit of walking on the treadmill, nothing exciting
Minutes of Strength - 161

Weekly Gain - 0.8 pounds

• And with that weigh-in I am officially at the highest weight I have been in a year.
• Clearly, I am not putting in the effort, it just seems crazy how easy it comes back, and how hard it seems to lose it?
• The other day I finally started tracking again, which is the Worst, but it worked for me the first time around, so I guess I have to do it if I truly care.

Everything Else 

• My friend that is going to NYC with me so I can bring A and I have decided to add a day to our trip. We are going all the way out there, we might as well see everything we can. We will be going out the Wednesday before and coming back the Monday after the marathon. Hotels are booked, I'm just eyeballing airfare for now.
• Related: I AM THE MOST EXCITED EVER FOR NYC.
• Related: A week into the training program and I think it will be a good fit. I think I have a good schedule going, and I'm excited to see where it will take me. 
• Related: Hearing about my friend Elizabeth PR'ing the shit out of a half marathon this weekend makes me sort of want to work towards getting some of my "speed" back. But then I remember how hard running fast is, so nevermind. 
• Work is still really busy and I'm still doing 95% of the support work. WTF. At this point, I don't even bother complaining because I'm at least busy. But really, WHAT DOES SHE DO ALL DAY???
• Nothing else. Nothing nothing nothing.

Week in Review (April 22 to April 28)

Tuesday - NOTHING. Me and A watched Full House reruns and ate some Easter candy. It was Great.
Wednesday - Lunch run on the treadmill in my building. 1.25 miles flat and 2.75 miles of hills. This was pretty terrible. Pace felt ok-ish, but my feet kept going numb. I haven't had that problem in a while, but it HURTS. Headed to the gym after work, 10 minutes on the bike before class. Then an hour in BodyPump. I really really really do not like this BodyPump release. The back track is just dumb.
Thursday - Total Body Toning and HIIT workout during lunch. I really like this one, with the exception of the jump squats at the end. Went to the gym after dinner and struggled through 3.75 miles at what should have been an "easy" pace. I spent half the time texting Heather how miserable I was and how my NYC training was going to be an epic fail. Horrible.
Friday - NOTHING.
Saturday - A's school hosted their annual 5k Firebird Family Fun Run!! This year, we all made it out. My dad walked, L ran with H for her first 5k, and I ran with A. The first part of the course was up a decent hill, but it was pretty much all downhill after the first mile. A paced mostly ok, and ran with a small handheld the whole time, which she ended up finished after about 2 miles. This was the best she run (attitude and pace-wise) in all the races we have done together. The course measured a tad short (but mapping on a city map should have been accurate for a 5k) - so I'm counting this as her new PR!

After the race, we rode our bikes back to the school for the bike rodeo, where we got both our bikes checked for safety issues, learned hand signals, etc. A pretty good tine, with the exception of all the kids :D Did some shopping in the afternoon, which led to this cool Lego set that A and I put together after dinner.

Sunday - Got up early to go to Heather's house (obviously not my BFF Heather, my run club friend Heather) for her annual post-race party for the Cherry Creak Sneak (a pretty big race that runs near her house). We didn't run, but we were happy to head over for some socialization, food and beer. The weather was pretty crappy (rainy and windy), so I was happy to skip the actual running part.

After lunch we took the kids to the rec center for swimming. After dinner, I started day 1 of my official NYC training program! Cross-train day, so I did Lower Body Toning - 56 minute butt and thigh tabata workout. I really like this one. 8 sets of flutterkicks is so hard!
Monday - Another cross-training day. During lunch I hit the elliptical for 20 minutes and did 8 minute abs. After dinner, I did an upper body tabata workout for an hour.

Weekly Miles Run - 10.85 (7.75 treadmill, 3.1 race) - lowest mileage week, um, pretty much ever. I have been struggling pretty much since I quit the streak with finding a good run workout and pace. I've been tired and just not into it. So, since this was the first week before I start "training," I decided not to push it and didn't run, because I didn't feel like it.
Weekly Cross Training - 10 minutes bike (plus maybe a few miles with A on Saturday that I didn't track/log), 20 minutes elliptical
Minutes of Strength - 218

Weekly Loss - 0.2 pounds

• I'm trying to watch, but trying not to obsess... how did this go so smoothly last year?
• Beer consumption was a bit up this weekend.
• Yogurtland consumption was down, I only went one time last week.
• Only one donut this week! (But I did have some delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bread)
• Thanks to a crazy sale at Target, it looks like I will be going back to the Lean Cuisine's at work for a while. 98 cents for a lunch is pretty unbeatable, although they aren't especially satisfying.

Everything Else 

• Brace yourself!! Last week, I sat down and created my TRAINING PROGRAM for NYC marathon! As I have said in passing, I would love to have a great race, and I'm going to be shooting for a ridiculously fast time for ME, and HOPEFULLY a marathon PR. My training is going to be based off the RLRF program that I have used in the fast - which means 1 day of speed work, 1 tempo run, and 1 long run, with 2-3 days of cross-training. I've nailed the first 2 days (no, I haven't done a run yet... the paces are pretty intimidating). Basically, I am doing the full 16 weeks of marathon training, and then to ease in the higher mileage, I'm doing 11ish weeks of a half marathon program - which really, is pretty much the same as the marathon program, with shorter long runs. Anyway, should be "fun."
• Work is still really busy, and I am still butting heads with the other legal assistant. I use the term "assistant" loosely, because I for REAL cannot figure out what she actually does all day. Every week she seems to be doing less and less, and I end up doing more as a result, which is obviously annoying.
• I have been trying to make an honest effort to get out of the house and socialize with people other than L at least once a week. So far, so good. I have another BBQ planned with my work friends this weekend, as we are supposed to have highs near 80!
• Annoyance of the week - tried to do the new iOS update for my phone, and for some reason, it made me restore my phone, which took OVER THREE HOURS. Grrrr.
• Nothing else, obviously.

December Dollars

As promised, I continued to track all my finances through the month of December, since it was going to be a more "typical" month of spending.

Household Bills (Mortgage, Electricity & Water) - $856.70 (My half)

Car (Loan, Insurance) - $434.50

Netflix - $8.27

Credit Card Payments - $160.00

Savings, Investments - $85.00

Insurance (Life, A's Health) - $129.40

Dad (Money I owe him and cell phone) - $150.00

Gym Membership & Childcare - $41.90 (My half)

Race Registration - $240.00 (Only one, NYC marathon!)

Groceries - $173.00

Beer (Store & Bar) - $108.31(about $50 higher than normal between excessive delay at the airport and beer I bought for Christmas dinner)

Dining Out - $105.44

Parking - $112.00

Gas - $80.36

Gifts - $16.96

Other (Roller Skating, non-food items) - $51.74

I didn't get as much money from my ex this month (he recently quit his job), so I wasn't able to chip away at the credit cards as much as I would like. This is definitely a better example of where my money actually goes. Other than registering for the NYC marathon and the beer this month, there really isn't anywhere I can/will cut. We didn't do any extra-curricular spending this month and I had no one but a work friend to buy Christmas presents for, which saved a lot of money.

It really is eye-opening to see where money goes. Thinking I might risk going from cash to debit, although I'm not super reliable about writing everything down. Due to reduced income and high outflow, I don't keep a ton of money in my checking account and I don't have overdraft. Tips on keeping track of money? I still use a paper register...

Not sure if I will continue tracking going into 2014, as it seems I've got things as under control as it can be...

For 2014

If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know that I don't do resolutions for New Years. However, there are some things I would like to happen next year, and since 2013 has been a shitty year, I will work on making these happen.

Running Related

• I'd like to get a half marathon done around 2:05-2:10 again. I still don't do much speed work, but maintaining my base usually keeps me a bit faster.
• A marathon under 5 hours again. Less than 2 years ago a 4:47 seemed SLOW... I am running back to back marathons at the New Years Double again, maybe it will happen right at the start of the year?
• Related: LONG term goal - a new marathon PR at NYC marathon in November.
• Maintain my base. At least one run a week needs to be 7 miles or longer. I let this drop off my radar last year and I know that was part of the reason I got injured last summer.

Everything Else

• New & better paying job. I know money isn't everything, but let's be real. It sorta is, especially when you are the sole money maker.
• Pay off all consumer debt (including car) by the end of the year. If the ex continues to pay child support and I get a better job, should be fairly easy to do.
• I'd like to make more friends. Not necessarily people I need to spend a lot of time with, but I have very few people I communicate with any regularity and it's made me very disconnected and angry.
• Related: I'd really like to start dating again. It's disconcerting to feel unwanted (in general) and whether it *should* make me feel better, I think I will be happier. I've always wanted to have a "family" and I don't feel like I have that now, nor have I ever. Even though we didn't divorce until A was 2, our marriage was over long before that. I'm tired of feeling jealous and hateful towards those that have found their partner. Surely, there has to be SOMEONE out there that wants to put up with me and my shenanigans?
• PURGE PURGE PURGE PURGE. I have done a lot of this already. After J moved out I got rid of BAGS AND BAGS of clothes. I need to finish what I've started, and get working on A's stuff as well.

As for the rest of 2013. I AM OVER YOU. I want to flip a switch on this year and be done with it. Thankfully, Jessa is also alone this year for the holidays and she has invited L and I over for Christmas dinner. So never fear, I at least won't be so pathetic that I'm eating a Lean Cuisine at home alone.

Normal (Week 14)

Tuesday - 2.25 miles in the basement inferno, video trifecta (legs, arms, core), 50 push-ups. Hope and Terry came over to give me.......... for FREE!! They are The Best!

Wednesday - I got off work a whopping 30 minutes early, then went to the gym and did an 8.3 mile "tempo" run.
Thursday - Redline Turkey Day 10k! Afterwards, I took the kids to see Frozen and was pleasantly surprised. It was a pretty cute movie!! Dropped H off at my parents, then headed down to the "misfit" Thanksgiving that was being hosted at a co-worker's. A was playing on my phone and took about a hundred pictures (literally) of us. I like this one, I'm shoving a piece of cheese in my mouth.

Headed over to my parents house after THAT for actual Thanksgiving. Loud and chaotic, but at least this time we had the sense to put all the kids at a separate table in the living room and it made for things being a TAD better. In bed EARLY.
Friday - L had the great idea for my parents to watch the kids for an hour so we could...... RUN OUTSIDE!!! The weather has been really mild and we enjoyed a nice 7.2 miles on Little Dry Creek, which I have only run one time. I struggled a bit the first few miles but the last 4 were great!

Around noon, A and I braved Black Friday. I'm being over dramatic, because it was not bad AT ALL. A got a new pair of Saucony's, I got a few pairs of running socks. I picked up a few work items at Loft, and we didn't overspend. Not a bad day!

Saturday - Ran a GREAT 8.25 miles at the gym. In the afternoon, A and I went to the Nutcracker with my mom. Such a fun time getting all dressed up and NOT be going to work:

Sunday - I had the brilliant idea to run 12.1 on 12-1. I also had the brilliant idea to get up early and get it out of the way, running in the basement inferno. I was on the treadmill a few minutes after 5. This was a hard, hot run. Later in the day I did the video trifecta (legs, arms, core), 66 push-ups and 66 jumping jacks AND 1:47 plank. Huzzah!! I also watched The Walking Dead fall finale. WTF. WTF. WTF. I was pretty traumatized by this episode but don't want to throw out any spoilers for those that may not have watched it yet. WHAT.
Monday - Maybe all those high mileage days caught up with me, I struggled through 4+ on the treadmill at the gym and called it a night. I've decided to start doing daily planks again (like I was doing in 2010 and 2011), this one was 2:51.

Weekly Miles Run - 48.46 (6.2 racing, 7.2 outside, 35.06 treadmill)
Minutes of Strength Training -  113

Gain - 1.0 pounds

• Oh.
• I was telling Heather that this was my second highest mileage week in six months. And yet...
• Of course it WAS Thanksgiving week, and I ate ALL THE THINGS. Co-worker/friend had a birthday on Tuesday and picked Mexican food. Wednesday we had our Thanksgiving lunch, and then of course the for REAL Thanksgiving on Thursday.

•  Clearly, the weight gain is A MYSTERY.

Everything Else

• Once again, ZERO dating gossip. Although, I got a strange series of text messages from the ex-husband on Thanksgiving suggesting a "hook up." Is this what it has come down to??? Womp.
• Work has been very slow lately, so other than the day dragging by nothing to complain about. There were a few people in yesterday interviewing. The temp had originally only agreed to stay through the end of October. She is still here. 
• Update on A's vision test... the school clearly didn't know WTF they were doing. She went to the eye doctor and has 20/20. So, false alarm on the glasses. But still, school REQUIRES follow-up, which cost me $50. Grrr.
• And of course, the best news of all!!!

I have OF COURSE accepted. I know a billion other people that have gotten in this year, and am looking forward to (hopefully) a big blogger meet up! I'm assuming hotels will sell out ASAP, so if anyone needs/wants a roommate (the more the merrier), or can recommend somewhere to stay, I would really appreciate it!!

A Look Back at November

This isn't about running, so feel free to skip if that's what you are hoping to see!

On my drive out to Moab, I was following a Twitter conversation about the decrease in food stamp allowances and there was a family that was outraged, saying that there was NO WAY a family of four could survive on a budget of $800 a month. I FIND THAT INSANE. Mainly because that's pretty much my take home pay every two weeks. Since it was the first day of the month, I decided for the first time EVER, to track all my spending.

For many people, it is probably not that complicated. You probably have a credit card and it would take about two seconds to track this. I'm already on a very tight budget and mostly use cash. So, where did my money go all month??? November is an especially interesting month to track since it's A's birthday month and when the holiday shopping season starts. (I had substantial "extra" income from my ex husband this month - he paid child support (!!) AND sent extra money for A's birthday AND money for me to buy plane tickets to go to/from Texas to pick up A).

Here you go:

Household Bills (Mortgage, Electricity) - $782.31 (My half)
Car (Loan, Insurance, NEW TIRES) - $684.50
Netflix - $8.27
Credit Card Payments - $295.08
Savings, Investments - $80.00
Insurance (Life, A's Health) - $129.40
Dad (I owe my dad money STILL from when I was unemployed, and he pays our family cell phone plan so that's included) - $100.00
Gym Membership & Childcare - $41.90 (My half - L and I are on a "family" plan)
Race Registration - 60.39
Groceries - $167.29
Beer (Both at the store & bar) - $43.12
Dining Out - $119.39
Parking - $115.00
Gas - $74.67
Haircut - $18.00
"Stuff" (This includes holiday shopping - which is DONE, A's birthday gifts and FOUR pairs of running shoes I got super cheap on clearance on Black Friday) - $478.10
A's Birthday Party - $146.66
Debit Card Purchases  (Most of this is airfare - me and A for TX and a flight for Tink) - $566.83

I cut up my credit cards about 2 months ago, so these were all CASH/DEBIT purchases - not one penny of that was charged.

Obviously I had some decent expenses that this month that I would not otherwise be having (Mainly the "stuff" category, airfare and new tires). I had a "bonus" third paycheck this month and a lot of money from my ex I don't normally see. With all that said, my normal take home is about 1/2 of what my spending for November was.

HOLY SHIT

So fascinating to see where my money goes. I literally tracked EVERY SINGLE OUTGOING CENT. I plan on tracking for one more month since this was by NO means a "normal" month for me and I don't make nearly that much money, I just had substantial help from the ex-husband this month.

I realize putting this all out there is going to invite criticism, so I'm ready for it!

Thanks to Lisa, I am reading The Total Money Makeover, and while it does not contain any information I don't already know, it is a good refresher and a good reminder that money (or lack thereof) is a HUGE cause of anxiety and stress in our daily lives. Going cash only a few months ago was a HUGE change for me. For many years, I was "buy now, pay later" - which worked ok THEN because I had the income to pay it back... The loss of income from J moving out, the giant pay cut I took after losing my job of almost 7 years in 2010 has caught up with me. I accumulated some credit card debt over the summer - not even on anything ridiculous, just not wanting to skip things like going out to dinner, going out to lunch and running local races. The loss of income did NOT immediately register in my brain that I would HAVE to make cuts to what I was spending my money on.

The biggest change is going to be the big decline in racing, ESPECIALLY "runcations." The only traveling I will likely be doing after Tink will by the NYC marathon, for which I have GUARANTEED ENTRY!!

Are you on a budget? Tips? Suggestions?

Wordless Wednesday (NYC)

Who else is guaranteed for 2014?

Wordless Wednesday

They make it sound like I am already in. I'm not. This is lottery attempt number 3!

Three Things Thursday

1.

Year #2 of entry... C'mon!!!

2. I pulled out my KT tape and wrapped up my left calf and right knee for my run at the gym this morning. Truly amazing how much better I felt today than I did on Sunday. Part 2 of my workout? My headphones shorted out with about 2 miles left of my run. For those keeping track, that is two pairs in FIVE days. WTH??? I'm apparently headphones jinxed :(

3. I started classes on Tuesday. This semester I am taking about law enforcement, called "Policing America" and "Criminal Justice Research Methods." They sound a lot more difficult than the classes I took in the fall. I needed two books. At the bookstore they were roughly $287+tax. There should really be some sort of regulation on textbook pricing. I find that FREAKING OUTRAGEOUS. I got them shipped to me off Amazon for the "bargain" of $172.28.

Three Things Thursday

1. I am so so so so so jealous of everyone that gets to run/experience the NYC marathon. I'll be watching Silly Girl and T from Racing With Babes. Who else can I stalk??? As for me? Next year, people. Next year.

2. Now that I am back to reality (fall racing is done, I only have a few races left this year), I can really dig back into the RLRF program. I adjusted my goal paces based on my faster half marathons I ran a few weeks ago. I managed a decent (faster) tempo run on Wednesday and have BIG plans to run 18 miles at MP+30 on the treadmill tomorrow. Don't be jealous...

3. Spring catalog for school is out, and I'm SUPER DUPER excited. If I register fast enough, I can get back to back classes and only have to go TWO days a week. Woot!!

(and BONUS... I got my 200th follower today. Thank you!!)

Three Things Thursday - Race Wishlist

This is my top three marathon list for the US... International list coming soon...

1. For some inexplicable reason, I want to run the Chevron Houston Marathon. Of course it is sold out, and the only way in is through the "Hero" or charity option. I would totally donate to the ALS Association of Greater Houston. My Father-in-Law died of Lou Gehrig's the first year I was married. With the $350 minimum donation plus race entry fee (and of course travel), I don't think this one will work. I *am* considering asking my family to help with the donation part though.

2. There are so many awesome races in California. I am absolutely dying to run the San Francisco Marathon... The race itself is a bit pricey. Airfare is actually doable. However... the logistics of how I would get around and finding somewhere to stay? Sigh.

3. NYC NYC NYC NYC NYC... I'm still upset I didn't get in through the lottery. I know charity entry is an option... however, without having a credit card, I actually can't go that route either. Maybe next year. Sob.