Running Alone but Together: The Taste After

There is always a taste after a marathon, about the whole experience. It could be exciting, it could be dreary. It could be sweet, it could be bitter. It could be warm, it could be cold. It could be lovely, it could be awful. It could be a dream, it could be a nightmare.

After NYCM I had time to taste many things. First taste was the taste of race results. I had a 5:10 time. For the training I did, 30 miles per week, I felt very satisfied. Especially, after age-grading the results: A 4:12 marathon time for an open division. I ran very comfortable all the course. I was never exhausted, my feet never hurt, my legs never wanted to stop. I walked three miles immediately after the marathon, went to dinner, and I wasn't sore. On Monday I wasn't sore, on Tuesday I wasn't sore, on Wednesday I wasn't sore, and I wasn't sore for the rest of the week. I don't know if the lack of soreness is due to me participating in races a lot, and having a very easy recovery or that I have a lot more in my legs that could be used. Please, feel free to chime in. My heart rate avg was 161; 84%, which is pretty much the recommendation for running a marathon (I've become a HR geek). So the general taste of my race was more than satisfactory, it was exciting.

Then I tasted a full time week ahead of me, enjoying NYC with my adorable daughter. Slept in, had coffee and cookies, went to Broadway shows, visited family and friends, stayed the last days in a nice little studio in a brownstone building in Brooklyn to have a taste of living away of exhilarating Manhattan. We enjoyed NY skylines from different points of the city. We ate and walked around holding hands. The world was at our feet. Then we kissed and said goodbye, she left to DR, I came back to Seattle. The taste was so sweet and warm.

Back home, hubby waiting for me; going back to work; my 54th birthday; lunch with co-workers, dinner with hubby and son; the day after, another dinner with son and daughter in law; some days later, another dinner with friends. A lovely taste.

My personal birthday gift to me? Dean Karnazes visit to Seattle.

LL: Dean, you are probably tired of hearing this, but you are truly an inspiration to me
DK: I am happy to hear that I can inspire you
LL: And because of you, and my friend Shirley, I decided to run 50 marathons in 50 states
DK: That's awesome
LL: But I won't do it in 50 days
DK: Why not? Well... may be you are smarter... than me?
LL: No Dean. I don't have your DNA
DK: How many?
LL: 4 (*)
DK: 4 down, 46 to go, never stop
LL: Age could be an issue
DK: How old are you?
LL: 54 yesterday
DK: I am right behind you with 48. Age is not an issue

And then I left with a decision made. A decision that I had been weighing but wanted to determine if I could run a marathon working out only 30 miles per week. I ran it. And it was New York. I tasted the dream. And here I go, with Arizona R&R next. In a couple of months.

Nothing like a savory taste after a marathon. A taste that is exciting, sweet, warm, lovely, and a dream. That was The Taste After.

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(*) Dean meant how many states, I responded how many marathons total. I really have 3... Only 47 to go.
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Dining at Quality Meats, Manhattan, with my class mate Hilda and her daughters.

Broadway

Just having fun

At Broadway

La Cage Aux Folles.


La Cage Aux Folles. Formidable.

A gorgeous brownstone building in Prospect Heights where we stayed the last three days

A more than cozy room in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

Drawing a skyline from Brooklyn

Walking by nice and cozy 7th Ave, Brooklyn

A beer at Water's Edge, Queens. In the back Queensboro Bridge, the worst portion of the race

Drawing Manhattan skyline from Queens

Drawing Manhattan skyline from Queens, East River

Arepas Cafe, Sabor Venezolano, Venezuelan Food, in Queens. Highly recommended. We preferred Arepas Cafe in Queens over Caracas Arepa Bar. Arepas Cafe has better atmosphere, more variety of Venezuelan food, and better prices. And its owner, Riccardo Romero, is a a great person.