Stick a fork in me

Well...I might have overdone it. Last week I went to NYC with a friend, and I was so excited to run in Central Park that I kept running, and running...I did at least 7-8 miles on Wednesday, and probably about the same on Thursday and Friday. In addition, we walked at least 10 miles a day, and I am not exaggerating that. I ate enough while we were there, but maybe not enough of the right things. I got home Saturday and ran 9 miles with Jessica on Sunday.

I made an error here...you are not supposed to increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. I did that last week, and then some. Yesterday I felt like crap. I taught aerobics and was barely functional the rest of the day. I took an afternoon nap and then got up and was in a fog the rest of the day.

I did run tonight (4 miles with Bill) and felt okay. However, I am realizing that I need to take better care of myself if I am really going to do a marathon and stay injury-free. This means not increasing mileage too quickly, getting enough sleep, eating right, etc. I've been feeling dizzy and lightheaded at times as well. I am hoping taking care of myself better will take care of this issue.

I ordered a few books on marathon training last night. I've read a lot of books on running, but a refresher would be good. I am also thinking about seeing a nutritionist.

But I digress...my trip to New York City with Holly was a lot of fun. She is a great travel buddy. And she's still talking to me after our trip. She's much more adventurous than me in many ways (I can be too timid when I travel), and that's a good thing. Running in Central Park was amazing. I don't care what anyone says--it's clean and safe. In fact, I would say it's safer than the trails I run on in Waterloo (which can sometimes be a bit isolated). New Yorkers were generally quite friendly and helpful. I sneezed on the street and three people said bless you--and they were NOT tourists.

Here are my NY highlights:

1. Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty was okay but couldn't go in it because it is closed for renovations. Ellis Island Museum was outstanding. We stayed until it closed. They had to kick us out.)

2. Central Park--which was much larger, cleaner, and safer than I anticipated

3. The Naked exhibit at the Met--Yes, it was an exhibit entirely of photos of naked people (tastefully done, of course).

4. The Percy Shelley exhibit at the NY Public Library--This exhibit was only about the size of my living room, but I really enjoyed it.

5. Getting a massage at sketchy and somewhat questionable massage place--Need I say more? It was a great massage. Outstanding.