Don’t doom my marathon!

In 2011 I was schedule to run the NYC Marathon but I burned myself out running in New Mexico. I was new to the altitude and hot sun. I just could not get myself together in time to run in November so I postponed to 2012.  This year 2012 I was on a good track. I ran smartly over the summer in New Mexico, I was ready to finish off the next 10 weeks of training in NYC. Well of course you all know the NYC Marathon was cancelled.

I am avoiding all the political fighting about it but I will say I have very mixed feelings. I hoped it cancelled only for personal reasons. I had been sitting in the dark and cold for a week. I was one of the many of 1,000 of people in SoPo. (South of the power grid in NYC) I was highly stressed and I could not imagine pulling off running a marathon.  On the day it was to take place 1,000’s of runners showed up in Central Park to run 26.2 anyway. I planned on only 20, but quit at 18. My knee which never hurts, hurt. My whole body ached. I woke up the net day feeling like I was hit by a truck. I felt terrible.

The night before that run I got a call from Megan Coryat, President of Front Runners New York. She was calling with great news. The Brooklyn Marathon organizers was offered two competitive slots, one male, one female to NYC teams for the Nov. 18th event and they offered me the female slot. I was thrilled, honored, and suddenly terrified because I felt like I need to produce.The course is brutal. It just might be the hardest thing I ever run. The whole marathon takes place in a 3 mile park with steep 1 mile long hill. It is lap after lap of that mile hill. I know my legs will be screaming. I have run 10 miles in that park and it was hard!

The problem now is I have a terrible cold. I had terrible burning in my lungs last week after a run then as of Sunday I felt pretty bad. I came home from work Monday and took a nap then ran an easy 3.62 miles. The running felt r good, but as soon as I stopped I was coughing up a lung.  If could get this crap out of my lungs I might be okay, but so far nothing is moving. Today I did not run. I got acupuncture, herbs and cold pills. I took a hot bath  to take the chills off, ate hot soup, and I am now drinking hot tea. I have 5 days. But I do  need to run 3-4 miles on each of those days. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but I am feeling like I should give up Fall Marathons. Run a spring marathon and focus on short distance in the fall. My last two marathons seasons are really a bust. I am going to hold out all the way until 8am on Sunday and hope that I show up at the start line. I will show up on the start line.

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Homer vs Sandy and The SandyCane Update

November 1, 2012

The first day out of the Lower East Side, out of the cold, out of the darkness and in an area of phone reception and Internet. Ah yes, my office at Long Island University in downtown Brooklyn. I have never been so happy to get here, but it was not without incident.

Good news is the NYC Marathon is on and I am rested and happy to run to on Sunday.  I slept more in the last few days since the Con Edison 14th Street plant blew up leaving us in the dark; it is just 14 blocks from my apartment.

A video of the plant blowing up from the other side of the river in Brooklyn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYC7sV1Kj9o .
as was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gtNgauQlIE .

In Manhattan from 34th Street down to Battery Park City, east to west there is no electricity which means no hot water, and in some buildings no water at all,  no internet, no charging cell phone, but most cell phones do not work  anyway since many of  the towers went down. We are in a media blackout and as well as a dark city.

Honestly losing the lights and heat unto itself is not a big deal it is like camping, but last night I wanted a shower and I had enough. I tried to get out of Manhattan and it was impossible. Cars are allowed into the city and it is jammed bumper to bumper and people are being extra assholes. None of the street lights work and there are almost no traffic cops so the cars speed down long stretches not slowing, let alone stopping at the cross streets for other cars or pedestrians. A friend who had to drive to work, said it took three hours to go less than 3 miles. Because he is handicapped he could not walk. Plus there is no gas. The gas stations cannot work without electricity and where there is electric they ran out of gas, so we really are trapped.  I can ride my bike or run but I can’t bring my dogs with me, so I am staying.

Then there is the problem of  people feeling the need to buy huge amounts of crap in Brooklyn where services are working. As I rode my bike onto the Manhattan Bridge  (to come to LIU) a guy with what looked like a whole fucking kitchen table strapped to his back came flying down the bridge ran into my lane and hit me with the giant object, throwing me and my bike into the guard rail. It slammed my arm into the metal in one direction my hand in the other. After holding up to the stress this week I felt the tears come, then figured it would feel really good to cry, but just as I started to cry and pry my arm out of the fence, the next person riding down says, “that is a really bad place to stop.” No kidding, but can I at least get my arm back and make sure my hand is not broke?”  and that piece of dog crap that hit me kept going. “Oh, do I found stressed out?” Yes, a little bit. I have some anger going. As most of you know I am an easygoing person but I could have  pummeled that guy with his stupid table.

One of the coffee shops opened today. They must have brought the coffee brought in,  the place was lit with candles.  It was nice to have hot coffee. My refrigerator is completely empty having to throw everything out. Last night  7 of my neighbors came over;  we drank wine, had delicious lasagna, rice pudding, streamed vegetables, basically we emptied what was still good in our houses and cooked it on my gas stove. The night before I went to David’s and 4 of us made pizzas and ate leftovers in the dark. But from here on out it will be rice, oatmeal or other no-perishables. (Now if only a grocery store was open.) I am really happy that I have water. The 16 story buildings just three blocks away, buildings that are massive, have no water at all.

The dark neighborhood  of course is the perfect opportunity for crime. With no ATM’s working, people are carrying around more cash than they normally would, and the number of armed muggings has taken off. I was surprised to see  cops walking my street on Tuesday night when I came home about 10:30pm in pitch-blackness trying not to step on the plethora of rats that are no about.  There are more and more police present.

That is the update from the Lower East Side. I am off to find some dog food and something really tasty for myself. Tonight David, Patrick and I are going to the Marathon Expo to pick up our numbers. I may still try to get out of Manhattan, I would love a nice long hot bath and a good rest.  I am going to have to skip my special marathon haircut since no salon is open. It is hard telling how long it will be before we have electric. I have heard anything from 4 days to 2 weeks. I can’t say when I will be back on-line, but I am doing fine. I have great friends in the neighborhood and want to be with them.

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