What’s happened since yesterday?? I’ve been going back and forth all day thinking:
–    This Ultra thing is going to be great, make me stronger; I’ll recover fast cause it’s trails (there’s not much pavement pounding) and it’ll be so much fun!
–    I am an idiot. I just effed up my marathon. I will not recover in time to do the last week’s speed workouts, it’ll kill my speed, and there goes all my effort for the marathon.
Decision: It will be a long run. If by the 22 miles I still feel ok, I’ll keep going. If I am too tired and it’s costing me too much, I’ll DNF. I don’t care. I have my priorities and I am sticking to it! Deal?

 
The Medical World and their obsession with saying “Runner”…

Yesterday I went to a dermatologist. I like to go once a year to have someone check all my skin. Even though there’s no story of skin cancer in my family, I spent a lot of time in the sun when I was younger, plus the summer running,  so I am super scared (Thanks Deena Kastor for making me all paranoid). She sees my back and she was like “Wow, are you a runner“? Ha, what gives me away? But, all clear!

And, as I do every 6 months, I saw my cardiologist today. First I saw the nurse, who did all the prep stats. She took my pulse and was really disappointed with the 80 she got… I thought it’d be a lot lower for a runner… Well, I am holding this arm up with my other arm because it hurts to move it, could that be it?? Ah, duh!

My cardiologist is OSOM. He went on and on, again, about how spectacular my cholesterol is… how my good number is so high and the low soooo low. He just can’t understand it, but it’s the same every year. Your family doesn’t have great cholesterol, right? No, they have to watch what they eat and take pills.And what do you eat? Well, that’s when I reached into my purse and got the Nutella out… Yeah, I carry it with me. The funny thing is, he didn’t know what it was… it was such a cute image to see him trying to figure out what was in it!! I basically said I had a good day followed by a fun day with my food intake. Good enough. Or he knows giving me a lecture is pointless… I told him all I had noticed with the heart rate monitor during my runs. He listened, checked, did all his usual stuff and he was very very impressed. He said things are great and that he was very happy but he is always “scared” with me because I am very “dedicated”. I know he meant “crazy”. He said he has learned not to let his guard down with me. He says running is keeping me healthy and getting my heart stronger and stronger. When I say thanks, he always says the same thing: Why? I am not doing anything for you!! You are doing it all yourself! Why do you even come here? I really do like having a cardiologist on my side for once; he’s amazing! So he ordered an echo, so he could say 100% sure, what he was thinking, because he can’t legally say it for now… I assumed he meant I was no longer borderline, and that my heart is, oh, the craziest word, “normal”.  I scheduled the echo for as soon as possible… we’ll know in two weeks!

The countdown for the Staten Island half has began. New shoes are ready to burst out of the gates! I am READY!!!!