Back on the Grid

In true Cynthia form, last week was busy: choir practices, piano, swimming, soccer, running, and work. Somewhere I found time to buy groceries and clean the house but my online life simply vanished. I did spend quite a bit of time on the computer, though. Last week, I finished my Marathon Mix.

Running with an iPod is still new to me. In fact, I’ve only used it during 3 or 4 long runs. On my first run with it, my gait was completely thrown off; I thought there was no way that I’d be able to run well with music. But I tried it again and, by my third time out, I found that I was running more naturally again. After running to the beat for a 12 miler, subsequently followed by an 18 miler and a 20 mile run, I found that I actually liked it for the lonely long distances.

But then I faced my internal dilemma: is it wrong to run with an iPod during a marathon? It’s not as though I’m going to win it now. I put the question to my Facebook friends and, with their advice, decided that I needed to build a Marathon Mix. So last night, once the boys went to bed, I got busy searching for 90 more minutes of favorite music. I dug deep into my childhood and teenage memories to pull out favorites like I Don’t Like Mondays, Rock this Town and Rockin’ Robin and dragged them next to Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Yes, my list is quite eclectic. Now, over the next few days, I just have to organize them.

My only other goal this week – with 6 days left before running The Goodlife Marathon – is rest. I’m trying to get to bed earlier each night (I’ve already failed that today) and I’ve made plans to avoid driving as much as possible so that my right calf isn’t tight going into the run. Thank you, C and K, for helping me out with this!

Six days left. I’m excited but anxious. I feel ready. My dream is becoming a reality!