When I received an email from NYRR on 12/21 that I was accepted into the NYC Half which takes place on March 17th I was ecstatic. When I woke up on 12/22 I went into red alert mode. Having just run a half-marathon in October I was well aware of how all encompassing training can be. Here is where you say it’s only a Half – figure it out already. Well – here is a little secret – I am not a “real” runner. See post Racehorse or Workhorse for more detail.
So where does that leave me? Well for starters I underestimated Old Man Winter. The cold doesn’t bother me too much but slush and ice and the wicked wind are getting tiresome. Then I had a thought this week – maybe running in extreme temperatures burns more calories – hmm that would certainly help defray some of the unpleasantness of being routinely frozen. Sadly though, after reading several articles on the subject, I am fairly certain I am burning the same amount of calories in February as I did in September. Okay so check that off the list of potential benefits. What about the endless miles I ride on the stationary bike? Could that be helping my time? Apparently the answer is yes. From building up complimentary muscles to increasing your leg turnover rate biking is a great way to cross train for your next race.
With that I am off to pedal in place. 34 days, 23 hours, 16 min until race time. Not that I am counting…..
