2022 Taper 2.0

By | April 24, 2022

well after you have an over the top crazy week with a lingering sore spot err, spots. What happens? Yep. But I kept running although dropped it way lower than a typical taper because none of it hurt more while running.

By the time this publishes, I should be on the course for the 2022 Brooklyn Half Marathon. Good luck to each of you running tomorrow. We definitely have a spring of old in terms of the race schedule. ETA: finished happy.

Is this the race I thought I’d be trained for? Absolutely not. Is this going to be a fun day with friends? I think so. NB: this plan is PT blessed, and the course limit is six hours as it’s the same as the marathon until Prospect Park, so I can moon walk it if needed. Walking, as long as it’s in sneakers, hasn’t hurt at all so we’re good.

Pardon the ancient comments on some of your posts. Trying to play catch up but very close to deleting my unread folder in gmail and starting fresh. Apologies.  I love this return to the real world in some ways, but it wreaks havoc on blogging.

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for a rapid fire two weeks:

Week of April 10:

  • I don’t run on Sundays, except when I do. I did my long run Friday due to a multitude of plans on Saturday. After brunch and spectating Darlene’s race, I finally went out for my own run. This was when I began to think the hip was going to be A Problem.
  • never miss a Monday: evening, because I didn’t run until late Sunday. In hind sight, this was dumb.

saw this and I giggled so hard

  • Tuesday: awful incident on the subway definitely had me walking home even though it was nowhere near me and everyone I knew was safe. Walking is good for keeping the hip loose and the Park was in peak bloom all week.

beautiful day for a walk

cookies. Although it’s always a beautiful day for cookies

and a fabulous show

  • Wednesday: I said above that it mostly didn’t get worse when I ran, except for this day. Noped out of the run about half a mile in because it was pointless and painful. We got some flexibility about working from the office in light of the subway shooting, but I am close enough to walk. I also needed to be in midtown anyway for Birthday Candles, an absolutely amazing show. There’s no pre-gaming like cookies, especially Shmackary’s. Hip was fine after the walk and didn’t particularly stiffen up while at the office/show.
  • Thursday: a walk in to breakfast meeting left the hip nice and loose. The traditional day of our office run group and I let my colleague know that I might nope out en route to our meeting spot or during the run. , We decided to meet anyway since there are multiple spots to end the run if I couldn’t and he needed to run anyway so it wasn’t putting him out. It was in the high 70s and humid so it wasn’t a fast paced run. 5 and change felt good and I decided not to push for six.
  • Friday: beautiful day but I wasn’t pushing it so just walked some errands.
  • Saturday: when I first worried I wasn’t going to be able to run the Half. I could not loosen up on the trail at all by mom’s and a planned 7 turned into four and change. Lidocaine patches and good stretching helped some and I tried to stay optimistic.

E. Bunny partially delivered

  • Sunday: snowing in Albany. Good excuse for a day off with lots of stretching. One Mr. E. Bunny did not bring me a new IT band, but he knows what will help it. Open question is what helps more, the bands or the chocolate!

Week of 4/15

celebrating a dear friend

  • never miss a Monday: plan was to run before work, but you know how Monday mornings and plans go. I ended up run commuting, which isn’t ideal. But 2.5 miles didn’t hurt much and the laptop sat in the right spot so I call it a win. After work I got to attend Perfect Crime’s 35th anniversary show. Such a fun show and a dear friend is the star, GM so always great to be a part of it.

Worlds Fair, or Men in Black?

I <3 Spring

  • Tuesday: while I’ve worked in the office on and off and done shows and museum exhibits, I had not done an in person presentation and meeting other than our own Annual Meeting. This was to celebrate the launch of Queens Rising, which is going to be a wonderful celebration of Queens’ arts & cultural community. The launch was at the Queens Museum which meant two of my favorite sites. I love the New York State Pavillion although I’m young enough that it’s primarily Men In Black and not the World’s Fair. Walked home after work to keep the hip loose and happy.

this view. Forever

  • Wednesday: the plan was, as it always is, to run before work. But I found myself worried it would hurt/I wouldn’t have enough time so I punted until after work and it was glorious. Not 100% pain free, but the stretching, rolling, epsom soaks are helping. So did running on the bridle path and walk/run intervals for peak bloom and a gorgeous sunset. Much like the track, we need a change in surface.

lush park

hi again old friend!

  • Thursday: game time decision depending on how my leg responded after Wednesday. It felt good and we decided to go for it knowing I could walk/bus home if it didn’t go well.  It felt good and after I saw this gorgeous tree early I doubled back when we split to go find it. Upside in addition to the flowers: bridle path. I’m going to pay for not running on roads much this week, but I’ll take the trade off. Felt good after this longer but slower run and officially made the decision to run Sunday.

good morning NYC

it’s a mirrored wonderland

  • Friday: What better reason to get up at 4am than to see an Earth Day sunrise from atop Summit One Vanderbilt? I may have gotten up that early for a race, and definitely a flight – but sunrise is the best. Especially one as stunning as Friday’s. This room is Kusama-inspired and done by Kenzo Digital and it’s one of my favorite spaces-namely because it’s a distraction. I do not like heights. It’s north facing on the observatory’s lowest level but we had access to all three floors. I walked home to stay awake and generally enjoyed a beautiful spring day.

have to say hi to Fred

  • Saturday: well this isn’t DC level sightseeing, or even Governors Island before the Central Park Half, but a five mile walk isn’t exactly rest. Would have been illegal on a beautiful Spring day, and figured it helped keep the hip loose. We said hi to Fred even though Sunday isn’t an NYRR race and generally enjoyed people watching. With Little League back on the Great Lawn it felt almost like normal times.

Flat Cari

  • Sunday: run day. No goals, just finish smiling and enjoy brunch with friends. Have my first ever race shirt for good luck, and the weather is going to be perfect. Don’t love the belt, but it’s disposable. Fuel belts are possibly banned but SPI are possibly not. Won’t be sad if I have to toss this, can run with it if I don’t have to. Twitter is likely the first place that will get updated depending on cell signal in the park. Here’s the tracker if you’re up and bored at 7:40 Eastern.

12 thoughts on “2022 Taper 2.0

  1. Darlene Cardillo

    So mad at your hip… tell it so.

    You have a great attitude and I’m sure that you will enjoy this race…. no matter what happens.

    If it’s not a speedy one, then there will be others…

    Albany or Maine in the fall??

    I’ll be running so my tracking ability may be delayed..

    Good Luck!!

    Reply
  2. Liz Dexter

    Glad you are so sensible and know how to manage yourself and any niggles: the most important thing (after sleep!) as a runner! And I hope it’s gone well today!

    Reply
  3. Deborah Brooks

    I am so glad that your hip felt good enough to race today. Sounds like it went better than expected! congrats on finishing smiling and pain free. Thanks for linking!

    Reply
  4. Jenny

    Well, I have to say I’m laughing at the thought of you moon walking the race- hopefully that didn’t happen! Sounds like it went well. Hips are so tricky! Mine definitely does better if I keep moving.
    How are you liking your new band set? i have ones similar and do banded squats and also lateral banded walks as a warmup before every run. Who knows if it’s helping anything- presumably my glute medius is getting stronger?
    Looking forward to the race recap!

    Reply
  5. Michelle

    Sorry for the nagging hip pain…I can relate 🙁 I’m glad it felt good enough for you to run your race. Congrats! Looking forward to hearing more about it!

    Reply
  6. Chocolaterunsjudy

    I’m with Jenny, the moon walking comment caught my attention. 🙂

    You always sound so even keel, but I’m sure it was still stressful trying to figure out if it was ok to race or not. I’m glad that it went well!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      There were definitely some moments. What kept me from stressing was the long time limit and the fact that I could defer. So while I’d have been bummed, there were no consequences if I couldn’t. Makes it a lot easier.

      Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Thank you. WHile I’m firmly team “we get to”, I’m looking forward to only having to run what I feel like, not prescribed mileage.

      Reply
  7. Wendy

    I’m so glad you got to race and I’m looking forward to hearing more! I hope your hip behaved too. But if you’re in pain, yep, chocolate is the answer!

    Reply
  8. Jenn

    Oh, your hip!!!!! I’m so frustrated for you!

    I also love and need that cactus. Because that is so very me.

    Reply

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