"Daddy, Why Is Her Face So Red?"

In addition to raising money for the ASPCA, I bet you didn't know I was providing another public service.  It's true: I am a huge source of entertainment for the children of Park Slope.

Several weeks ago, I was wearing my knee brace/ACE bandage.  A little girl in a stroller kept pointing at my leg saying, "Boo boo!  Boo boo!"

After a long, grueling run one Sunday, I was headed home when a little boy looked at me, looked at his dad and asked, "Daddy, why is her face so red?"

Then just last week, I was wearing my fuelbelt when a little kid asked his mom why I had so many water bottles.  "She must be running a long way," she said.

A long way indeed.  This past Friday I reached the peak of my training and completed 20 miles!  It was a very rainy morning, preceded by a very rainy night, and I was predicting flooded pathways and a lot of misery.  But it was actually not that bad!  Only one part of the path was completely flooded, and the rain tapered off after the first 90 minutes.  The cool, moist air was very refreshing, and I was able to complete the full distance without any walk or stretch breaks.  And I didn't even get a single blister, thanks to some fancy new socks and a great little product called "Body Glide."  (It sounds a little racy, I know, but it's just this waxy stuff that you roll on like deodorant that prevents friction.)  So now I begin my taper, which just means I cut back on mileage until the race so that I am well-rested.  I bought my tickets for the Detroit marathon last night and I am starting to get nervous!

After my long run on Friday, Neal and I hopped a plane to Detroit/Ann Arbor for the Michigan game and to visit friends (and a new baby!)  Neal was joking with our friends, saying, "Ha ha, Steph ran 20 miles this morning.  What the hell did I do?"  

I know he was joking/paying me a compliment, but it got me thinking.  I really hope people don't think I'm bragging when I talk about running.  It's just something I love to do.  And I hope everyone has something like that--whether it's a spinning class, thirty minutes on the elliptical or a long walk with their dog.  As Bill Bowerman (the Nike guy) said:

"If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week.  How far did you run?' ignore him!  What the hell difference does it make?...The magic is in the (wo)man, not the 100 miles." 

Total distance covered: 220 miles

Days until race: 19