Empire State of Mind and Legs

Since I arrived from New York, I’ve been stuck in brain (and leg) freeze mode.

More than a couple of times, I’ve had to peel myself out of bed in the morning.  That’s despite the hour long nap I’ve been having lately, which has gone mandatory to keep me from dozing off by 7 PM!  I go about my daily business at half the pace I used to, slowly sipping that cup of coffee, gingerly leafing through the morning papers, and dropping and fetching the kids as if I didn’t have a truckload of work waiting for me in my Inbox.

Notice the blog? I haven’t had anything substantial pop into my mind except cool contests!  (Insert apology for the delay in my NYC Race Report. I’m working on it!)  I’m worse than a kid who gulped down a large Slurpee in one sitting; I’ve had brain freeze for over a week and that’s without even having a taste of Slurpee (Mountain Dew’s my fave by the way.) Yikes!

I’ve even turned into a freakin’ girly girl.  My friends will laugh.  My pre-NY self detested parlors and, if I had to step into one, I would tell the stylist at what time he had to be done; deadline was usually an hour.  But, since I’ve arrived, I’ve spent a combined total of four hours in the parlor, not including the one hour tomorrow when I plan to indulge in another mani/pedi.

Ack. I’ve fallen into full-on relaxation and recovery mode.  Something I believe I haven’t done in—uhm—five years, perhaps?  I must admit, I’m loving it for the moment (one deserves to relax every once in a while), but, at the same time, I’m freaking out!  This is not me and I’m dying to crawl out of this hole.  Yes, I call it a hole!

This new R&R body is so annoyingly uncooperative.  I swam with Bic and Adel last week and struggled to reach 1k when 2k was my norm.  I could barely hit a set of 20 crunches at the gym when I used to do 30 with ease.  And, during last Sunday’s Run United where I ran 15km, I mistakenly u-turned along with the 10k runners and when the marshall called my attention, I yelled to Jun “Aaaw man!” hoping I could’ve just headed back towards the finish line earlier.

Call this jetlag, withdrawal symptoms from New York, extended vacation mode, or pure laziness.  Whatever. I’m just hoping it ends and that it ends soon because California International Marathon is just around the corner on December 4.  My mind is racing with excitement and conjuring up visions of how strong I’ll be during the marathon after running 42k at New York.  But, as of now, the body is revolting.

So, for now, I’m giving in to my body and allowing it to rest if it really needs it. I put it through a 42km so I guess it deserves a little break and, okay, a little spoiling.  I’m observing every niggle of discomfort or twitch of a muscle, making sure it is well hydrated and nourished, and giving it everything it asks for in preparation for the next marathon.  What?  A 1.5 hour massage tonight?  Fine. What the body asks for, the body gets. Who am I to complain?