I know you always think of ice baths and waffles in the same sentence don’t you? No? Why not, you freak?

I’ve been trying to write this blog in my head for the better part of a week but just couldn’t find anything that inspired me. Sometimes mid-week training runs are boring and uneventful and how many times can you write about how running multiple loops in Central Park can suck? That was what kept coming to mind when I thought about this post and why race recaps can be a pain to write and why I’m not really good at it.

This past week was my low mileage week capped off with a half marathon. I was giddy about this which led me to discover half marathons are not stressful when they are in the middle of full marathon training. Imagine that.

For Grete’s Great Gallop in Central Park I decided to try and use the race strategy that I was not able to employ during the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon. I am happy to report that it worked! While I didn’t PR (it wasn’t my goal to do that), I did have one of the best half marathon times in over a year. If this were a flat course a PR would most definitely have been possible.

So now I know my race strategy, with some slight modifications, will work for the NYC Marathon. That is very exciting. My times are still improving and with my 18-miler and half in Central Park two weekends in a row I can honestly I’ve gotten in some good hill work. With that I’m going to reward myself with a nice 16 mile long run on a semi-flat surface. My legs have earned it.

Speaking of rewards, how I have been rewarding myself after these awesome long runs has changed a bit since last year. Last year it was done SloHoMo style where every long run was followed by some good food and alcohol. I’m not saying that’s bad but I’m trying to take it down a notch this year. For the heart of my training I’ve cut down on my alcohol consumption almost 100%.

WHAT!?!

Yes, I’ve cut back on the booze and the bigger meals as I’m trying to keep the nutrition in check as well. Since my pace is improving I’m going to say that all the above is paying off. I did partake in the post-Grete waffle fest. Damn those were good.

I have even been good about my recovery by taking the occasional ice bath. Sorry no pictures and this brings up an important point. There are way too many runners who post pictures of themselves enjoying an ice bath on the Internet. I discovered this today while researching these lovely little baths. Just go ahead and take a look for yourself. What was interesting is that I recognized some running folks from twitter and blogs that I follow. We need to stop posting these photos people! Many of you also need to replace the grout in your bathrooms.

Does re-grouting count as cross-training?