To say April has been busy, would be an understatement. So far this month, I’ve done all the stuff that keeps you busy during the house buying process (I’m under contract and closing is in May!), started grad school and realized that my running is not going to start anytime soon since I’m running the NYC Marathon in the fall.

Needless to say, I have a lot on my mind. Yesterday was kinda a bad day and I didn’t sleep well last night which didn’t bode well for 10-miler I had planned for this a.m. The morning started off on the wrong foot. I woke up this morning and was out of oats for my usual breakfast. I wanted to make toast instead, but the bread was moldy. Opps. I had some dry cereal and a banana. It didn’t fill me up, but it would have to do because I was already running late to meet the running group.

The planned run was eight miles since most of the group already did their longest run and were already in taper mode. I usually don’t have a problem keeping up, but I was falling behind by mile two. I started beating myself over it and started thinking of why things were going wrong. I didn’t eat right. It was cold. My hip hurt. That didn’t help much either. Finally, I said to myself, “Stop worrying about everything that is going wrong and start focusing on the things that are going right.”

Things got much better mentally and I finished my 10 miles, despite thinking of how I wanted to do just eight and call it a day. I didn’t run my fastest and it wasn’t pretty. Today was all about getting the miles in, not the time. Glad its over and I can start to taper! I’d like to get in another longer run, but I don’t think it will do me much good right now.

Ryan Hall at last year's Boston Marathon

And tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year, Patriot’s Day! But, I’m not in Boston to enjoy it. Sad face. My old apartment was right on the marathon course. When someone asks if I’ve ever ran the Boston Marathon, I told them I ran Boston everyday. Since I’m not running a 3:40 marathon anytime soon, I hope to be the rockin’ granny on the course when I’m 80.

Neverless, the Boston Marathon holds a special place in my heart. One year I volunteered in the media room and was on the phone with one of the guys on the bikes following the elite runners. I was relaying all the info and it was one of the coolest things ever. Later that week, I went to a TNT meeting and signed up for my first marathon. The next year, I watched from the sidelines and signed up for my second marathon. Boston is that inspiring.

So tomorrow, I’ll be at my desk wishing I was in Boston cheering for all the runners. Instead, I’ll wear my Sox jacket to work and watch the action online. It will be a sad substitute, but it’ll do.

Well, yesterday and the day before were quite exciting! On Tuesday night I noticed I had a pending charge from NYRR, the folks that put on the New York City Marathon. The results of the lottery weren’t being announced until Wednesday, but word on the street was if you had something on your charge card, you were in. Well, I didn’t want to believe it until it was offical and I saw it with my own eyes on the marathon Web site. At 12:30 on the dot yesterday I logged in to check my status and saw that my status said, accepted aka IN! Pencil in Nov. 7, 2010 in the calendar.

After a minor freakout, I’m excited! I had a gut feeling this was going to happen even though there is a one in six chance of getting selected via lotto. Mentally, I was planning to run it next year since I get automatic entry from entering the lotto in 2008, 2009 and 2010. There’s no reason why I can’t run it this year, so that’s the plan.

I like the planning involved with training for marathons and I know training will go so much better this time around because of several personal circumstances. Plus, my old marathon group kicked off fall marathon training in May, which may seem long for some, but a five month training plan works for me and I know I need it to get back in top running form. I felt so lost last summer/fall because I opted out of a fall race due to moving and the like and I am so glad to be getting back into it.

Once I get through the half next month, I’ll figure out my training and the like. Two of my friends are running the Marine Corps Marathon the weekend before, so I’m glad I won’t have to do all my long runs alone.

April is shaping up to be a BIG month in so many ways.

And some housekeeping, I brought a new domain and I’m going to give this blog a new look. I may try to do it this weekend, so keep an eye out!