I’m now in the homestretch for training for the Bronx 10 Mile(r), but it doesn’t feel like it. I’ve been having Achilles pain since late August and it’s vacillated a lot this month, seemingly independent from my attempts at stretching, foam rolling, and cross training. I had hobbled through a slow solo 6-miler on the Saturday of Labor Day before hopping a train to Amagansett and distinctly remember wincing with pain as I climbed or hobbled down the house’s stairs that weekend. Then I was back to normal for a few days.

Monday: Running club meeting, where I gave a recap of the Fifth Avenue Mile, ate some pizza, then got some foam rolling advice from a friend. Another member is also not currently marathon training and is also using ClassPass, so we like to compare our mileage and favorite studios..

Tuesday: I wanted to run a morning loop of Prospect Park, but it didn’t happen despite going to bed at 10:30pm. I managed to run after work (dropping my stuff off at the gym) along the West Side Highway with a .5 mile warmup, 3 miles, and .5 mile cooldown back to the gym. My final mile was the fastest but my 2nd was the slowest. I originally had hoped for a tempo pace (Tempo Tuesdays are definitely a thing). at the gym, I had wanted to hit the weights but was starving and decided foam rolling and stretching was the best use of my time. Then convinced myself that lugging 30 pounds of home supplies and groceries home from Target counted as lifting.

Wednesday: PureBarre in Greenpoint with a friend after work. I took the 7 train from the new Hudson Yards stop then walked across the Pulaski Bridge. It’s kind of exciting to know that in 58 weeks or so, I’ll be running across that bridge as part of the NYC Marathon. This was only my 2nd barre class ever and it felt a lot easier than the first. Maybe that’s because a 6:40pm start time is just naturally my preference compared to a 7:30am start time, but I think that knowing some of the moves (still not sure about the difference between a hold and a freeze between tucking means) helped quite a bit. I got to the point of quivery exhaustion a few times.

Thursday: Another failed morning running day, which means I had to get in a few miles at the gym along with strength work. Managed 2 miles of the hill workout on the treadmill at a pretty fast pace before feeling the time crunch. Foam rolled and stretched along with getting in triceps curls, the assisted dip machine, and lat pull-downs. I’m getting slowly closer to being able to do a pull-up (and a chin-up).

Friday: 6:30am 45-minute spin class at BYKlyn. They don’t have any metrics (as opposed to the spin studios where I’ve been more frequently, Peloton and Swerve) but we did an Empire-themed ride, ensuring that I would have “Drip Drop” stuck in my head the rest of the day. I wasn’t dripping with sweat near the last 15 minutes so I decided to really crank up the resistance all the way and feel those hills. It got me thinking about the hills I’ll face in San Francisco. Brutal, but a great way to start the day.

Saturday: 8am Group run day. I found someone else who wanted in the 6-8 mile range at a 10-minuteish pace. I had run one to the park meeting spot, so hoped to get another 7 in. For whatever reasons, I really struggled through the last 3 miles and the climb up the Brooklyn Bridge both ways. We made some water stops but was still feeling dehydrated on the waterless way back. I’m in the market for a running backpack with bladder capabilities. I brought a Gu gel along to practice fueling but didn’t ingest it, so I think I’ll stick to solids during next week’s race. I tried my new foam rollers out at home after while drinking a smoothie.

Sunday: Afternoon restorative yoga. I think I’m going to make a habit out of this to really stretch out on a weekly basis.

Totals: 14 running miles, ?? miles on a spin bike. 2 gym visits, 3 ClassPass classes, endless foam rolling.