It’s T.G.I.F. Picture Day as designated by NikeMom so here’s a look at what I’ve been doing this week.

(To those who are asking, yes I did carve them! All by myself! And no, I’m not posting close-ups because they just don’t look that great close-up. LOL!)

In running news it’s been a pretty mellow week. The way I see it, I’m tapering for the race on Sunday…even if I haven’t really been following a training program since the marathon. After my windy 5K on Tuesday, I took Wednesday off because it was even colder and windier. Tonight a couple of friends met me for an 8K; we kept up a nice pace with some good conversation, and promptly dug into the Halloween treats when we were done.

Today is the Virtual 3.1 Pumpkin Run so go put on your costume and run 3.1 miles, 3.1K or 3.1 laps around the block. Try not to scare the trick-or-treaters! Stay tuned for my report & pics tomorrow.

Be safe & have fun!

The Runners’ Lounge: Take it and Run Thursday topic for this week is Superpowers. As a runner, what superpower would we most like to have? (besides the obvious, SPEED!)

Any Heroes fans in the house?

I’m going with Peter Petrelli’s superpower: the ability to absorb and mimic the powers of others. You see, this way I’ll have access to a multitude of superpowers depending on what I need for the situation. I can borrow Pounding the (NYC) Pavement’s built-in air conditioner, Running at the Mouth’s hill-flattener, Cross Country Squared’s command of daylight, Mel’s immediate healing, Training for a Half’s Achilles (minus the heel), Fitness Geek’s traffic control, See Nat Run’s wind control, Julianne’s super metabolism… to name a few!

I just discovered that joyRuN had the same brilliant idea as I. I guess we can share it.

I think most (all?) runners have a list of marathons (or other races) that we’d like to complete in our lifetime. With the New York City Marathon coming up this weekend, it has me thinking about my list. Some are realistic, some not so much. Here it is.

Canada

Toronto
It falls just three weeks after Toronto’s other premiere event, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and from what I’ve heard offers a much more scenic (and challenging) course and usually more favourable weather conditions.

Niagara Falls
The only marathon in the world that starts in one country and finishes in another. After reading Marci’s report I am even more excited about this one.

Ottawa
I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best around for crowd support, and it’s in our nation’s capital. I’ve never even been there!

Vancouver
I’ve never ventured west of Ontario (within Canada) but would love to see British Columbia. I’ve been told Vancouver is a must-do for Canadians.

U.S.

the obvious one: New York City
New York is my favourite place I have ever visited. It’s an amazing city and this would be an event like no other.

Chicago
Earlier this year I watched Spirit of the Marathon and left the theatre knowing I had to run Chicago one day.

San Francisco (Women’s)
Chocolate on the course, probably the most stylish race tee, a Tiffany finisher’s necklace, firefighters and all kinds of other girlie amenities, all in a beautiful city. What more could a girl ask for?

Walt Disney World Marathon
Need I say more?

Boston
A girl can dream.

Far & Away

London
My hubby was born and raised in England. Last year I spent a week in London with my Mom (thank you radio contest!) and had the time of my life. I love the city and what better way to embrace it?

Gold Coast
It’s AUSTRALIA!!!

Great Wall of China
This is my big goal. Of the world’s adventure marathons, it’s the one I want to complete. I first had the idea about a year ago and hubby and I actually considered planning it for 2009. We poured over budgets and itineraries and were pretty serious about it, but in the end we decided to put it off for now. But mark my words: we will do it one day.

So, what’s on your list?

There’s a snowsquall warning around here, so I bundled up before heading out for my easy 5K after work.

A snowsquall is a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. It is often referred to as a whiteout and is similar to a blizzard but is localized in time or in space and snow accumulations may or may not be significant.

No sign of snow (yet) but the wind was out in full force! I found myself running against 60+km/h winds and it felt like I was hardly moving at times. I’m definitely not a fan of the wind (is anyone??), especially when it carries a chill to the tune of -3oC (26F). I think I’ve earned myself a hot chocolate.

You just never know what you’re gonna get this time of year! There’s a forecast of snow AND rain overnight, so who knows what tomorrow night’s run will bring.

The Hamilton Road2Hope Half Marathon on November 8th will be my third 21.1K/13.1mi. Having trained for and recently completed my first full marathon and run a handful of shorter races this year (three 10K’s, one 5K), I am anxious to tackle the half marathon distance again.

I’m looking forward to it. It’s a distance that’s just long enough to be a challenge, without leaving me feeling like I’ve jumped out of a plane without a parachute. At least, hopefully.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have three goals for this race (my PR is 2:01:00):

A. 1:55 (5:27/KM): This is my ideal goal.
B. <1:58:57 (5:38/KM): You may be wondering about the random number – it’s a friend’s HM PR. A friend (male) whose 10K PR is 40 seconds faster than mine, HM PR is 2 minutes faster than mine and marathon PR is 3 minutes faster than mine (this is the guy who ran the entire second half of the race with me, but the bugger crossed the start line after me. No fair!). Nothing like a little friendly competition. I like trying to beat the boys.
C. <2:00 (5:41/KM). If it kills me, I will come in under two hours.

As for the game plan? The first half of the race is downhill, so I plan to use that to my advantage. My goal is to hold a 5:15-5:25 pace for the first half until it flattens out. At that point, I will re-assess and slow down a little, or try to maintain the pace if I feel like I can. I know anything can happen on race day, but I feel pretty prepared.