Nothing really to blog about today. Tuesdays are my spin-class-lass days. I've been going to Nancy's spin class on Tuesdays since God was a boy. I used to go to the Thursday class too, which was taught by Nancy, but has since been taken over by the evil Bruce. Bruce is evil only because he is annoying. I feel bad (kind of) for saying this, but it's true. But, really, nothing wrong with him that a shovel to the head couldn't fix.
I later realized that I should have run today. Seebo and I will be taking a weekend trip up to New York. Plans are to run Saturday in Central Park. Being the creature of habit that I am, a Saturday run screws me all up. Usually I run Weds, Fri, Sunday.... spin class on Tuesdays and maybe something else another day, but not always. Experience has taught me that if I run more than three days a week, my body starts to revolt. I've been toying with the idea of breaking that mould and adding a day - but there are several things keeping me from doing so... one of which is that part of me doesn't want to run more than thrice a week... so why should I? Anyway.... I should have run today - which I actually did - but just for 2.25 miles (in 20:30... geek) and only really to make up the mileage lost on Sunday... so I don't really count it as a run.
So now I'm thinking I'll do my long run tomorrow, something easy on Thursday, and then run in Central Park on Saturday. I'm not sure how my body is going to like the change in schedule. My brain already doesn't like it. Good thing there's no mind/body connection... phew!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Silver lining
Finally. I got to run with Amy. I was starting to think that it wasn't going to happen ever, ever again. Amy baited me with an email saying that if I met her to run early Sunday morning, I would get to hear about her six-or-seven-glasses-of-wine-on-an-empty-stomach exploits. Who could refuse?
So we met... Lloyd Hall... hot and humid.... the billboard on 76W said it was 80 degrees and 85% humidity, and that was at quarter after seven in the A.M. As you might know (if you've been a faithful blog follower), I've been seeking the shelter of the climate controlled gym because, yes, I am that precious.
The first two miles were rough for me. I was glad to have Amy regaling me with her stories because I wasn't much in the mood to hold up my end of a conversation. Everything felt heavy... my arms, my legs, the air. It was going to be a long loop. Around mile four, Amy started feeling it too and, in fact, said that she was feeling nauseous. While I felt bad for Amy's nausea, I was glad to not be the only one not having such a fun time on the run. We decided to stop for a sip of water somewhere between the 4.25 and 4.5 markers. It wasn't until marker 6.25 that we picked up the pace again to run.
Now usually, I am not happy about stopping to walk. I feel like I 'failed' in some way. And I concede that I had some of those feelings today. But first of all, it was so much nicer to walk and doing so allowed me to actually have a conversation with my friend. Of course, we discussed relationships, new, old, and those that are actively unfolding. I also got to tell her all about the delicious dinner Seebo and I shared at a BYO downtown. I went into detail about the entree I had that was so out of this world, I can safely say it was in the top five of all dishes I've had in my entire life. Possibly even in the top three. Yes, it was that good. But this is a running blog..... so......
We decided after about two miles of walking and chatting, that we were feeling good enough to resume our run. Shortly after we did so, a soft and very welcome rain began to fall. While it was difficult getting the wheels to turn again, once we regained our cadence, the run felt pretty darn good. Our last mile was under a nine minute pace. Overall, I'd say we did about 6.6 in 58 minutes.
So we met... Lloyd Hall... hot and humid.... the billboard on 76W said it was 80 degrees and 85% humidity, and that was at quarter after seven in the A.M. As you might know (if you've been a faithful blog follower), I've been seeking the shelter of the climate controlled gym because, yes, I am that precious.
The first two miles were rough for me. I was glad to have Amy regaling me with her stories because I wasn't much in the mood to hold up my end of a conversation. Everything felt heavy... my arms, my legs, the air. It was going to be a long loop. Around mile four, Amy started feeling it too and, in fact, said that she was feeling nauseous. While I felt bad for Amy's nausea, I was glad to not be the only one not having such a fun time on the run. We decided to stop for a sip of water somewhere between the 4.25 and 4.5 markers. It wasn't until marker 6.25 that we picked up the pace again to run.
Now usually, I am not happy about stopping to walk. I feel like I 'failed' in some way. And I concede that I had some of those feelings today. But first of all, it was so much nicer to walk and doing so allowed me to actually have a conversation with my friend. Of course, we discussed relationships, new, old, and those that are actively unfolding. I also got to tell her all about the delicious dinner Seebo and I shared at a BYO downtown. I went into detail about the entree I had that was so out of this world, I can safely say it was in the top five of all dishes I've had in my entire life. Possibly even in the top three. Yes, it was that good. But this is a running blog..... so......
We decided after about two miles of walking and chatting, that we were feeling good enough to resume our run. Shortly after we did so, a soft and very welcome rain began to fall. While it was difficult getting the wheels to turn again, once we regained our cadence, the run felt pretty darn good. Our last mile was under a nine minute pace. Overall, I'd say we did about 6.6 in 58 minutes.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Absent-mindedness is a quality of lovers
The title of this post comes from a bathroom stall on Berkeley's campus. Go figure.
Since it's Friday, I was slated to go to the track but opted for the gym instead, figuring I could still do sort of an interval workout on the treddy. The goal, again, was 400s. Last week I did four of them. This week I wanted to do five - and faster, of course. I briefly consulted a wise old running sage about at what speed to set the treddy for my 400 intervals. He estimated that 7.7 or 7.8 mph would be about where I would want to be.
Warmed up for a mile and then set to do my first 400. I swore I knew which button to press on my watch to set the timer.. but apparently, I flaked... so that first interval went untimed. I started it at 7.7, but that felt too slow so I increased it to 7.9 and that felt better. The second interval, I somehow typed in 6.9 instead of 7.9 and it took me a while to figure out why it felt so slow. Duh... again - the time factor got messed up. Now I'm thinking, "What the heck, Rebecca? Why are you such a bubblehead today?"
It gets worse.... I can't even remember if I did five or six total intervals. I am pretty sure I did six. What I can remember was that one came in at 1:50, another came in at 1:49, and the last one came in at 1:48. I am pretty sure there was one that I did before the 1:50 one, but I don't remember the time (though I'm sure it was slower). And I don't remember, specifically, what distance I did my 'rest' intervals... sometimes it was 200s, sometimes it was 400s, sometimes it was somewhere in between there.
All in all, I know I ran 5.25 miles... and I think I'm remembering the time right: 45:35.... I think.
Since it's Friday, I was slated to go to the track but opted for the gym instead, figuring I could still do sort of an interval workout on the treddy. The goal, again, was 400s. Last week I did four of them. This week I wanted to do five - and faster, of course. I briefly consulted a wise old running sage about at what speed to set the treddy for my 400 intervals. He estimated that 7.7 or 7.8 mph would be about where I would want to be.
Warmed up for a mile and then set to do my first 400. I swore I knew which button to press on my watch to set the timer.. but apparently, I flaked... so that first interval went untimed. I started it at 7.7, but that felt too slow so I increased it to 7.9 and that felt better. The second interval, I somehow typed in 6.9 instead of 7.9 and it took me a while to figure out why it felt so slow. Duh... again - the time factor got messed up. Now I'm thinking, "What the heck, Rebecca? Why are you such a bubblehead today?"
It gets worse.... I can't even remember if I did five or six total intervals. I am pretty sure I did six. What I can remember was that one came in at 1:50, another came in at 1:49, and the last one came in at 1:48. I am pretty sure there was one that I did before the 1:50 one, but I don't remember the time (though I'm sure it was slower). And I don't remember, specifically, what distance I did my 'rest' intervals... sometimes it was 200s, sometimes it was 400s, sometimes it was somewhere in between there.
All in all, I know I ran 5.25 miles... and I think I'm remembering the time right: 45:35.... I think.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Stranger in a strange land
I didn't make it out yesterday morning for my run. I'll spare you the details, but it was a bad beginning to what turned out to be a pretty difficult (and busy) day. Heading out the door for work yesterday, I managed to bring along my running clothes, hoping to make it to the gym for a run after I finished with work. Wednesdays are late days, I run a group for adult sex offenders (wheeee!!!!) until 8pm.
True to my word, I made it to the gym and hopped on the hamster wheel. I'm unaccustomed to being at the gym in the evening, usually I'm done with my workout and leaving the gym before 7am. I know the early-riser crowd; I don't know the night owls. It was weird. I almost felt like I was violating some rule by being there at that hour.
My goal was to do at least five. And so I did... I did a total of 5.65 in 50 minutes. I threw a bunch of inclines in there too which felt like a good way to stretch my legs. It feels very different running at the end of the day versus the beginning. Not necessarily better or worse... just very different. I was glad to get my run in. I know I'm jinxing myself by saying this, but I haven't missed a run in over two months and I'd like to keep it that way.
True to my word, I made it to the gym and hopped on the hamster wheel. I'm unaccustomed to being at the gym in the evening, usually I'm done with my workout and leaving the gym before 7am. I know the early-riser crowd; I don't know the night owls. It was weird. I almost felt like I was violating some rule by being there at that hour.
My goal was to do at least five. And so I did... I did a total of 5.65 in 50 minutes. I threw a bunch of inclines in there too which felt like a good way to stretch my legs. It feels very different running at the end of the day versus the beginning. Not necessarily better or worse... just very different. I was glad to get my run in. I know I'm jinxing myself by saying this, but I haven't missed a run in over two months and I'd like to keep it that way.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Flying Solo
It's a good thing Amy and I were able to meet for lunch yesterday. Our Sunday runs usually double as our time to catch up with one another and the various goings on in our lives. It's been several weeks since we've run together due to vacations, work trips, conflicting social calendars and the like. We had planned to meet and do the Art Museum loop this morning around 7am, but due to a vast conspiracy orchestrated by several different airlines and the weather patterns of the western part of the country, we were unable to meet.
So, I was left to go it alone yet again this weekend and set off to do the Tinicum figure eight. I wasn't sure what the Interesting part of the loop would look like - it's been a while and the last time I ran it, and at that time, it was even too overgrown for my taste. Much to my pleasant surprise, the trail wasn't too bad. I don't know if the Tinicum gnomes did some pruning or what, but I didn't need my machete.
The Great Lake Drain of '07 continues at Tinicum. I just checked out their website, hopeful for a link to what I'm referring, but alas, no mention of it. There are signs posted around Darby Lake explaining what is going on, if you're interested. But for those of you not lucky enough to have the wildlife refuge in your backyard, I'll give you the skinny: Basically, they are lowering the level of Darby Lake for a period of time (which is never very deep anyway) to expose a good portion of the mudflats. This will provide all sorts of good eats for migratory birds. Not knowing much about birds myself, whether or not there are more varieties of finches or warblers or pipsquack birds as a result of this project is lost on me. What I have noticed is considerably more herons and egrets. Mostly because they're big.... and cool looking... and bright white (well, the egrets anyway). As I was running the 95-side of the Darby Lake loop, I must have startled a group of egrets because they took flight - more than a dozen of them, rising from the water, just a few feet overhead. I think this might have been the first time I've actually gotten goosebumps while running. Beautiful.
I felt pretty good on the run today.... with the exception of my back, which continues to pester me with a persistent, dull ache that's becoming not so dull. The weather was perfect and despite missing my friend, I enjoyed the run.
9.25 in 83 minutes
So, I was left to go it alone yet again this weekend and set off to do the Tinicum figure eight. I wasn't sure what the Interesting part of the loop would look like - it's been a while and the last time I ran it, and at that time, it was even too overgrown for my taste. Much to my pleasant surprise, the trail wasn't too bad. I don't know if the Tinicum gnomes did some pruning or what, but I didn't need my machete.
The Great Lake Drain of '07 continues at Tinicum. I just checked out their website, hopeful for a link to what I'm referring, but alas, no mention of it. There are signs posted around Darby Lake explaining what is going on, if you're interested. But for those of you not lucky enough to have the wildlife refuge in your backyard, I'll give you the skinny: Basically, they are lowering the level of Darby Lake for a period of time (which is never very deep anyway) to expose a good portion of the mudflats. This will provide all sorts of good eats for migratory birds. Not knowing much about birds myself, whether or not there are more varieties of finches or warblers or pipsquack birds as a result of this project is lost on me. What I have noticed is considerably more herons and egrets. Mostly because they're big.... and cool looking... and bright white (well, the egrets anyway). As I was running the 95-side of the Darby Lake loop, I must have startled a group of egrets because they took flight - more than a dozen of them, rising from the water, just a few feet overhead. I think this might have been the first time I've actually gotten goosebumps while running. Beautiful.
I felt pretty good on the run today.... with the exception of my back, which continues to pester me with a persistent, dull ache that's becoming not so dull. The weather was perfect and despite missing my friend, I enjoyed the run.
9.25 in 83 minutes
Friday, July 20, 2007
Eeyore
This morning I was pleasantly surprised to discover that some of the unrelenting heat and humidity have, well..... relented. It was still warmer than I'd prefer, but the jungle feel to the air was thankfully absent. So off to the track I went. Yes, I still hate and dread it. It's no longer a novelty.
In no mood to mess around, I skipped the usual 200s that I normally do. Today I just did 4 x 400s with 200 recovery intervals. I felt slow today and still not entirely comfy with the 400 distance, though I think I'm getting there. Went down like so: 1:55, 1:54, 1:53, 1:51. I wasn't very happy, but that kind of mirrors my mood of late.
Overall, 5.25 miles in 47:30.
Sunday promises a run with Amy - I'm hoping that will help lift me out of the running funk I've been in lately.
In no mood to mess around, I skipped the usual 200s that I normally do. Today I just did 4 x 400s with 200 recovery intervals. I felt slow today and still not entirely comfy with the 400 distance, though I think I'm getting there. Went down like so: 1:55, 1:54, 1:53, 1:51. I wasn't very happy, but that kind of mirrors my mood of late.
Overall, 5.25 miles in 47:30.
Sunday promises a run with Amy - I'm hoping that will help lift me out of the running funk I've been in lately.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
It's not the heat....
News Flash... Philly weather in mid July is nasty! I'm going to try not to whine and complain too much about how hot and humid it is. Suffice it to say that I loathe running in this weather. But you gotta do what you gotta do. As I was running I was longing for the not-too-far-away crisp autumn mornings. Of course soon enough I'll be complaining about the cold.
Did Tinincum this morning. In a break from tradition, I skipped the Interesting part of the initial loop. I didn't feel like contending with the foliage, which has (no doubt) by now swallowed up even more of the narrow trail. So I did the boring stretch along with the connecting trail that links the two loops and back again. That, plus a little neighborhood meandering made it 6 miles even in 53:11.
Note to self: Your back - especially your lower back - has been aching for a few days now. Today it started giving you agida around mile 4. Hopefully this will resolve as your adamantium vertebrae rights itself.
Did Tinincum this morning. In a break from tradition, I skipped the Interesting part of the initial loop. I didn't feel like contending with the foliage, which has (no doubt) by now swallowed up even more of the narrow trail. So I did the boring stretch along with the connecting trail that links the two loops and back again. That, plus a little neighborhood meandering made it 6 miles even in 53:11.
Note to self: Your back - especially your lower back - has been aching for a few days now. Today it started giving you agida around mile 4. Hopefully this will resolve as your adamantium vertebrae rights itself.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Plan B
Last weekend when I was in Indiana, I did not get in a long run. No big deal really, I was impressed enough with myself that I got in two runs (of any length)while on my mini-vacation. But that meant that I had to do a somewhat respectable distance this weekend. And I had a plan.
After pulling duty as airport taxi at 7am for my friend (and sometimes running partner) Amy, I planned to do the Tinicum loop. Old hat, yeah, but at least it would give me the mileage I was looking for. Well... long story short: Lots o' food from Saturday (BBQ + baseball game)still whoopin' it up in my gut + early morning temps above 80 with high humidity = decision to postpone running. So much for my plan.
I know myself well enough to know that postponing running is not always a smart idea. I'm highly skilled in discovering various reasons why I shouldn't run... or I'll get involved in other things that then somehow supersede the importance of running, etc. Typically, I run in the morning, when I'm too tired to generate such excuses. But, to my credit, I did get in a run... albeit a hamster wheel run. I felt good through out the run and even threw in the occasional elevation change to keep things interesting. It's kind of funny to me that my level of motivation on the hamster wheel is directly related to whether or not there are other treddy jocks suffering in kind. Not much to else say about it, other than it's done. 9.3 miles in 83 minutes (for all you quantitative goobers).
After pulling duty as airport taxi at 7am for my friend (and sometimes running partner) Amy, I planned to do the Tinicum loop. Old hat, yeah, but at least it would give me the mileage I was looking for. Well... long story short: Lots o' food from Saturday (BBQ + baseball game)still whoopin' it up in my gut + early morning temps above 80 with high humidity = decision to postpone running. So much for my plan.
I know myself well enough to know that postponing running is not always a smart idea. I'm highly skilled in discovering various reasons why I shouldn't run... or I'll get involved in other things that then somehow supersede the importance of running, etc. Typically, I run in the morning, when I'm too tired to generate such excuses. But, to my credit, I did get in a run... albeit a hamster wheel run. I felt good through out the run and even threw in the occasional elevation change to keep things interesting. It's kind of funny to me that my level of motivation on the hamster wheel is directly related to whether or not there are other treddy jocks suffering in kind. Not much to else say about it, other than it's done. 9.3 miles in 83 minutes (for all you quantitative goobers).
Friday, July 13, 2007
BFD
Yeah, so I went to the track... big deal. I still didn't like it and I had a sad thought as I headed out there, "Running isn't fun anymore." I know that few actually like track workouts, but this was of little comfort as I headed out to the track.
The workout itself went good and bad. Good in the sense that the intervals I did were at times that pleased me.. or at least didn't depress me. Bad in that I didn't do as many intervals as I had set out to do and actually stopped in the middle of one. I was tired and my heart just wasn't in it. End of the week apathy or just a general malaise?
All in all.... call it about 5 in 45min. BFD. >:P
The workout itself went good and bad. Good in the sense that the intervals I did were at times that pleased me.. or at least didn't depress me. Bad in that I didn't do as many intervals as I had set out to do and actually stopped in the middle of one. I was tired and my heart just wasn't in it. End of the week apathy or just a general malaise?
All in all.... call it about 5 in 45min. BFD. >:P
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Skort Report
Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered one of those dang running skorts. This one to be exact... in "moonstone". Who doesn't want to feel cute and sassy on their runs? Actually, I'm not sure I care all that much, but I did want to try it out. I decided to give it a whirl today during my run. I make no apologies for running on the treddy, it's too hot out... and, as has previously been established, I am that precious.
So the skort has these little 'bloomers' underneath that don't cover much of anything. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing such things on their own, but concealed beneath the skort, I though, "Maybe I can live with it." I put it on last night after work while unpacking from Indy - just to see if I liked it, or if it needed to be sent back. I felt like I should be on my way to the Country Club to meet the girls for tennis, tea & sympathy. But it was comfy enough to warrant ripping the tags off in preparation for this mornings trial run. Pun intended.
As noted above, it was a treddy day. This was my first run... and my first workout of any kind... since returning from Indiana. I won't lie, I was dragging a little. Did the initial warm up mile at 9:30 pace.. then (as per Ian's suggestion) did a bit of an iFartlek, though I did my own variation. All in all I did 5.75 in 51 and a half minutes... so not too bad for me. Usually I play around a bit more with the incline, but I left it pretty flat today since I was dragging a bit as it was.
You're curious to know how the skort fared, aren't you? I have to say... not bad. I think I kind of liked it. The little bloomers did ride up a bit, but not to the point where I felt like I had to readjust them during the run. No chaffing, so that's always a good thing. Still felt like I should have a racket in my hand, but hopefully that feeling will pass. So I'll give the skort a tentative thumbs up - three and a half cheetahs, if you will.
So the skort has these little 'bloomers' underneath that don't cover much of anything. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing such things on their own, but concealed beneath the skort, I though, "Maybe I can live with it." I put it on last night after work while unpacking from Indy - just to see if I liked it, or if it needed to be sent back. I felt like I should be on my way to the Country Club to meet the girls for tennis, tea & sympathy. But it was comfy enough to warrant ripping the tags off in preparation for this mornings trial run. Pun intended.
As noted above, it was a treddy day. This was my first run... and my first workout of any kind... since returning from Indiana. I won't lie, I was dragging a little. Did the initial warm up mile at 9:30 pace.. then (as per Ian's suggestion) did a bit of an iFartlek, though I did my own variation. All in all I did 5.75 in 51 and a half minutes... so not too bad for me. Usually I play around a bit more with the incline, but I left it pretty flat today since I was dragging a bit as it was.
You're curious to know how the skort fared, aren't you? I have to say... not bad. I think I kind of liked it. The little bloomers did ride up a bit, but not to the point where I felt like I had to readjust them during the run. No chaffing, so that's always a good thing. Still felt like I should have a racket in my hand, but hopefully that feeling will pass. So I'll give the skort a tentative thumbs up - three and a half cheetahs, if you will.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Bunny and GrandPal's
Still in Indy.... still gorging on good heartland food. You really ARE what you eat, at least I am anyway. Polly and Todd have been physically restraining me and force feeding me chocolate cake, ice cream, and chicken fajitas. It's been pretty rough.
This morning when I awoke, there was a lot of stuff still going on in my tummy - and none of it was good. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out the door to run. It did take me a little while longer to get out the door, but eventually I made it. I had forgotten my watch, so as I prepared for my run, I created a playlist on my iPod that would last about seventy five minutes. Wasn't sure if I'd last that long, but I figured I'd aim high.
We were at Polly's parent's house this morning, which overlooks a lake and is a good running location. And by good, I mean flat. It really is a shame that I wasn't feeling better because I imagine if I were, I would have enjoyed the run a lot more. But as it was, my body was revolting. On top of the tummy troubles, my legs felt like cement. I thought of Luca Brazzi and how he sleeps with the fishes. A swim in the lake sounded good to me.
All in all, I ran for about an hour. I have no idea the distance. I suppose were I really motivated, I could g-map it, but nah. If I were at home, I would be disappointed that I did not run farther, but since I'm on vacation, I'm just glad I was able to get myself out to run twice in the four days I've been out here.
I head home later today. Not looking forward to returning back to the hustle and bustle of my real life.... work, work, work. I've already had two work dreams. Pretty sad, I know. It's been nice hanging with the girls. Ellen is making a nice 2nd breakfast for me even as I type. Gonna go play with the girls for a little while longer. I'll be sad to leave, but glad to be home and see my Seebo. I hope he is taking it easy today and not being a silly monkey (running G5k).
This morning when I awoke, there was a lot of stuff still going on in my tummy - and none of it was good. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out the door to run. It did take me a little while longer to get out the door, but eventually I made it. I had forgotten my watch, so as I prepared for my run, I created a playlist on my iPod that would last about seventy five minutes. Wasn't sure if I'd last that long, but I figured I'd aim high.
We were at Polly's parent's house this morning, which overlooks a lake and is a good running location. And by good, I mean flat. It really is a shame that I wasn't feeling better because I imagine if I were, I would have enjoyed the run a lot more. But as it was, my body was revolting. On top of the tummy troubles, my legs felt like cement. I thought of Luca Brazzi and how he sleeps with the fishes. A swim in the lake sounded good to me.
All in all, I ran for about an hour. I have no idea the distance. I suppose were I really motivated, I could g-map it, but nah. If I were at home, I would be disappointed that I did not run farther, but since I'm on vacation, I'm just glad I was able to get myself out to run twice in the four days I've been out here.
I head home later today. Not looking forward to returning back to the hustle and bustle of my real life.... work, work, work. I've already had two work dreams. Pretty sad, I know. It's been nice hanging with the girls. Ellen is making a nice 2nd breakfast for me even as I type. Gonna go play with the girls for a little while longer. I'll be sad to leave, but glad to be home and see my Seebo. I hope he is taking it easy today and not being a silly monkey (running G5k).
Friday, July 6, 2007
NRG
Energy can come in many forms and express itself in a variety of fashions. While visiting with friends in Indiana, I am learning that the kind of energy it takes to keep up with a three year old and one year old is quite different than the energy required to run six miles or more.
Today was a treadmill workout, which was kind of nifty since the treddies had built in fans, which was cool (literally). I was able to squeeze in a little over six miles while the Shepard family cooled off at the pool at their local YMCA - which was the most badass Y I have ever seen. They had a family locker room, a men's locker room, a boy's locker room, a women's locker room, and a girl's locker room. I'm not kidding. The pool/water park at this place was unreal. I won't go into the details, but trust me, this wasn't the Village People's YMCA.
Anyway, the run went well.... though my gut was definitely aware of the extra goodies my midwest friends have plied me with. But I felt really good otherwise with the run. I forget the time, especially since I stopped my workout in the middle to **ahem** address some GI issues. Today was supposed to be a 'track' workout, but I kind of forgot about that until after the run... but that was fine. Hey... I'm on vacation and I am just proud to have gotten in a good run. We shall see what happens on Sunday.
Today was a treadmill workout, which was kind of nifty since the treddies had built in fans, which was cool (literally). I was able to squeeze in a little over six miles while the Shepard family cooled off at the pool at their local YMCA - which was the most badass Y I have ever seen. They had a family locker room, a men's locker room, a boy's locker room, a women's locker room, and a girl's locker room. I'm not kidding. The pool/water park at this place was unreal. I won't go into the details, but trust me, this wasn't the Village People's YMCA.
Anyway, the run went well.... though my gut was definitely aware of the extra goodies my midwest friends have plied me with. But I felt really good otherwise with the run. I forget the time, especially since I stopped my workout in the middle to **ahem** address some GI issues. Today was supposed to be a 'track' workout, but I kind of forgot about that until after the run... but that was fine. Hey... I'm on vacation and I am just proud to have gotten in a good run. We shall see what happens on Sunday.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Indoor fireworks
As I sit here contemplating how to form this blog entry about the 10k I ran this morning, all I can really think about is how much I'd prefer to blog about yesterday... which was, incidentally, my birthday. But.. I know this is a running blog, after all, and I know that if I let myself, I'll go on and on about it. Suffice it to say, yesterday was better than I could have ever hoped it to be. Thank you, sweetheart....mein geschenk.
Waking up this morning, we really could not complain about the rain, given yesterdays picture perfect weather. Still, there were some whines beginning to form as we headed out towards Downingtown. Thankfully, it was not raining there, though the clouds and cooler temps remained, which made for good racing conditions.
"Good Neighbor Day" in Downingtown offered three race distances: 5k, 10k, and 15k. Upon registration, we were forced to choose whether we wanted to run in a circle once, twice, or three times. I opted for twice.... felt like Goldilocks's porridge.
Lining up for the race, I wondered how many people were doing each distance and I worried about going out too fast with the 5k folks, who I suspected made up the majority of the race participants. The first mile came in right around 8min 30sec. I haven't raced this distance more than a couple of times, so I wasn't really sure if that was too fast or not. It felt pretty good, so I tried to hang on to that pace. I missed the second mile mark on the first go around. I managed to clock a few other splits at right around 8min 44secs and felt pretty happy with that. Really, my only goal was that Seebo would not finish his 15k before I finished my 10k... and, of course, that was a real possibility. Though the official results are not posted yet, I'm fairly sure that I met my goal. I finished in just over 53 minutes and felt pleased with how I did. I felt good at the end and, of course, then wondered if I could have run it harder.
Looking forward to (more) fireworks with my honey later on this evening.
Waking up this morning, we really could not complain about the rain, given yesterdays picture perfect weather. Still, there were some whines beginning to form as we headed out towards Downingtown. Thankfully, it was not raining there, though the clouds and cooler temps remained, which made for good racing conditions.
"Good Neighbor Day" in Downingtown offered three race distances: 5k, 10k, and 15k. Upon registration, we were forced to choose whether we wanted to run in a circle once, twice, or three times. I opted for twice.... felt like Goldilocks's porridge.
Lining up for the race, I wondered how many people were doing each distance and I worried about going out too fast with the 5k folks, who I suspected made up the majority of the race participants. The first mile came in right around 8min 30sec. I haven't raced this distance more than a couple of times, so I wasn't really sure if that was too fast or not. It felt pretty good, so I tried to hang on to that pace. I missed the second mile mark on the first go around. I managed to clock a few other splits at right around 8min 44secs and felt pretty happy with that. Really, my only goal was that Seebo would not finish his 15k before I finished my 10k... and, of course, that was a real possibility. Though the official results are not posted yet, I'm fairly sure that I met my goal. I finished in just over 53 minutes and felt pleased with how I did. I felt good at the end and, of course, then wondered if I could have run it harder.
Looking forward to (more) fireworks with my honey later on this evening.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Chicken and bunnies
Another Sunday morning... another solo long run. I miss my friend, Amy. She's out of town this weekend and I'm out of town next weekend, so it'll be a while before we get to run together again. My iPod is good company, but Amy - with her wild stories - is infinitely better.
Figure 8 Tinicum was on the menu again today - but I added a teensy little bit at the beginning and end, just so I could say to myself, "Well, you ran further than last week." Progress, however minor, is still progress.
I headed out right around 7am and in my neighborhood travels, saw a yard sale. If you are looking for an upright punching bag or a bean bag chair, Prospect Park is the place. Not too many people out and about in Tinicum... mostly vermin and birds. At the south end of Darby Lake, congregated about a dozen Great Egrets. I've never seen that many in one place before.
And, of course, the obligatory vermin.... mice, moles, rabbits, groundhogs, etc... abounded. The bunnies were especially plentiful - not surprisingly... living up to the stereotype. I found myself marveling that on one run, not too long ago, the turtles were giving the rabbits a good run for the money (in terms of number cited, that is).
Today it was wabbit season, most definitely. There were scores of them... little ones too. It seemed that the smaller ones, the babies, or perhaps adolescents, were more brazen. They'd see me coming, hold their position on the trail, and stare me down. Rest assured, in this game of chicken, I always won. I figured if they didn't budge and I trampled one of them... well.... rabbit stew!!! Okay, probably not. The reality is, were that to actually happen, I'd surely cry for several days and wonder if there truly was a blood thirsty carnivore lurking inside me.
Guess I should probably write a little about the run itself. I don't really understand why it is, after seven years (give or take) of running, that I still feel like I'm not going to make it through my long run. I give myself permission to stop if I need to, knowing full well that I will berate myself for doing so. And I don't stop and I make it through despite myself and think in hindsight, "It really wasn't too bad", which is why, I suppose, I continue to do it week after week.
They're putting down more and more of the large rock gravel along the Tinicum trails. I am less than pleased about this. I find that surface hard to run on. I saw a few big piles of gravel along the stretch that links the two loops, knowing that it was destined to soon be spread upon the trail. I actually had thoughts of somehow stealing these piles of gravel in the dark of night to prevent this from happening. Ludicrous, I know, but I couldn't stop my criminal mind from hatching a plan.
Reading Seebo's blog from yesterday, I feel a bit jealous that he is able to sort things through in his mind while running. I've never been able to do that. Most of my mental energy is focused on the run, making sure I don't trip over anything (especially on the Interesting Part of the initial loop), and figuring out where I could get a bulldozer to move unwanted gravel. What's so amazing about really deep running thoughts anyway? It's actually a nice break for me - running - when I don't have a bunch of thoughts bouncing around in my head. Maybe it's the respite I need to keep from driving myself too crazy sometimes.
Another run on the books. No hassenpfeffer for dinner, but that's fine by me. 9.8 in 90 minutes.
Figure 8 Tinicum was on the menu again today - but I added a teensy little bit at the beginning and end, just so I could say to myself, "Well, you ran further than last week." Progress, however minor, is still progress.
I headed out right around 7am and in my neighborhood travels, saw a yard sale. If you are looking for an upright punching bag or a bean bag chair, Prospect Park is the place. Not too many people out and about in Tinicum... mostly vermin and birds. At the south end of Darby Lake, congregated about a dozen Great Egrets. I've never seen that many in one place before.
And, of course, the obligatory vermin.... mice, moles, rabbits, groundhogs, etc... abounded. The bunnies were especially plentiful - not surprisingly... living up to the stereotype. I found myself marveling that on one run, not too long ago, the turtles were giving the rabbits a good run for the money (in terms of number cited, that is).
Today it was wabbit season, most definitely. There were scores of them... little ones too. It seemed that the smaller ones, the babies, or perhaps adolescents, were more brazen. They'd see me coming, hold their position on the trail, and stare me down. Rest assured, in this game of chicken, I always won. I figured if they didn't budge and I trampled one of them... well.... rabbit stew!!! Okay, probably not. The reality is, were that to actually happen, I'd surely cry for several days and wonder if there truly was a blood thirsty carnivore lurking inside me.
Guess I should probably write a little about the run itself. I don't really understand why it is, after seven years (give or take) of running, that I still feel like I'm not going to make it through my long run. I give myself permission to stop if I need to, knowing full well that I will berate myself for doing so. And I don't stop and I make it through despite myself and think in hindsight, "It really wasn't too bad", which is why, I suppose, I continue to do it week after week.
They're putting down more and more of the large rock gravel along the Tinicum trails. I am less than pleased about this. I find that surface hard to run on. I saw a few big piles of gravel along the stretch that links the two loops, knowing that it was destined to soon be spread upon the trail. I actually had thoughts of somehow stealing these piles of gravel in the dark of night to prevent this from happening. Ludicrous, I know, but I couldn't stop my criminal mind from hatching a plan.
Reading Seebo's blog from yesterday, I feel a bit jealous that he is able to sort things through in his mind while running. I've never been able to do that. Most of my mental energy is focused on the run, making sure I don't trip over anything (especially on the Interesting Part of the initial loop), and figuring out where I could get a bulldozer to move unwanted gravel. What's so amazing about really deep running thoughts anyway? It's actually a nice break for me - running - when I don't have a bunch of thoughts bouncing around in my head. Maybe it's the respite I need to keep from driving myself too crazy sometimes.
Another run on the books. No hassenpfeffer for dinner, but that's fine by me. 9.8 in 90 minutes.
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