I'm a Ford Tempo, You're a Maserati

That's from a Kathleen Edwards song that's stuck in my head. Feeling like a Ford Tempo these days.

Two miles pre spin class in 16:52

Not sure that was a good idea

Yeah... so I ran today.... don't know what I was thinking. I ran farther than usual yesterday and was feeling great about that run, so it wasn't like I was feeling the need to catch up today. Just got some extra agida to burn off, I suppose. Somehow I thought a short little jaunt at the hottest point in the day was a good idea and maybe it was. Its sometimes hard to know what to do with these feelings. Salsa isn't for another six or so hours, so I needed some release.

2.4 in 20:20.

Recalibrated

We are creatures of habit. Well, I know I am. When my routine gets disturbed, it's usually not a good thing. Spending the last two days in Lancaster at a conference is not typical to my schedule.... there is even more sitting than usual and there are lots of snacks available to nosh on throughout the day. Sitting and noshing, sitting and noshing... that was the routine for Thursday and Friday. Oh yeah, and no running. I had brought running clothes and had even consulted a local map to plot out a running course. I'll blame my coworker for me not running - since she and her friends from Lancaster (no they weren't Amish) were influential in me drinking more than I should.

I was wiped out from all that nonactivity so I went to bed at 9pm last night and slept the whole night through. I awoke feeling refreshed and ready for a nice long run to help recalibrate my system. I knew Tinicum would be on the menu. Having hiked the lower loop a few days earlier, I knew the 'interesting' part of the lower loop was very overgrown, so I opted to forgo that section. Instead, I decided to run out the boring part, do twice around the upper loop, and then back down the boring part and home. I wasn't sure what the mileage of this would work out to, but I knew it would be an ambitious run for me, which is what I wanted. I decided to keep the pace relaxed and to allow myself to walk, if need be, in order to ensure that I did what I set out to do.

I felt pretty good setting out... kept the pace under control and was happy that my body wasn't doing any of the funny achy stuff it sometimes does. When I reached the upper parking lot at the top of the upper loop, I met a man from Seattle who is in town with his daughter visiting colleges. They are staying in one of the nearby airport hotels. He asked me if there were any good running trails in Tinicum. Ha! Well, he may have gotten more than he bargained for. I invited him to run along with me and I would tell him about Tinicum. It was nice, we ran together for probably about a mile and a half before he dropped back. It made me realize how much I miss having a regular running partner. The time goes so much more quickly.

Once at the top of the upper loop again, I decided to look for a water fountain. I knew there was a visitor's center there, but had never ventured inside. Not only are there two water fountains... there's also a bathroom! Good to know. Heading back down the upper loop, I was feeling pretty tired, which wasn't surprising given that I had been running for about eighty minutes. I knew it would be tough for me to continue running the entire way home, so I took two short walk breaks, which helped a lot, and eventually, I did make it home.

Piecing together various G-maps (and subtracting out what I walked)... looks like I ran about 12.2 miles in 1:47:30. Felt good and now all systems are back to normal.

Good enough

I was pressed for time this morning with an 8am appointment on the schedule. Managed to get myself out the door by 5:15 for my run, but I still knew I wouldn't have as much time as I wanted. Temps were a bit on the chilly side this morning which was nice for a change, though I fear that it interfered with my whole acclimating to the heat thing.

Did a ghetto Acme loop this morning, which included the hill that I ended up walking part of last week. Good news is I didn't walk up the hill this week and, in general, I felt pretty good. I was disappointed that my overall time wasn't faster since it felt like it should have been, but that's okay. I got out there and ran and felt good and any day I can say that, I'll chalk up to a good day.

4.2 in 36:40.

Progression

I used to subscribe to Runner's World. Not finding it all that useful and sometimes feeling inadequate compared to their cover models, I decided not to renew the subscription when it ran out. In an attempt to woo me back, they sent me a complimentary copy of the July 2008 issue in which there is an article about progression runs (which I read while falling asleep on the couch). I decided to make today's run an attempt at a progression run. I remembered last week, running with Amy at a somewhat slower pace, I felt great pretty much the whole time, despite it being a very, very hot day.

Headed down to the Art Museum around 7am, trying to beat the heat, though there's no beating the humidity. I remembered in the article reading about breaking the run down into three segments, trying to make each segment progressively faster. Given that I haven't done a good, long run in a while, I decided to think of this run as a 6 mile run (3 two-mile segments) with the extra two and a half tacked on at the end for good measure. So, the first two miles were a nice and easy 9:20 pace. I had no trouble maintaining the pace and could feel the urge to run faster. I wanted miles 3 and 4 to be at a 9 minute pace, but I over (or under) shot my goal and the miles came in at 8:53 and 8:55, respectively. At this point I was hot and a bit tired, but I tried to push through and surprised myself by turning in mile 5 at 8:37 and mile 6 at 8:31 ... and then just because I was feeling like it, mile 7 came in at 8:30. Now I was really hot and tired. I took it easy during mile 8 - running about a 9 minute pace. I accidentally hit the stop button instead of the split button at the eight mile marker, so I don't know what I did for that last half mile, and, really, it matters not.

8 miles in 70:40 ... the other half mile ???

Acclimating

Headed out the door about 6:30 this morning, later than I wanted but still early enough so that the temps were cool enough. Still, summer running takes a bit of getting used to. The air isn't just warmer, it's thicker.

Did the Acme loop this morning, which gives me some hills. I felt slow this morning... though not as bad as I did on Wednesday, so I guess I'll be happy for the improvement. I had that I-wanna-stop feeling several times along the way, especially up the hills, but I managed to keep going, mainly by making myself little deals along the way. Just make it to that tree, light post, sign, etc. and you can stop if you still feel this bad. I'm glad I was able to keep going. I know it's silly, but I do feel a sense of failure if I stop during a run.

I knew my pace was a bit slower than I wanted it to be, but I allowed myself that given that I'm still acclimating to the change in conditions.

4.5 in 40 minutes.

Moving On

I knew from the first few paces that my run wouldn't be easy. It's not unusual to feel that way at the beginning of a run, but most times, it gets better at some point along the way and that heavy, out of breath feeling from early on seems a distant memory.

Things didn't go that way today. Just about every step was labored and at two points along the way, I walked... which I hate to do.... but I tried to not be too hard on myself this morning. At least I got out there and ran... put one foot in front of the other and kept going.

4.65 miles in 42 minutes.

Well, Hello There Summer...

You're a little early, but that's okay. It's always nice when you can actually SEE the humidity. Steamy, I think, would best describe the conditions this morning. I met Amy (!!!yeah!!!) at Falls Bridge at 8am this morning for a fun-filled jaunt around the loop. Temps were already in the mid 70s at that point and it was just getting to that part in the morning where the sun is strong enough to burn through the haze.

We took our time, which was smart, and solved each other's life problems along the way - as is our usual routine. Once we reached the Art Museum we agreed to do a 1/2 run, 1/4 mile walk thing to preserve our energy and keep Amy's head from popping off. (She was worried it would. I assured her I'd do my best to catch it.)

The Dragon Boat races were today. Amy's friend Lee/Leigh is the captain of the Tsunami Dragons, so we made sure to catch up with her after her first race. Amy decided to stay and hang with Lee/Leigh while I finished the loop - running the remainder of the way. (And, no, Amy, I still don't hate you for abandoning me.)

As always, it was a treat to run with Amy. Of course, without her for that last mile and a half, I put the pressure on myself to pick up the pace. And, really, I just wanted to be done at that point. My goal for the day was to run for an hour - which I accomplished just as I dropped off Amy. So that extra mile and a half or so on top of that were just gravy - which was fine with me.

Ran for a 72 minutes. Unsure of the miles covered.

Baptism

Yes, it was pouring rain when I woke up this morning - just as it was last night when I came home from salsa. Still, I couldn't bring myself to do yet another hamster wheel run. I impressed myself by getting out of bed and dressing to run. As a reward, it seemed, the rain slowed a bit.

I knew today's run would be no great shakes, and it wasn't. I was tired, my legs didn't really want to go, but I was glad to be out and running. The air was warm, as was the rain. I left the iPod at home (not the watch though) and just listened to the sounds of the rain, my footsteps, my breathing.

Meandering through my blue-collar neighborhood, I worried less and less about the run and just tried to enjoy myself. I watched people struggling to stay dry while getting in their cars on their way to work. It made me smile to know that I'd be doing the same dance soon enough even though there I was running through it without even a baseball cap. I felt a sense of freedom that was both sad and sweet.

While it wasn't the fastest run I've ever done, I set out to run for 40 minutes and that's what I did. So, mission accomplished, and as an added bonus, I was baptized into a new day.

About 4.5 in 40 minutes.