When I'm not running, I'm not feeling inclined to post. In fact, I
wasn't even inclined to read many bloops last week. I ran an impromptu
half-marathon last Sunday on the Greenway before work and had a
full-blown case of strep throat by midday Monday. I writhed and whined
and complained for 2 days with a fever hovering around 103*. By
Thursday evening, I was able to get some food down without it being
super painful and Friday I was starting to feel back to normal.
Today,
I knew I wanted to get back to running. I am not one to be overly
cautious about my health, but since I came down with the flu 24 hours
after my March marathon and this strep business happened right after
this random half, methinks I need to play it safe. We all know that I'm
not a crazy health food nut, but I do try to eat right 75% of the
time--my kale smoothies, tons of fruits/veggies throughout the day, and
mostly home-cooked meals have to contribute to something. I get plenty
of sleep. I get plenty of exercise (more running, less other stuff, but
whatevs). I'm in a happy relationship. I'm financially stable. My work
is generally not terribly stressful. So I'm not sure what is going on
with all this illness. In the past 10 years, I normally just get a cold
for a couple of days once a year. Hopefully it's just flukey and I
won't have Ebola next month.
I ran tonight though. It
was a strange run, but overall pretty good coming off 5 days of
illness. I told myself to start out slow and just figure out how far I
wanted to go based on how I felt. But as I hit the 2 mile mark, I knew I
was going to do my standard 7 miler and was hovering around 7:50 mm.
Way too fast to be comfortable, but I was so happy that I was running
again. I used the facilities at the turnaround point and then headed
back. Somewhere near the 5 mile mark, my Garmin completely died. In a
way, I was kind of glad because I would have no idea how fast I was
going. I could just run the last 2 miles at whatever pace I deemed to
be comfortable. It was getting to be twilight so I kept it closer to a
tempo pace. No one was on the Greenway so I just ran right in the
middle like I owned the joint! It felt good to know that 5 days off and
I was no worse for the wear.
I dipped below 100 in my
monthly mileage in March; I likely will in April as well. Nearly a week
without running will do that. I am not currently training for
anything, but I hope to enjoy at least a few cool mornings in May by
doing some long runs. And, of course, I hope to get back over the 100
mile mark. I'm not obsessed with my numbers in the sense that I need to
hit the mark all the time, I just use it as a good gauge of my own
fitness. So, I am saying 'ta-ta' to these sub-100 months and 'hello' to
May!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
I have a crush
I just wrote a long post about how much I love the Loop and Loopsters
and Loopville. And then, like I was channeling Pluck in some alter
universe, I deleted the entire post.
There was a lot of ramblings about how I'm an average runner, an average girl, but somehow I feel superhuman because I'm part of this awesome community. The past week has shown some of the biggest hearts in the world live in Loopville and I continue to be inspired and humbled by all the awesome.
I like to channel Loopsters when I run. There are certain 'characters' that pop into my mind when I'm on the treadmill, on a hill, doing speedwork, exhausted, elated, enraged, delighted, pushing my body to the limits, skipping along the path, jamming out to my tunes, watching the wildlife through the trees, giving aggressive the bird, waving to the nice drivers, blowing snot rockets, fighting the wind, dodging raindrops, sprinting for a
, checking my stride, chicking dudes, wrestling with my Garmin, and enjoying a run.
Thanks for making me run faster, further, and with more smiles than I ever thought possible.
There was a lot of ramblings about how I'm an average runner, an average girl, but somehow I feel superhuman because I'm part of this awesome community. The past week has shown some of the biggest hearts in the world live in Loopville and I continue to be inspired and humbled by all the awesome.
I like to channel Loopsters when I run. There are certain 'characters' that pop into my mind when I'm on the treadmill, on a hill, doing speedwork, exhausted, elated, enraged, delighted, pushing my body to the limits, skipping along the path, jamming out to my tunes, watching the wildlife through the trees, giving aggressive the bird, waving to the nice drivers, blowing snot rockets, fighting the wind, dodging raindrops, sprinting for a
, checking my stride, chicking dudes, wrestling with my Garmin, and enjoying a run.Thanks for making me run faster, further, and with more smiles than I ever thought possible.
Monday, April 15, 2013
NRR: a most riduculous vacay (pics galore)
First and foremost, I am not insensitive to the tragedy in Boston
today. My heart is heavy and my eyes have brimmed full of tears more
than once today as I've watched the coverage unfold. I will pray for
our community to hold each other tight and continue to keep putting one
foot in front of the other. There is not a stronger group of spirits
that I know than the ones I have met through running. Persevere,
runners, persevere.
But as I go back to work tomorrow and face a insurmountable pile of fun, I will spend my remaining hours of freedom sharing my super-awesome-ridiculous-over-the-top-fu
The boring stuff: I ran 5 of the 10 days I was gone. Just as planned. 2 outside runs. 1 fabulous, 1 terrible. 3 treadmill boat runs. 1 less hungover, 1 more hungover, 1 slightly intoxicated (don't judge...). They were all 7 miles. The ones outside were about 7:45-7:55 pace and the ones inside were at 7.2 mph (8:20). I was happy I ran and it was just enough that I *normal*, but not too much that I couldn't enjoy my vacation.
'Cause good God, I enjoyed it!!!!!!!
Instead of a day-by-day, let's just hit some highlights captured by the camera lens.
First up, my sister and I met some new friends on the deck about 5 minutes after we had mojitos in hand:
We decided that we couldn't have all the fun, so we let our SO's pose with our new friends:
My brother (Chris) and my husband best friend (Jeff) were sharing a balcony room next to Adam and myself and so we were able to make a giant balcony by opening the divider. It was great to relax (or party) on our own little deck:
Sunday was our first formal night and I got into my first sparkles outfit.
You can't really see the sparkles of the dress in the pic, but I promise they were there. Besides, the shoes are clearly the more important part of this ridiculousness:
There is a 3 drink minimum to wear these heels. And a 3 drink minimum to Tebow wearing the heels next to a Tebow jersey (it's kind of a *thing* in our group):
Hubs looked quite dapper as well. He's in the red shirt:
The next day, I sobered up to drive an ATV alongside Adam in Cozumel. So. Much. Fun. I had dirt all over my teeth because I was smiling the whole time we rode:
When you start your breakfasts with 22 drinks for 6 people (caffeine, caffeine, booze, booze, juice, juice with booze, etc), you know the day is bound to be successful:
We went snorkeling in Belize:
Then relaxed under palm trees on our private island with frosty beverages:
Some *ahem* people, might be tempted to do Usain Bolt poses while eating cheeseburgers in a bikini:
The boys were on the same silly train and decided it was Hawaiian shirt night for dinner:
All good nights are topped off by rousing renditions of the Cupid Shuffle, the Electric Slide, the Wobble, and dancing like a fiend until 4am. What's the best idea at 4am??? PIZZA!!!! Jeff and I (Adam's a gambler, not a dancer) met some frat boys at the 24-hour pizza place and laughed until our sides hurt. Unfortunately, Jeff's pizza suffered a severe tragedy:
Wednesday (well, from 4am til Thursday breakfast) was sober day. Adam and I had a date with the dolphins. I've never been madly in love with dolphins, but this being my 7th cruise, I wanted to do something I'd never done before. This excursion made me madly in love with dolphins!!!!!!!!!!!! They are like sea dogs. They fetch, talk, swim around like crazy, and are seemingly loyal creatures. Adam and I got to 'hold' Bailey:
She also gave kisses too:
We also got to don snorkel gear and swim around with them. Seriously, if you cruise, you really should consider doing this. It was worth every penny. This was the second excursion we've done with Anthony's Key Resort in Honduras and I have nothing but good things to say.
The following day, we hung out on a sand bar in the Cayman Islands. I found some more creatures to hold (but they aren't as cute and smart):
Later in the evening, the crew got dressed up for formal night #2:
And I practiced more Usain poses:
In the morning, I ordered the most ridiculous thing I found on the brunch menu. Fruit Loop Crusted French Toast. Shut the front door!!!! It was actually pretty good. My inner fat kid was like, yippee!!!!!
We hung out on deck all day and watched another gorgeous sunset from the balcony:
Then we got ready for dinner. A little back story: My in-laws own a trophy/engraving business in Miami. We got my brother-in-law to make us a trophy in route to the boat:
We kind of were not thinking at the beginning of the cruise that it was going to be pretty obvious that our barman would end up getting it. But then he started saying things like "I know your Folio number, you don't need to give me your card" and hanging out for about 50% of our meals. So my sister and I dressed up the trophy to look like our barman:
When we presented it to him, he was actually so elated that my heart swelled a little.
On the final night, I was so happy I got my favorite towel animal in my room, the elephant:
So of course, there are so many things I left out for various reasons (I forgot, I forgot on purpose, I'm not allowed to speak of it outside of international waters, etc). But clearly, if you need cruise tips, I'm your girl.
But as I go back to work tomorrow and face a insurmountable pile of fun, I will spend my remaining hours of freedom sharing my super-awesome-ridiculous-over-the-top-fu
The boring stuff: I ran 5 of the 10 days I was gone. Just as planned. 2 outside runs. 1 fabulous, 1 terrible. 3 treadmill boat runs. 1 less hungover, 1 more hungover, 1 slightly intoxicated (don't judge...). They were all 7 miles. The ones outside were about 7:45-7:55 pace and the ones inside were at 7.2 mph (8:20). I was happy I ran and it was just enough that I *normal*, but not too much that I couldn't enjoy my vacation.
'Cause good God, I enjoyed it!!!!!!!
Instead of a day-by-day, let's just hit some highlights captured by the camera lens.
First up, my sister and I met some new friends on the deck about 5 minutes after we had mojitos in hand:
We decided that we couldn't have all the fun, so we let our SO's pose with our new friends:
My brother (Chris) and my husband best friend (Jeff) were sharing a balcony room next to Adam and myself and so we were able to make a giant balcony by opening the divider. It was great to relax (or party) on our own little deck:
Sunday was our first formal night and I got into my first sparkles outfit.
You can't really see the sparkles of the dress in the pic, but I promise they were there. Besides, the shoes are clearly the more important part of this ridiculousness:
There is a 3 drink minimum to wear these heels. And a 3 drink minimum to Tebow wearing the heels next to a Tebow jersey (it's kind of a *thing* in our group):
Hubs looked quite dapper as well. He's in the red shirt:
The next day, I sobered up to drive an ATV alongside Adam in Cozumel. So. Much. Fun. I had dirt all over my teeth because I was smiling the whole time we rode:
When you start your breakfasts with 22 drinks for 6 people (caffeine, caffeine, booze, booze, juice, juice with booze, etc), you know the day is bound to be successful:
We went snorkeling in Belize:
Then relaxed under palm trees on our private island with frosty beverages:
Some *ahem* people, might be tempted to do Usain Bolt poses while eating cheeseburgers in a bikini:
The boys were on the same silly train and decided it was Hawaiian shirt night for dinner:
All good nights are topped off by rousing renditions of the Cupid Shuffle, the Electric Slide, the Wobble, and dancing like a fiend until 4am. What's the best idea at 4am??? PIZZA!!!! Jeff and I (Adam's a gambler, not a dancer) met some frat boys at the 24-hour pizza place and laughed until our sides hurt. Unfortunately, Jeff's pizza suffered a severe tragedy:
Wednesday (well, from 4am til Thursday breakfast) was sober day. Adam and I had a date with the dolphins. I've never been madly in love with dolphins, but this being my 7th cruise, I wanted to do something I'd never done before. This excursion made me madly in love with dolphins!!!!!!!!!!!! They are like sea dogs. They fetch, talk, swim around like crazy, and are seemingly loyal creatures. Adam and I got to 'hold' Bailey:
She also gave kisses too:
We also got to don snorkel gear and swim around with them. Seriously, if you cruise, you really should consider doing this. It was worth every penny. This was the second excursion we've done with Anthony's Key Resort in Honduras and I have nothing but good things to say.
The following day, we hung out on a sand bar in the Cayman Islands. I found some more creatures to hold (but they aren't as cute and smart):
Later in the evening, the crew got dressed up for formal night #2:
And I practiced more Usain poses:
In the morning, I ordered the most ridiculous thing I found on the brunch menu. Fruit Loop Crusted French Toast. Shut the front door!!!! It was actually pretty good. My inner fat kid was like, yippee!!!!!
We hung out on deck all day and watched another gorgeous sunset from the balcony:
Then we got ready for dinner. A little back story: My in-laws own a trophy/engraving business in Miami. We got my brother-in-law to make us a trophy in route to the boat:
We kind of were not thinking at the beginning of the cruise that it was going to be pretty obvious that our barman would end up getting it. But then he started saying things like "I know your Folio number, you don't need to give me your card" and hanging out for about 50% of our meals. So my sister and I dressed up the trophy to look like our barman:
When we presented it to him, he was actually so elated that my heart swelled a little.
On the final night, I was so happy I got my favorite towel animal in my room, the elephant:
So of course, there are so many things I left out for various reasons (I forgot, I forgot on purpose, I'm not allowed to speak of it outside of international waters, etc). But clearly, if you need cruise tips, I'm your girl.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Bon Voyage: I'll be back in 10 days!!
I should be finishing packing. Or checking in for my flight. Or
doing something productive to get ready for my trip tomorrow. But I've
been getting ready for 3 days now. Plus, I'm going to be gone for 10
days, so I don't want people to forget me.
Adam and I, my sister and her boyfriend, my brother, and my husband's best friend (did you get all that??) are leaving to go on a cruise tomorrow. We fly into Miami (where my in-laws live) and head out for 7 days at sea on Saturday afternoon. Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and Grand Cayman are on the docket. When we get back, we'll stay in Miami through Monday to visit with Adam's family for a few days. My birthday is on the 14th so I'm looking forward to celebrating while on vacation!
I've packed my running clothes and hope to get in a workout at least 5 of the 10 days I'm gone. I usually have a good track record of running while on vacation so I hope this trip is no different. Last year I ran 30K for my 30th birthday on the treadmill while on a cruise ship at sea. This year, I'll be shooting more for a 5K (3.1 for 31 years). For some reason, I hate running in Miami and I'll be on land on Sunday. I certainly get plenty of practice running in the heat and humidity in Atlanta, but good God, I loathe running in south Florida. My in-laws live about a mile from the beach, but I never feel those ocean breezes for some reason. First world problems...
I have had 2 very different runs this week. One was on the Roswell Greenway and was absolutely terrible and the other was on the treadmill and was pretty great. Normally my better runs occur outside, but unfortunately that was not the case Tuesday night. I went to a different Greenway than I normally run as it is less than a mile from my work and would give me a tad more sunlight for a 7 miler after work. I was excited to enjoy a little bit different scenery, but after I got going, I was quickly reminded why I prefer my Greenway.
Cement sidewalks are the devil.
Save for a small portion at the beginning which is a gravel path, the rest of the Greenway is cement. This made my legs cry out for the lovely boardwalks of my usual haunt. In addition to the pounding of the cement, I just felt awful. The weather was absolutely perfect, but I felt I was working so hard for my pace which was hovering just about 8:00mm. It reminded me of how I felt after I got out of the pool after swim practice when I was a kid. Pure cardio exhaustion.
On a separate note, this thought reminded me of how terribly slow I was as a swimmer. Did you know that green is the color of a 6th place ribbon? I collected many a green ribbon on the swim team....
Anyway, I hate runs that the entire time I am thinking 'I HATE YOU BODY'. I was just so elated when it was over. It's been awhile since I've had a terrible one like that, but I suppose I was due. The good news is that I felt mostly back to normal today, so I'm not sweating it. Hopefully the vacation will give me a chance to give my poor retail legs/feet a little rest. Bon voyage!!
Adam and I, my sister and her boyfriend, my brother, and my husband's best friend (did you get all that??) are leaving to go on a cruise tomorrow. We fly into Miami (where my in-laws live) and head out for 7 days at sea on Saturday afternoon. Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and Grand Cayman are on the docket. When we get back, we'll stay in Miami through Monday to visit with Adam's family for a few days. My birthday is on the 14th so I'm looking forward to celebrating while on vacation!
I've packed my running clothes and hope to get in a workout at least 5 of the 10 days I'm gone. I usually have a good track record of running while on vacation so I hope this trip is no different. Last year I ran 30K for my 30th birthday on the treadmill while on a cruise ship at sea. This year, I'll be shooting more for a 5K (3.1 for 31 years). For some reason, I hate running in Miami and I'll be on land on Sunday. I certainly get plenty of practice running in the heat and humidity in Atlanta, but good God, I loathe running in south Florida. My in-laws live about a mile from the beach, but I never feel those ocean breezes for some reason. First world problems...
I have had 2 very different runs this week. One was on the Roswell Greenway and was absolutely terrible and the other was on the treadmill and was pretty great. Normally my better runs occur outside, but unfortunately that was not the case Tuesday night. I went to a different Greenway than I normally run as it is less than a mile from my work and would give me a tad more sunlight for a 7 miler after work. I was excited to enjoy a little bit different scenery, but after I got going, I was quickly reminded why I prefer my Greenway.
Cement sidewalks are the devil.
Save for a small portion at the beginning which is a gravel path, the rest of the Greenway is cement. This made my legs cry out for the lovely boardwalks of my usual haunt. In addition to the pounding of the cement, I just felt awful. The weather was absolutely perfect, but I felt I was working so hard for my pace which was hovering just about 8:00mm. It reminded me of how I felt after I got out of the pool after swim practice when I was a kid. Pure cardio exhaustion.
On a separate note, this thought reminded me of how terribly slow I was as a swimmer. Did you know that green is the color of a 6th place ribbon? I collected many a green ribbon on the swim team....
Anyway, I hate runs that the entire time I am thinking 'I HATE YOU BODY'. I was just so elated when it was over. It's been awhile since I've had a terrible one like that, but I suppose I was due. The good news is that I felt mostly back to normal today, so I'm not sweating it. Hopefully the vacation will give me a chance to give my poor retail legs/feet a little rest. Bon voyage!!
Friday, March 29, 2013
NRR: how a dog-lover became a meow mom
This is NRR and sad, but I feel the need to memorialize the kitty
that stole my heart. So bear with me if you are a faithful reader of
all my ridiculousness--running or otherwise.
See, I've never been a cat person. Dogs? Yes. Cats? Well, they just never warmed my heart in the same way that dogs did. Part of it was because my mom always disliked them so I think some of it was nurture. But I never felt that they could love in the same way dogs do.
Duncan proved me wrong. He was the coolest cat for a non-cat person. Adam, the love of my life for 9 years, started dating me when Duncan was about 8 years old. Eventually, through marriage, I was a kitty-mom. Over time, I came to appreciate the nuzzles, the lap warming, and what we affectionately dubbed "kitty high time". Kitty high time=the random sprints through the house and/or incessant attention getting antics. Cat people understand.
He was never very vocal and was the type of cat that was both around, yet not crazy-affectionate. He snuggled when we invited it, but never demanded it. Full of sweetness and non of the stealthy weirdness that many other cats that I've 'met' have had.
In his younger years, he was quite a butterball.
I brought Luxy, the Boston Terrier, into the marriage and she was like, "what is this thing?"
Later, she was all like, "okay mom, I suppose he can put his fatness to good use by keeping me warm."
I knew both our hearts had been won over when she fully subjected herself to things like kitty mustaches.
The best days were when all the fur-kids were in the room. Adam also brought Josie, the lab mix, into the marriage. We eventually adopted Torrance, the other Boston Terrier, during a humane society event at local PetSmart (such suckers....).
The icing on the cake was when all the fur-kids and their adorable human-dad got together.
I'm going to miss this regal beast as he crossed over the rainbow bridge yesterday after 17 good, long years. He wasn't sick for long and I'm happy that his suffering was minimal. As Adam's first 'adult' pet, I can only hope that we memorialize his great impact on our lives and save a little place of our hearts for him.
Rest in peace little dude. It just won't be quite the same without a feline in the house.
See, I've never been a cat person. Dogs? Yes. Cats? Well, they just never warmed my heart in the same way that dogs did. Part of it was because my mom always disliked them so I think some of it was nurture. But I never felt that they could love in the same way dogs do.
Duncan proved me wrong. He was the coolest cat for a non-cat person. Adam, the love of my life for 9 years, started dating me when Duncan was about 8 years old. Eventually, through marriage, I was a kitty-mom. Over time, I came to appreciate the nuzzles, the lap warming, and what we affectionately dubbed "kitty high time". Kitty high time=the random sprints through the house and/or incessant attention getting antics. Cat people understand.
He was never very vocal and was the type of cat that was both around, yet not crazy-affectionate. He snuggled when we invited it, but never demanded it. Full of sweetness and non of the stealthy weirdness that many other cats that I've 'met' have had.
In his younger years, he was quite a butterball.
I brought Luxy, the Boston Terrier, into the marriage and she was like, "what is this thing?"
Later, she was all like, "okay mom, I suppose he can put his fatness to good use by keeping me warm."
I knew both our hearts had been won over when she fully subjected herself to things like kitty mustaches.
The best days were when all the fur-kids were in the room. Adam also brought Josie, the lab mix, into the marriage. We eventually adopted Torrance, the other Boston Terrier, during a humane society event at local PetSmart (such suckers....).
The icing on the cake was when all the fur-kids and their adorable human-dad got together.
I'm going to miss this regal beast as he crossed over the rainbow bridge yesterday after 17 good, long years. He wasn't sick for long and I'm happy that his suffering was minimal. As Adam's first 'adult' pet, I can only hope that we memorialize his great impact on our lives and save a little place of our hearts for him.
Rest in peace little dude. It just won't be quite the same without a feline in the house.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
This one time, I was a lurker...
There was a time that I lurked around the Loop reading inspirational
bloops and enjoyed being a spectator. After awhile, I decided it was
high time that I started cross-posting my blog onto the Loop since all I
was doing was writing about running anyway. (I've been blogging since
2001 on livejournal.) When I started posting, I started commenting, and slowly I became a part of this strange little community on the internet.
I solicited advice about running in 2010, addresses for writing letters in 2011, and then I kind of dropped off the commenting train in 2012. I was still reading bloops, but I wasn't keeping up with things the way I had been and I felt like a lurker again. Sure, I was still posting my own random stuff because frankly, after 12 years of public blogging, it feels like brushing my teeth and running. And I'm narcissistic like that.
But in the advent of Loopville on FB, some fresh mojo, and a boatload more free time with my new job, I felt connected again.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, thank you for letting me jump in and out when it works for me.
My BFF and I have a similar sort of relationship. We can go for months without communicating and then pick right back up where we left off and everything is seamless. On the Loop, it's like I have a whole pack of BFFs that are there when I need them and are cool when I choose to lay low.
**********************************************************************
So about this whole running business. I have not pressed 'enter' on these Rehoboth shenanigans, but my Google search history would call me a big fat liar if I told you I was just thinking about it. Perhaps I'm weighing my options, perhaps I'm procrastinating, and perhaps I'm a wee bit afraid that I'm going to have so much fun that I'm never going to want to vacation anywhere else except Loopfests.
I ran today. I know, right, big whoop! So did, like, 90% of all the other people that are reading this. But considering that the flu knocked me flat on my back for 4 days last week and I ran a marathon PR 9 days ago, I was pretty happy that I felt this run was status quo.
I almost ran sans Garmin, but then the nerd/type A in me wanted to know if I was running good/better/best (or bad/worse/ugly). So I decided that I was just not going to look at my Garmin during my run and reflect on the data when I was finished. I actually stuck to it! Mainly because my body parts were chilled to the bone and I keep my sleeve over my watch the whole time. Dude, I actually saw snow flurries during my run today. I know, I know, you peeps anywhere North of me are like, "giiiiiiiirl, you have no idea!!!" But this was super weird for Hotlanta in late March. This run was particularly windy too with gusts of up to 25mph. I keep thinking of that dumb adage, in like a lion, out like a lamb. Out like a lamb, my a$#*%@.
I had quite a lovely run. There were about 10 other people I saw the entire time on the Greenway during my 8 miles. Just the way I like it! I can blow snot rockets, run in the center of the lane, and sing LMFAO lyrics under my breath without garnering the attention of those trying to enjoy a little nature. My shin still is iffy, but everything else seemed to cooperate. I was happy with my splits overall when I finished as I felt my effort was medium. 8:21, 8:21, 7:52, 8:10, 8:02, 8:16, 7:59, 7:54.
I solicited advice about running in 2010, addresses for writing letters in 2011, and then I kind of dropped off the commenting train in 2012. I was still reading bloops, but I wasn't keeping up with things the way I had been and I felt like a lurker again. Sure, I was still posting my own random stuff because frankly, after 12 years of public blogging, it feels like brushing my teeth and running. And I'm narcissistic like that.
But in the advent of Loopville on FB, some fresh mojo, and a boatload more free time with my new job, I felt connected again.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, thank you for letting me jump in and out when it works for me.
My BFF and I have a similar sort of relationship. We can go for months without communicating and then pick right back up where we left off and everything is seamless. On the Loop, it's like I have a whole pack of BFFs that are there when I need them and are cool when I choose to lay low.
**********************************************************************
So about this whole running business. I have not pressed 'enter' on these Rehoboth shenanigans, but my Google search history would call me a big fat liar if I told you I was just thinking about it. Perhaps I'm weighing my options, perhaps I'm procrastinating, and perhaps I'm a wee bit afraid that I'm going to have so much fun that I'm never going to want to vacation anywhere else except Loopfests.
I ran today. I know, right, big whoop! So did, like, 90% of all the other people that are reading this. But considering that the flu knocked me flat on my back for 4 days last week and I ran a marathon PR 9 days ago, I was pretty happy that I felt this run was status quo.
I almost ran sans Garmin, but then the nerd/type A in me wanted to know if I was running good/better/best (or bad/worse/ugly). So I decided that I was just not going to look at my Garmin during my run and reflect on the data when I was finished. I actually stuck to it! Mainly because my body parts were chilled to the bone and I keep my sleeve over my watch the whole time. Dude, I actually saw snow flurries during my run today. I know, I know, you peeps anywhere North of me are like, "giiiiiiiirl, you have no idea!!!" But this was super weird for Hotlanta in late March. This run was particularly windy too with gusts of up to 25mph. I keep thinking of that dumb adage, in like a lion, out like a lamb. Out like a lamb, my a$#*%@.
I had quite a lovely run. There were about 10 other people I saw the entire time on the Greenway during my 8 miles. Just the way I like it! I can blow snot rockets, run in the center of the lane, and sing LMFAO lyrics under my breath without garnering the attention of those trying to enjoy a little nature. My shin still is iffy, but everything else seemed to cooperate. I was happy with my splits overall when I finished as I felt my effort was medium. 8:21, 8:21, 7:52, 8:10, 8:02, 8:16, 7:59, 7:54.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Y'all are my mental fuel
Usually it takes me about 3-4 days after a full marathon to get back
to running again. Once I stop hobbling around like a peg-legged pirate
and am able to use the bathroom sans handicap bar, I figure I am good to
go with running. Sometimes it is easy and I feel great to get going
again. Other times I wonder why I am jumping back into it so soon
again.
This go 'round I had no choice but to wait until a week after the race. The flu took me out like a bulldozer about 36 hours after I raced. For 4 miserable days, I laid in bed accomplishing nothing except commenting on each and every bloop. I went to work yesterday and was about 2 hours in before I was like, wow, I still feel like someone knocked the wind out of my sails. Fortunately, by the end of the night, I felt much better and was happy that I was starting to feel normal again.
This morning I was determined to run. Any distance. Just as long as I didn't have a goose egg on the week, I'd feel better. It was rainy and cold so I played it smart and ran on the TM. 1 mile turned into 2 and I ended with 5 easy miles. It felt fantastic while I was running! When I finished and started walking around the house, I noticed my ankle was feeling wonky. I won't run again until Tuesday, so I'm hoping this is just a casualty of a marathon-followed-by-a-week-off.
Now, I get to enjoy a little reprieve and run for fun until I decide when my next will be. I don't know if I will ever be the type of runner that just constantly has a race on the docket. I like the idea of it and wish that I had the weekend time and money to do it, but I also just enjoy the freedom of running just to run. It's great to have the goal and camaraderie of racing (I mean, duh, the camaraderie is an added bonus of blogging), but not having a training schedule to adhere to is nice as well. Besides, I can live vicariously through other runners and then go frolic around in the woods using their inspirational stories as mental fuel.
This go 'round I had no choice but to wait until a week after the race. The flu took me out like a bulldozer about 36 hours after I raced. For 4 miserable days, I laid in bed accomplishing nothing except commenting on each and every bloop. I went to work yesterday and was about 2 hours in before I was like, wow, I still feel like someone knocked the wind out of my sails. Fortunately, by the end of the night, I felt much better and was happy that I was starting to feel normal again.
This morning I was determined to run. Any distance. Just as long as I didn't have a goose egg on the week, I'd feel better. It was rainy and cold so I played it smart and ran on the TM. 1 mile turned into 2 and I ended with 5 easy miles. It felt fantastic while I was running! When I finished and started walking around the house, I noticed my ankle was feeling wonky. I won't run again until Tuesday, so I'm hoping this is just a casualty of a marathon-followed-by-a-week-off.
Now, I get to enjoy a little reprieve and run for fun until I decide when my next will be. I don't know if I will ever be the type of runner that just constantly has a race on the docket. I like the idea of it and wish that I had the weekend time and money to do it, but I also just enjoy the freedom of running just to run. It's great to have the goal and camaraderie of racing (I mean, duh, the camaraderie is an added bonus of blogging), but not having a training schedule to adhere to is nice as well. Besides, I can live vicariously through other runners and then go frolic around in the woods using their inspirational stories as mental fuel.
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