Ugly Four

I somehow pushed out 4mi today. And it was a two-parter. I promised my sister that I'd run with her today. She's was sick earlier this week (she thinks it might have been the protein bar I gave her to try but that's a whole other story) and so we were going to take it easy.
After lunch with our parents, we were dropped off at my house. The plan was that I'd run with her back to her house and then make my way back. That would be a solid 4mi (1 extra mile than scheduled)
But it turned out it was she who was running me to her place. I think she was able to quell her fears that she had lost fitness in her few days off. She was the strong one today. Me, on the other hand, was struggling. Near the end, she opened up a good gap between us, about 15 sidewalk lengths. She fed me some toast, then some Gatorade.
I was replenished enough to make the journey home. So happy to see my front door.

Wednesday + Thursday = Friday

Here's the math: No run on Wednesday + No Run on Thursday = No Rest Day on Friday.
Therefore, No 35min tempo on Wednesday + No 3mi on Thursday = 10K on Friday.
But I didn't really do a tempo run either. In fact this was my slowest 10K in quite a while (1:17:20). Also my first 10K in 38 days.
Is it bad that I felt like I wanted to vomit at the end of this? (I didn't)

P-U-R-S-U-I-T

noun
1. Striving toward; aim, goal, objective, dream
2. Activity, hobby, diversion, recreation, amusement; occupation

I think about words a lot. It's my job, my chosen career. It's really no accident then, that today, I found myself at a corporate Scrabble tournament in support of literacy. In truth, I didn't play very well -- well below personal bests -- and I never once came close to using all seven of my tiles in one turn (that's not to say that I make it a habit to use all 7 tiles, sometimes I'm just not that lucky in the draw). It's nearly impossible to score well when you're holding 3 As, 2 Os and 1 E, and an H. I still managed to win at my table, with a pathetic-for-me score of 113, built on words like "jerk", "taxa" and "sate" but without the benefit of fancy premium squares. Anyways, Scrabble is just another of my nerdy pursuits, much like Warcrack and watching comicbook-inspired movies.

But I offset these sedantary pursuits with another favorite diversion: the outdoor run. As opposed to the indoor treadmill run, which is simply gruntwork. Though both instances help to lift the semi-guilt wrought up over buttery popcorn, Coke, and Dairy Milk bars. And Pizza Thursdays.

I'm on Week 4 of Hal's intermediate half-marathon plan, after realizing recently that I had miscounted by two weeks (!) the start date of this training plan towards the Ottawa race at the end of May. I replaced the Friday and Saturday scheduled rest days in favor of 2 5K runs. The program suggested a 5K race on Sunday but I didn't even try to find one and barely went outside. I also rested yesterday (even though it's technically a stretch and strengthen day). And Afterwork RunClub is now back on track (4.2 miles today. almost 3/4 of a mile more than planned).

It's amazing how I've tricked myself into putting in the time to pursue a better finishing time in the half-marathon distance. I'm not signed up for this spring Ottawa race I keep referencing and I'm not even sure if I have the desire to go. I'll put in the physical work to achieve improvement. But it's the mental battle that's harder, and it has always been the hardest part for me. Because I am training for a false objective because it's highly unlikely I'll make this trip to the nation's capital race.

So perhaps I should strive towards something else more manageable, arguably more practical. I could stand to lose maybe a few more pounds before The Wedding Day, work on the arms and back because these parts will be exposed in my uberfabulous dress.

Some people might chase their running goals with precision, following a training plan, eating properly, signing up for practice races, diarizing every mile tread, and buying new shoes every
500 miles.

You can't spell pursuit without purist. Or ruts, for that matter......


ps: this is Post 200!

mish mash

I'm trying to get back into the early before-work Wednesday/Thursday workouts. It's nicer to stay in a warm bed an extra hour on winter mornings rather than go sweat at the gym. So, I'm 1 for 2 this week then. I didn't go yesterday morning. It was warm after work, but also raining and I didn't want to run in the rain. So no Wednesday tempo run.
But I got to the gym at 630 this morning. And to be honest it wasn't a very satisfying workout at all. I intended to get in 4 miles, going the "extra mile" that was called for, though not really since I had missed Wednesday's distance.
But. It wasn't to be.
I hate to say, but I barely made it through a mile.
Because I was overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed by the *stank* of a treadmillite two machines over. Seriously, I was starting to suffocate from the B.O. I wish I could be more charitable here, but it ruined my run. And I really should've known better. Because this same person spoiled a group class for me a year or two ago with her gagging scent. So I retreated and made adjustments. I quit from the treadmill, and opted for the rowing machine. As I appraoched 3,000 meters rowed (and I have no idea whether that's an accomplishment or not...certainly didn't feel as exhausting as a 3K run would've been), I spotted an open treadmill on the other side of the room, far away from the offensive odor. I didn't have that much time left before I had to hit the shower, but I got in another mile and a little bit of ab work.
A mishmash of a workout -- not the prettiest -- but it's done. Friday is supposed to be a rest day, but I may do some light running. It's supposed to be warm all weekend and I hope to take advantage!

RunClub restart

It's been a good two months since the Afterwork RunClub convened. There were vacations, frigid weather, general apathy, minor medical procedures, and late work nights that interfered with the Tuesday thing we had going in the waning months of 2006.
But we have committed to start again as the spring melt seems to have come. It was a fight-against-the-wind 5K but we felt good about it. Next week we hope to up the mileage slightly before we get to our target 10K.

Shhhh... it's begun

Quietly I've begun Hal's half-marathon training program. This began in the past week, on Tuesday officially, shortly before my blogpost admitting my MIAness. I had meant to follow up and mark the start (and never got around to it).

Actually, it began nicely, with a family run on a very balmy day after work. My sister, my cousin, and I met up for a 5K run. It was the furthest my sister has run (her previous best was 2mi). We pushed her a little bit, but she made it through a run 9-min-walk-1-min pattern, and 37 minutes later, we were done. (I'm very proud of her. She's gonna kick butt at the 10K race in May!) I ran the next day, another 5K, around my neighborhood. Skipped the Thursday workout and then got another 5K in (on a treadmill) before going to see Yao play against my Raptors (not a good game if you are a Raps fan). Wasted much of Saturday kicking around the house and thinking it would be a good idea to run but never actually executing.

But I reluctantly made myself go out today. Because the long run is important. Skip one of the shorter ones during the week, yes, but never the long one. Around 5:30pm, after all my errands were done (the most important one being the printing of the wedding invitations...now for the assembly), I bundled up and went out for a fight-against-the-wind 4 miler.

It totally feels like when I started training last year. The hardest part is getting out the door. Because although it was more windy than I cared for it to be, and it was still a bit nippy, and I couldn't find my hat, I really enjoyed myself once I got going.

AWOL, I know

Has it really been three weeks since my last post? I guess I haven't had anything to report and rather than blather daily to the blogosphere about how lazy I've been, I've just been keeping it to myself. I've had a handful of treadmill jaunts but nothing to write about (obviously). But gratz to all you out there who've been keeping up with your programs, or even a semblance of it. (And a special shout-out to Sonia who smashed her previous PR at the Chilly Half in Burlington). I really don't know how y'all do this winter running thing.