forward, backward

I ran 4.6K around my neighborhood on Thursday, just as the sun was setting, and felt good as I began but that feeling deteriorated by the end. I ran the same route this morning but in reverse and my feelings were backwards too -- that is, it took a lot to begin -- it took me four hours to convince myself to put my shoes on -- but I was fine by the end, and could've kept going. Tomorrow, I plan on a long run but I haven't determined how far yet, whether more than last week's 15K or less. I guess I'll wing it like I have been this entire "training" for the half (next week!).

Little hill sprints

Hammies were a little bit sore post-Sunday 15K so I didn't run yesterday, but felt okay to go today. My sister, who recently picked up a Runner's World mag for inspiration on her way back from a weekend trip in New York and read an article about hill running, wanted to run some hills tonight. The ZooRun in a month features a few hilly parts. We warmed up with a jog around her neighborhood (around 1.5 miles maybe) and then did 5x10-second sprints up a hill. Actually, more like a gentle slope. Gotta start somewhere.

Back, stronger than ever

Funny, taking nearly the past two weeks off for film festival fun/work hasn't affected me. I didn't know if I could handle 15K today but it turned out to be... comfortable. I don't want to say easy, because it took some concentration. I met up with Frankie this morning, and truth be told it's a good thing both of us had agreed to this because neither of us would've run the way we ran together. That is, we made it through the entire distance with five small walking breaks over the 1:41 we were out. I don't know who was more surprised by that -- me or him, because the last time it was just the two of us, I nearly died. It was pre-Chicago and we did 7mi -- way more than I could handle, and mostly because I ran at Frankie's pace, not mine -- through my least favorite part of the waterfront, otherwise known as The Spit (one of the Toronto marathon routes goes through this, which is a key reason I won't run this one. Ever.)
Today was different. I am a stronger runner (comparatively to a year-and-a-half ago) and Frankie is less focused on training. Not to say he hasn't been training, but that the intensity has been reduced. Which means it was a comfortable run.
We had planned our route to coincide with Yumke, who was doing 17 miles. We tried to guess at which point we'd see him.. on our way out to Humber Bridge? On the way back? Before the country club? The pool? All these landmarks we passed and not once did Yumke cross our paths. Turns out he slept through our run. He deserves a bit of sleeping in.

I feel a bit more at ease after today's run. I'm not sure I could've run another 6K today without difficulty, but I'm definitely less worried about the half-mary in two weeks.

Run, Fat Boy, Run

So. Tired. I just finished Day 7 of the festival... day 8 starts in about 5 hours when I need to be at work. My movie count has risen to 17 now, and it's nearly a 50/50 split between work and pleasure.
Included in the count is a little film called Run, Fat Boy Run (click for trailer), former "Friends" star David Schwimmer's directorial debut about a loser who signs up for a charity marathon in an attempt to win back the girl who's since moved on. It's a cute romantic comedy, and I felt I could identify with some parts of the movie, ie the running bits. Some of the sequences are a bit over-the-top but poetic license is perfectly allowable -- and welcome. Just watch out for the blister on the foot scene.

I'm still at 0 miles run.

The score so far (Day 4 at the festival)

10 movies seen
7 I actually liked
1 party
2 megastars
0 miles run

Right on track....

Night running

I haven't gone running at night in a long while, for the simple reason that I prefer sunshine. But without a long(ish) run in more than a week, despite having ample opportunity all L-O-N-G weekend, I just had to make myself go out tonight for a little while. My sister and I were going to go together -- I'd pick her up along my planned 10K -- but our timing didn't quite mesh. By the time I was prepared to go, the sun had already set and it even looked like it was going to rain. I dressed in a bright yellow shirt to be highly visible and wore no iPod. Safety first! I didn't premap a route and intended to wing it all the way depending on mood/leg conditions. Got through 5 miles exactly in one hour. I thought I was running faster than that. But it's done.

Vanity run

Long overdue, yet spontaneous, I got my hair cut yesterday. Then diffused (which means my hair became all wavy-like). Which means I brought out the vanity card yesterday and didn't run so as to not ruin my new hair. (This has got to be a new one in my books.)
One day's enough though. I went out for a 5K loop around my house before company was coming over for dinner. The waviness seems to have held... It was cool enough that I didn't sweat a whole lot. Or maybe it means I didn't work that hard.