She's Coming On Strong

Mark the calendar!!!! Vickie ran 5k today!!!!!! I think she still hates it. We have both had colds so neither of us have felt like running. It does clear the sinuses.

running with friends

Last night I went for a three mile run with Val, a friend who's also in the soc department. It was my first run since the comp exam so it had almost been a week. And let me tell you one thing, that girl runs fast!!! Its all that long leg! It was a challenge for me to keep up, I knew she would have slowed down if I wanted to or if she could tell that I wanted to slow down a bit but I didn't want to run slower than her so I pushed myself and when we were finally done, was pooped!


That is all.

moving meditation

Normally when I get stressed I stop doing everything that is good for me, eating fruits and veggies, running, breathing, sleeping....all seem to stop and I turn into a zombie of unhealthiness.

With only four days to go until the beginning of the comp exam I feel I'm doing pretty good. I went running for the first time in a while on Friday evening and I felt as if a months worth of stress just melted away in those three miles. I went right about sun down so everything had a dusty overcast to it. The air was cool with just enough breeze and I felt so relaxed and the run felt effortless like I could just go on for ever and ever.

Yesterday I went for another 3 miles. It felt good but wasn't quite the "magic" my Friday night run had been. But I'm okay with that because they can't all be perfect! It still helped me calm down and just relax a bit after a stressful day. I've always been told I should meditate in order to decrease my stress level. But I always feel so much more stressed out sitting there doing nothing then if I were moving. Running is my meditation; moving meditation. Running makes you realize just how simple life really is: keep breathing and put one foot in front of the other...and most important enjoy the view.

Running In The Rain

It seems as though it has been raining forever. It has been raining non-stop since Friday and I can't imagine where all the water is going. Friday at lunch time went for a 4 mile run. I got halfway and it just poured. Add another 5 pounds of water to carry. Saturday Vickie and I took the day off because it literally never stopped raining. Before going to bed we discovered a wet spot in the ceiling of the bedroom (depression sets in). This morning the rain let up just a little so we set out for our run in a light drizzle. I actually felt pretty good. I turned onto Sherman Rd. (the one with those stinking deer) and notice a road closed sign. Continuing down the road a half a mile or so it looked as though a tornado had gone through wiping out massive trees that impacted against homes. I guess our little leak wasn't so much to worry about nor was the torrential down pour when I turned off of Sherman onto Bellevue. I love running. It sooths the spirit and helps get things in perspective for me. Vickie said she still hates it!

on not running

I have been quite the lazy bum of late, I haven't ran in two days!!! And before that, only a few times last week. *sighs* Its all the scariness from my two day exam that is coming up next Thursday. I just get the freaks and can't do anything but wallow in my own self pity...and study.

So...I think I need a running plan for this week so I have something other than that test to think about!

Friday: run 3 miles
Saturday: run 2 miles, fartlek
Sunday: off
Monday: run 5 miles
Tuesday: run 3 miles
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 3 miles? First Day of test
Friday: 3miles? Second day of test, celebrate! Yay I'm done with the test!!!


So there's the plan, lets see if it works. I tend to do things that are down in black and white...just cause they are there.

Our race has been moved!!!

Well guys, we have a slight problem. Our race has been moved from December 20th to November 15th!!!

Bekah and I sadly cannot get to Michigan in time....as we will still be slaving away at the books.

So, your assignment: Find a new 5K race between the dates of December 15th and the 27th. Whoever finds a race first in or near Lansing gets a coffee date with me when I'm in Michigan!!! (Yay! I know how excited you are now!!!)

Entertainment as I Run

Bright and early this morning I embarked on a 9 mile run. It's been pretty hot in Berkeley the last week or so (90s, even 100 sometimes WHOA!) so morning seemed the best time to go. Unfortunately I didn't actually want to go in the morning so we didn't get going as early as we were supposed to (we were supposed to get up at 7 and leave by 7:30 at the latest...well Jess was up at 7, but I didn't emerge until like 7:25. What can I say, I'm not a morning person), as such it was still kind of hot near the middle and end of the run.

The nice thing about running in the morning, however, even when it's hot is that there are plenty of other runners out on the trail. As I ran, sweating like a pig and fogging up my new hip runner sunglasses, I found solace and distraction in the oddities that were passing me on the Bay Shore trail.

First I saw a guy who was running fairly fast, but not sprinting or anything. And his form was just a little...odd. He swung his arms so voraciously that he was literally swinging them up past his face to the sky and back down. I wondered if perhaps he was trying out a new technique for human flight.

A little ways further I passed someone doing the other extreme. He kept his arms down by his side, and seemed to be trying to keep them as still as possible. He looked like a hardcore runner in every other sense - he was fairly muscular, had his little wrap-a-round fannypack/water holder thingie, and looked like he'd been running about 20 miles already. He just...didn't move his arms at all. Didn't even hold them bent at the elbow - just straight down and static. I figured he must have been running so long that he was simply incapable of moving his arms any longer.

And finally, as I ran I saw a woman coming the other way down the trail and I was immediately impressed. From what I could tell, this woman was such a hardcore runner that she didn't even let the recent birth of her infant stop her from running. It appeared that she had strapped the baby to her front in one of those baby carrier dohickeys and was running with it. As I got closer, though, I was disappointed to realize that she just was rather well-endowed (can you use that for a woman? Well I am.) and her shirt + her bust moved and looked like a baby strapped to her front from further away. I was immediately grateful that I don't have boobs.

Runners are weird people. But all these oddities kept me entertained and helped me ignore how thirsty I was and the fact that I couldn't breathe!

Later on in the run, I saw a beautiful monarch. As I watched it flutter around I noticed it had what appeared to be a spiderweb string trailing behind it. I though, "oh it must have escaped from a web or something" and as I thought this, I realized there was a little spider at the end of the string trailing along. There are clearly 2 possibilites for this: 1) the monarch got caught in the spider's web and escaped at just the last minute. The spider, however, grabbed on to the string in hopes of salvaging such a scrumtrulescent and large meal...he probably doesn't know that monarchs are poisonous... OR 2) This is the insect/arachnid world's form of parasailing into which we rarely grasp such a glimpse.

I truly appreciate being entertained on these long runs. I have begun to make it a point to try and look around as much as possible so as to distract myself. Besides the previously mentioned sights, today I saw pelicans dive bombing, and comorants fishing. Aaah, thank you world for your endless entertainment during my self-inflicted torture.




p.s. I finished the run in 1:41. I was aiming for 1:40 so I was pretty pleased...11 minute miles so not too fast, but that's the longest I've ever run and I was pleased I finished in a fairly reasonable time at all! :)

Beware the Odocoileus Virginianus

While running around the block in the early morning I was running on Sherman Rd. which has a soybean field on the left and corn on the right. I heard slight rustling in the corn and looked in that direction and saw a deer. I continued assuming they would ease back into the corn. Oh No!!! Two brown rockets fired in my direction running one in front of me and one in the back within 5 feet. My run picked up a bit due to the adrenalin dump, however quickly wore off and I felt as though I had legs of stone for the last mile. Damn deer probably thought they were funny.

this is not fun, this is not fun, THIS is not fun

Why do I feel that after running only three miles, I ran ten? Why, while running, did I feel I was shuffling and grunting like an old woman trying to cross the street with her walker?

I don't know.

I hate bad runs.

I hate it when you go out for a good run and a horrible run sneaks up behind you and latches on like a five year old kid brother who you can't get off!

Oh well. I guess its a learning/character building experience or something "positive" like that! I just want to be fast and awesome all the time dammit!

Marathon pie in the sky

I really like this magazine. Its a little one that you can pick up for free around Davis. It isn't super fancy but has some great training tips and features REAL LIFE athletes!!! Wow! That never happens!!

This month they have a nice little chart of a twenty week plan to your first marathon! I looked it over and said to myself "hmmm, doesn't look too bad...I bet I could do this."

Me, do a marathon!?! Is it possible???

Let's ponder this together, shall we?