Yesterday, I didn't work out. I didn't have any particular reason to...I didn't actively put it off, or decide not to...I just...didn't.
I woke up this morning nearly paralyzed. I actually thought I had to have had a stroke in my sleep. Once some movement was regained, I thought perhaps I just had meningitis.
Most of the pain stems from my right shoulder, where I surely separated it, or cracked something, several years ago. It was just nearly as excruciating as the day I did it. My whole back burned, and I roped Husband into massaging it as soon as he woke up, but nothing was working. I took a couple of pain pills and desperately wanted to do some yoga, but I didn't think I could stand it.
I finally queued up a Namaste Yoga, after the 2nd painkiller started to kick in, and did the lovely Earth series, which promotes spine flexibility (some down dogs, up dogs, and lotsa cat rolling and child poses...mmmm...).
I could move much better upon completion, but it remains to be seen if that's the second painkiller, or the yoga. However, I'm sure the yoga will help me get through work tomorrow in case the effects of last night haven't fully worn off yet.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Fitness Challenge Day 5
Friday, November 26.
After running a glorious 4.5 miles last night, Friday probably should have just been a straight recovery day. But all day, in spite of the slightly sore, definitely tired legs and knees, and headache of course, I kept thinking about getting a workout in. I finally decided to do yoga right before I went to bed. I repeated the leg strengthening workout and could see a definite improvement over two days ago.
I'm also adding a goal of running 5 miles to my goal list. I already have the next big mark, a 10K (6.2 mi) on the list. I'm very curious to see if I can repeat a 4+ mile run on my next outing.
After running a glorious 4.5 miles last night, Friday probably should have just been a straight recovery day. But all day, in spite of the slightly sore, definitely tired legs and knees, and headache of course, I kept thinking about getting a workout in. I finally decided to do yoga right before I went to bed. I repeated the leg strengthening workout and could see a definite improvement over two days ago.
I'm also adding a goal of running 5 miles to my goal list. I already have the next big mark, a 10K (6.2 mi) on the list. I'm very curious to see if I can repeat a 4+ mile run on my next outing.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Run Day: Thursday, November 25.
Today started out with massive amounts of food being prepared, while I sat in front of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I love the parade every year. We had a huge feast around noon, and I think I ate more than I have ever eaten in a single setting. I've been working out for a year, just so I could do this, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Since I generally try to track what I eat pre-run, I will do my best to give a rundown of the food I ate. There's no point in typing out the amount of each - just assume it was a cubic buttload. Here goes: Tofurky with stuffing and gravy, stuffing (not out of the tofurky), mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and applesauce, corn, rolls, deviled eggs, homemade noodles, black olives, Dew, and a lot of water. My parents like that cranberry stuff in the shape of a can, which has always horrified me, but I've realized I really, really like cranberries in recent years, so I also had one small bite of the can-berry sauce. Nasty. (You'll note an embarrassing lack of pumpkin pie on the list - I just didn't have room at this point.)
After my parents left, I was still pretty stuffed and wasn't ready to workout. Plus it was frakking freezing outside. I figured yoga may be my best bet for today - stretch out that belly a bit. From the warmth of the inside of my house. At any rate, I sat down at the computer and read a blog post I had saved from Runner's World from a few days ago, on puke. I fear puking from a run - frankly, I don't ever want to push myself so hard that I puke. That's so not what this is about for me. However, I understand that it could happen just because I accidentally drank too much water or something, so the topic needs to be looked into if I plan to prevent it. Given the massive amount of food I ingested today, I definitely thought this could be my day. Turns out the post was kinda just a joke; it didn't have any real information in it, other than that you will face puke in your running career, whether it's yours or not. However, the comments, while entertaining, also explained the general understanding of why people puke post-workout. Apparently, when you are digesting food, blood pools around your stomach and small intestine. When you workout, the blood has to flow to the muscles to support their activity. This causes havoc on your digestive process, basically preventing digestion and causing an emergency evacuation in the other direction. So...this caused me to start googling to determine how long the digestive process takes. Of course, that is based on what you eat, etc, etc, no clear answers. All I knew was that I felt like a bloated horse, and feared if I tried to run, I would tip over on my big fattened belly.
However, I was quickly losing daylight. If I was going to go, I had about half an hour until dark. I didn't figure I'd be able to run much at all before an emergency evacuation sent me home. It was really cold, so I wore the long pants, long sleeved under armor, long sleeved tee, stocking cap, and wrist warmers. I debated sunglasses, but thought the sun had set far enough that it wouldn't be an issue. I also debated a scarf, but didn't think people usually ran with scarves, so dropped that idea quickly.
I set out into the bitter cold, armed with my poem and phone. This is the first time that I've been able to see my breath while running. As if hearing my panting wasn't annoying enough.. My fingers were so cold, that I wiggled my hands, with poem and phone down into my wrist warmers. And my face was freezing - what do people use?! A face mask? Oh, as if I didn't already get enough strange looks running this evening. There wasn't much traffic tonight, but obviously a lot of the cars I did see were pulling up for dinner, or just getting home from lunch. I also enjoyed the random kids I saw, solo kids just kinda standing in a yard with a stick. That's a sure sign of a siblingless kid at the grandparents house.
I knew we had ice on our back steps, so I was on the lookout for ice patches while running, and there were several. I also had a black cat cross my path within a couple of blocks of the house. This run seemed ridiculous at best. But, since I didn't tip over immediately, or hurl, I figured I could go at least 20 minutes (my fitness group goal)...Or, since I had set out on my 5K route, maybe I would just finish one loop, and go home at the mid-point. But, as I came to the mid-point, I was feeling pretty good, and hadn't even used my poem or any other type of trick to keep going.
However, I did decide to do as I did on my last run, and go straight to the main road. Once I got there, I decided to go ahead and cross and run downtown, further distancing my route from the house. I've often thought I would like to make my route go this way, but I have often waited several minutes to cross the main street here, so I made my route cross at the stop sign. Since there was nearly no traffic tonight, I went for it. Once across, I was running past the library, which is where I ran on my very, very first run (and I don't believe I have run past since).
I turned toward the post office and was feeling quite good. It was getting darker faster than I expected, though. As I headed down the long side street, I was thinking about the hill at the end and how there's no sidewalk there, and it was dark. When I took Mom on the mini blog tour, she pointed out the obvious fact that there is sidewalk on the other side of the street there. However, during the day, there is a lot of traffic through here, and it would result in me crossing the road at two awkward 3-way intersections. Generally, it just seems safer to tackle the hill in the street.
But since no one was out tonight, I crossed over to the sidewalk. I felt stupid good, even running up the hill. I decided to go all the way to the top of the hill (another block), then cross over, and run the block back to the main road. So I did that and as I was running up the main road, in the full-on dark, paying extra attention when crossing the streets, I knew I couldn't just run home. I loved that I was out doing this, and that I was burning off that lunch. I loved the clear example of calories turning to energy. I loved that I was conquering the initial fear of running in the dark and the frigid cold. I really loved that my stomach felt fine. I had worked through several cramps (throughout the run), but they were all very light compared to the ones I often get. I was pretty warm, too - my hands were hot all closed up inside my mitts, but I refused to take them out. It was mostly just my face that I worried about getting wind burnt out there.
Anyway, I was trying to think of where I could continue my run (preferably without getting TOO close to the house), on sidewalks. I crossed over on a street that is named the same as one of my favorite Christmas movie towns, headed for the dreaded hills. I crossed the 5K point right after turning onto this street, but I had no idea, so I didn't check the time.
Lo and behold, a second black cat crossed my path. This led me to seriously reconsider going after the hills, but on I went. There was ice on the hills, which I managed to avoid. I had to go uphill no matter what at this point, but I think the hills that go back towards the main street aren't so steep. They also don't have sidewalks, but there's never traffic, and they're well lit and wide. In the end, I decided to stay on the main hill and trudge up it.
I made it without batting an eye.
I can't believe how well I handled the hills tonight. The one that I turn onto at the end of the main road is a 30 foot elevation change over .15 mi, and this one is 37 feet over the same distance.
So now I am on the street at the end of the main road (the opposite end from where I come onto this street during the normal 5K route). I covered the couple of blocks back to where I had ran up the hill earlier and started retracing my steps. I was pretty sure I had topped my next goal of 4 miles, or would before I was done, but I wasn't ready to stop. I was getting close to running a full hour, and was sure I could achieve that, if I could just keep finding sidewalks. About 2 blocks after I turned back onto the main street, I crossed the 6K mark.
I didn't want to just circle around the same route, so I stayed on the main street all the way to my street. There was a whole herd of people out in the front yard and on the sidewalk near my street. I wasn't looking forward to running past them, and it was really dark there, so I just kinda held my breath and went for it. A few of them stepped out of my way as I got close, but one girl didn't see me until I was right there and she was completely confounded as to why everyone was stepping off the sidewalk. (Because what maniac would be out running!?)
Situation averted, I was on my street debating what to do next. After having very little traffic or commotion tonight, I was on my street where I rarely ever have commotion. My neighbors were leaving in multiple cars though, and I did get stalled for a few seconds while I made sure they saw me in the dark.
I headed to the end of my street and was once again going to be put into hills. I decided to turn onto the same street that the bigger hills are on, and head back towards them. I ran past the creepy angel statue, past some people who had their smoker really smokin', and up the hill to the Christmas Movie Town Street. When I got there, there was traffic approaching from both directions. I was trying to decide if I wanted to cross (which would have me back on the bigger hills), or turn back. I was trying to time this out to where I would get home in one hour, so I ran up to the intersection, where I think everyone was waiting for me, and turned around. "Sorry." I crossed the 7K mark a block later.
I headed back home, making it in one hour and one minute. I may have been able to run farther, but I thought enough was most certainly enough. I never did use my poem, or other tricks. However, I did have to keep a more active eye on traffic, ice patches, black cats, strange kids standing around, and just had to keep occupied thinking about where I was going to run next. I wish I didn't get sooo bored while running just a regular route!
When I got home, I recovered quickly, but my face, ears (even under a hat), and legs (I wore long yoga pants - they aren't thick or warm) were frozen solid...Which leads us to a new feature here on the blog: The Wind Chill Factor.
Weather: 29, Dusk/Dark, 13 mph, 50% Humidity, Feels Like 18 (WC)
Time: 4:30 pm; Run 1:01 - A one hour run comes on Day 40 of my 49 day 5K to 10K plan, although I hoped to be running about 5.5 mi in that time.
Distance: 7.24K (4.5 mi) - I blew that 4 mile goal out of the water, on the first attempt at it! And I started out hoping to run 20 minutes!
Elevation: +193.1/-194.6/net -1.5 ft
5K/10K: 40:54/1:26:28 - Just another average time. I'm ok with it tonight, though, because I was, after all, trying not to puke out my lunch.
And when I got home...I had a piece of pumpkin pie that was about a third of the pie, topped with nearly half a container of cool whip.
I love Thanksgiving, but I don't think I can eat this much every day to train.
Today started out with massive amounts of food being prepared, while I sat in front of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I love the parade every year. We had a huge feast around noon, and I think I ate more than I have ever eaten in a single setting. I've been working out for a year, just so I could do this, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Since I generally try to track what I eat pre-run, I will do my best to give a rundown of the food I ate. There's no point in typing out the amount of each - just assume it was a cubic buttload. Here goes: Tofurky with stuffing and gravy, stuffing (not out of the tofurky), mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and applesauce, corn, rolls, deviled eggs, homemade noodles, black olives, Dew, and a lot of water. My parents like that cranberry stuff in the shape of a can, which has always horrified me, but I've realized I really, really like cranberries in recent years, so I also had one small bite of the can-berry sauce. Nasty. (You'll note an embarrassing lack of pumpkin pie on the list - I just didn't have room at this point.)
After my parents left, I was still pretty stuffed and wasn't ready to workout. Plus it was frakking freezing outside. I figured yoga may be my best bet for today - stretch out that belly a bit. From the warmth of the inside of my house. At any rate, I sat down at the computer and read a blog post I had saved from Runner's World from a few days ago, on puke. I fear puking from a run - frankly, I don't ever want to push myself so hard that I puke. That's so not what this is about for me. However, I understand that it could happen just because I accidentally drank too much water or something, so the topic needs to be looked into if I plan to prevent it. Given the massive amount of food I ingested today, I definitely thought this could be my day. Turns out the post was kinda just a joke; it didn't have any real information in it, other than that you will face puke in your running career, whether it's yours or not. However, the comments, while entertaining, also explained the general understanding of why people puke post-workout. Apparently, when you are digesting food, blood pools around your stomach and small intestine. When you workout, the blood has to flow to the muscles to support their activity. This causes havoc on your digestive process, basically preventing digestion and causing an emergency evacuation in the other direction. So...this caused me to start googling to determine how long the digestive process takes. Of course, that is based on what you eat, etc, etc, no clear answers. All I knew was that I felt like a bloated horse, and feared if I tried to run, I would tip over on my big fattened belly.
However, I was quickly losing daylight. If I was going to go, I had about half an hour until dark. I didn't figure I'd be able to run much at all before an emergency evacuation sent me home. It was really cold, so I wore the long pants, long sleeved under armor, long sleeved tee, stocking cap, and wrist warmers. I debated sunglasses, but thought the sun had set far enough that it wouldn't be an issue. I also debated a scarf, but didn't think people usually ran with scarves, so dropped that idea quickly.
I set out into the bitter cold, armed with my poem and phone. This is the first time that I've been able to see my breath while running. As if hearing my panting wasn't annoying enough.. My fingers were so cold, that I wiggled my hands, with poem and phone down into my wrist warmers. And my face was freezing - what do people use?! A face mask? Oh, as if I didn't already get enough strange looks running this evening. There wasn't much traffic tonight, but obviously a lot of the cars I did see were pulling up for dinner, or just getting home from lunch. I also enjoyed the random kids I saw, solo kids just kinda standing in a yard with a stick. That's a sure sign of a siblingless kid at the grandparents house.
I knew we had ice on our back steps, so I was on the lookout for ice patches while running, and there were several. I also had a black cat cross my path within a couple of blocks of the house. This run seemed ridiculous at best. But, since I didn't tip over immediately, or hurl, I figured I could go at least 20 minutes (my fitness group goal)...Or, since I had set out on my 5K route, maybe I would just finish one loop, and go home at the mid-point. But, as I came to the mid-point, I was feeling pretty good, and hadn't even used my poem or any other type of trick to keep going.
However, I did decide to do as I did on my last run, and go straight to the main road. Once I got there, I decided to go ahead and cross and run downtown, further distancing my route from the house. I've often thought I would like to make my route go this way, but I have often waited several minutes to cross the main street here, so I made my route cross at the stop sign. Since there was nearly no traffic tonight, I went for it. Once across, I was running past the library, which is where I ran on my very, very first run (and I don't believe I have run past since).
I turned toward the post office and was feeling quite good. It was getting darker faster than I expected, though. As I headed down the long side street, I was thinking about the hill at the end and how there's no sidewalk there, and it was dark. When I took Mom on the mini blog tour, she pointed out the obvious fact that there is sidewalk on the other side of the street there. However, during the day, there is a lot of traffic through here, and it would result in me crossing the road at two awkward 3-way intersections. Generally, it just seems safer to tackle the hill in the street.
But since no one was out tonight, I crossed over to the sidewalk. I felt stupid good, even running up the hill. I decided to go all the way to the top of the hill (another block), then cross over, and run the block back to the main road. So I did that and as I was running up the main road, in the full-on dark, paying extra attention when crossing the streets, I knew I couldn't just run home. I loved that I was out doing this, and that I was burning off that lunch. I loved the clear example of calories turning to energy. I loved that I was conquering the initial fear of running in the dark and the frigid cold. I really loved that my stomach felt fine. I had worked through several cramps (throughout the run), but they were all very light compared to the ones I often get. I was pretty warm, too - my hands were hot all closed up inside my mitts, but I refused to take them out. It was mostly just my face that I worried about getting wind burnt out there.
Anyway, I was trying to think of where I could continue my run (preferably without getting TOO close to the house), on sidewalks. I crossed over on a street that is named the same as one of my favorite Christmas movie towns, headed for the dreaded hills. I crossed the 5K point right after turning onto this street, but I had no idea, so I didn't check the time.
Lo and behold, a second black cat crossed my path. This led me to seriously reconsider going after the hills, but on I went. There was ice on the hills, which I managed to avoid. I had to go uphill no matter what at this point, but I think the hills that go back towards the main street aren't so steep. They also don't have sidewalks, but there's never traffic, and they're well lit and wide. In the end, I decided to stay on the main hill and trudge up it.
I made it without batting an eye.
I can't believe how well I handled the hills tonight. The one that I turn onto at the end of the main road is a 30 foot elevation change over .15 mi, and this one is 37 feet over the same distance.
So now I am on the street at the end of the main road (the opposite end from where I come onto this street during the normal 5K route). I covered the couple of blocks back to where I had ran up the hill earlier and started retracing my steps. I was pretty sure I had topped my next goal of 4 miles, or would before I was done, but I wasn't ready to stop. I was getting close to running a full hour, and was sure I could achieve that, if I could just keep finding sidewalks. About 2 blocks after I turned back onto the main street, I crossed the 6K mark.
I didn't want to just circle around the same route, so I stayed on the main street all the way to my street. There was a whole herd of people out in the front yard and on the sidewalk near my street. I wasn't looking forward to running past them, and it was really dark there, so I just kinda held my breath and went for it. A few of them stepped out of my way as I got close, but one girl didn't see me until I was right there and she was completely confounded as to why everyone was stepping off the sidewalk. (Because what maniac would be out running!?)
Situation averted, I was on my street debating what to do next. After having very little traffic or commotion tonight, I was on my street where I rarely ever have commotion. My neighbors were leaving in multiple cars though, and I did get stalled for a few seconds while I made sure they saw me in the dark.
I headed to the end of my street and was once again going to be put into hills. I decided to turn onto the same street that the bigger hills are on, and head back towards them. I ran past the creepy angel statue, past some people who had their smoker really smokin', and up the hill to the Christmas Movie Town Street. When I got there, there was traffic approaching from both directions. I was trying to decide if I wanted to cross (which would have me back on the bigger hills), or turn back. I was trying to time this out to where I would get home in one hour, so I ran up to the intersection, where I think everyone was waiting for me, and turned around. "Sorry." I crossed the 7K mark a block later.
I headed back home, making it in one hour and one minute. I may have been able to run farther, but I thought enough was most certainly enough. I never did use my poem, or other tricks. However, I did have to keep a more active eye on traffic, ice patches, black cats, strange kids standing around, and just had to keep occupied thinking about where I was going to run next. I wish I didn't get sooo bored while running just a regular route!
When I got home, I recovered quickly, but my face, ears (even under a hat), and legs (I wore long yoga pants - they aren't thick or warm) were frozen solid...Which leads us to a new feature here on the blog: The Wind Chill Factor.
Weather: 29, Dusk/Dark, 13 mph, 50% Humidity, Feels Like 18 (WC)
Time: 4:30 pm; Run 1:01 - A one hour run comes on Day 40 of my 49 day 5K to 10K plan, although I hoped to be running about 5.5 mi in that time.
Distance: 7.24K (4.5 mi) - I blew that 4 mile goal out of the water, on the first attempt at it! And I started out hoping to run 20 minutes!
Elevation: +193.1/-194.6/net -1.5 ft
5K/10K: 40:54/1:26:28 - Just another average time. I'm ok with it tonight, though, because I was, after all, trying not to puke out my lunch.
And when I got home...I had a piece of pumpkin pie that was about a third of the pie, topped with nearly half a container of cool whip.
I love Thanksgiving, but I don't think I can eat this much every day to train.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Fitness Challenge
Now for something completely different...Monday the 22nd, marked the beginning of a 30 day fitness challenge that I joined online.
The objective is, essentially, to meet your fitness goals for the next 30 days. The group leader wants to work out 6 days a week for 2 weeks, and 7 days a week for the last 2 weeks. I no longer have fitness goals, per se, but I think I should be working out at least 6 days a week.
Given the time of year we are entering into, not only is it hard to stick to a reasonable diet, but it is flat-out impossible to find time to workout. So, this group challenge is a pretty cool way to keep each other motivated and I'm excited about it.
Monday I rode the closet, I mean exercise bike, for 20 minutes. I would like to be getting 30 minutes a day, I suppose, but my yogas on the dvr are only 20 minutes, also, so I'll just be happy with 20 minutes a day for now. Plus, I must have the settings on the bike messed up, because 10 minutes is the max I can stand to ride that thing. But I got up bright and early before work on Monday and rode the bike for 20 minutes, which came out to 6+ miles per the little readout.
Tuesday, I got up bright and early before work and did yoga. I haven't done yoga in sooo long, and it shows. I had never done this particular workout before, but it is for leg strengthening, so I figured it would help with my running.
Wednesday, I was off work, and my parents were visiting for Thanksgiving. I gave Mom a brief blog tour (via automobile), showing her the 5K route I've been running. In the evening, I managed to eke out another 20 minutes on the exercise bike.
Thursday, well. We have Thanksgiving at lunch, and my parents would be leaving afterwards, so I was fretfully waiting to workout until the evening. I feared what I would be able to do with a full belly, but if I wasn't going to work out on a holiday like Thanksgiving, what was the point of joining a challenge like this at this time of year!?
I'll save the gory, I mean, glory details for the next post.
The objective is, essentially, to meet your fitness goals for the next 30 days. The group leader wants to work out 6 days a week for 2 weeks, and 7 days a week for the last 2 weeks. I no longer have fitness goals, per se, but I think I should be working out at least 6 days a week.
Given the time of year we are entering into, not only is it hard to stick to a reasonable diet, but it is flat-out impossible to find time to workout. So, this group challenge is a pretty cool way to keep each other motivated and I'm excited about it.
Monday I rode the closet, I mean exercise bike, for 20 minutes. I would like to be getting 30 minutes a day, I suppose, but my yogas on the dvr are only 20 minutes, also, so I'll just be happy with 20 minutes a day for now. Plus, I must have the settings on the bike messed up, because 10 minutes is the max I can stand to ride that thing. But I got up bright and early before work on Monday and rode the bike for 20 minutes, which came out to 6+ miles per the little readout.
Tuesday, I got up bright and early before work and did yoga. I haven't done yoga in sooo long, and it shows. I had never done this particular workout before, but it is for leg strengthening, so I figured it would help with my running.
Wednesday, I was off work, and my parents were visiting for Thanksgiving. I gave Mom a brief blog tour (via automobile), showing her the 5K route I've been running. In the evening, I managed to eke out another 20 minutes on the exercise bike.
Thursday, well. We have Thanksgiving at lunch, and my parents would be leaving afterwards, so I was fretfully waiting to workout until the evening. I feared what I would be able to do with a full belly, but if I wasn't going to work out on a holiday like Thanksgiving, what was the point of joining a challenge like this at this time of year!?
I'll save the gory, I mean, glory details for the next post.
Day 70 +1
Run Day: Friday, November 19.
Sigh, really? Another week and a half went by? Well, I did plan to rest once I finished the 5K. Plus, I had a trip to Kansas City over the weekend, and I started work Monday. With it being Orientation week, I actually got four days of work in. I have desperately wanted to run, but it's dark morning and night. And it's cold. I even ran, in heels, up 5 flights of stairs in the parking garage yesterday at lunch, just to get the blood pumping.
I've also been contemplating my own made up 5K to 10K plan. After completing a 5K, which I always knew would take around 40 minutes, I planned two days off, followed by runs of 32, 35, 35, 37, and 40 minutes, then a 4 mile run, followed by a 42 minute run. I never did think this made a lot of sense, but it was beginning to look as if it would never matter anyway. Since I just completed a 42 minute run, I was essentially already on Day 17 of my plan (skipping the 4 mile run). Hmm. I set out today with the hope of repeating a 5K and readdressing the 10K plan afterwards. All I know is that I am adding a goal: Run 4 miles. It's the next big milestone for me, one way or another.
I was debating what to wear today. It bothers me that my summer running clothes say to wear only in very hot weather. I mean, if I wear one now, and cover with a sweatshirt, it's still going to wick. But what else is going to happen? A fire? A flood? Will I get cancer? Will it turn to ice? Will I turn to ice? Bah, I went with capri pants, winter under armor long sleeved shirt, and long sleeved t-shirt, plus a stocking cap and chapstick.
Pre-run food today: granola bar, Dew, water, cheese and whole wheat crackers. Nom Nom.
I had a massive calf cramp last night. The kind where the screaming wakes you up, rather than the cramp itself. My leg was still very sore today, but I thought I would be ok to run. I stretched the Achilles a bit longer, and hoped for the best. When I set out (poem in hand, mp3 at home), it was actually my ankles that hurt. Sigh. My shins were also hurting today. Whatever.
I started off following the same route as last time, taking the hills first. However, I felt like I needed to avoid getting too close to the house, so I slightly tweaked the twist of my Figure-8. I ran straight to the main road, instead of taking an early turn a block closer to home.
This seemed effective, along with heavy use of trying to memorize the poem. Aside from getting quite hot, there really wasn't much to report. At the corner where the 5K mark is, I noted that I had been running 39 minutes (a minute faster than last time). I made it home in what seemed like relative ease. I can't believe I've officially cleared the 5K hurdle.
Once home, my ankles continued to hurt, as did the bottoms of my feet, of course. I also need to look into headaches post-workout. I get them sometimes, but they have been more regular lately, and they're horrendous. I know I've come across articles on the subject, but now I really need to look into it to see what I can do about it. I'm taking way too many tylenol again for my liking.
This run felt especially amazing after sitting in an office all week (well, 4 days). I'm really excited about having running help me through my dreaded work life.
Weather: 56, Sunny, 15mph Wind, 51% Humidity
Time: 1pm; 41:35 - 10 seconds faster than last time.
Distance: 5.2K (3.23mi) - Essentially the same distance as last time.
Elevation: +89.3/-89.3/net 0 ft
5K/10K: 39:52/1:24:16 - While faster than last time, I'd really like to be moving along a bit faster now that I know I can do the distance. This was my 14th fastest overall, 32nd fastest just running time. I wouldn't have bothered counting if I weren't still so excited about running a 5K.
Sigh, really? Another week and a half went by? Well, I did plan to rest once I finished the 5K. Plus, I had a trip to Kansas City over the weekend, and I started work Monday. With it being Orientation week, I actually got four days of work in. I have desperately wanted to run, but it's dark morning and night. And it's cold. I even ran, in heels, up 5 flights of stairs in the parking garage yesterday at lunch, just to get the blood pumping.
I've also been contemplating my own made up 5K to 10K plan. After completing a 5K, which I always knew would take around 40 minutes, I planned two days off, followed by runs of 32, 35, 35, 37, and 40 minutes, then a 4 mile run, followed by a 42 minute run. I never did think this made a lot of sense, but it was beginning to look as if it would never matter anyway. Since I just completed a 42 minute run, I was essentially already on Day 17 of my plan (skipping the 4 mile run). Hmm. I set out today with the hope of repeating a 5K and readdressing the 10K plan afterwards. All I know is that I am adding a goal: Run 4 miles. It's the next big milestone for me, one way or another.
I was debating what to wear today. It bothers me that my summer running clothes say to wear only in very hot weather. I mean, if I wear one now, and cover with a sweatshirt, it's still going to wick. But what else is going to happen? A fire? A flood? Will I get cancer? Will it turn to ice? Will I turn to ice? Bah, I went with capri pants, winter under armor long sleeved shirt, and long sleeved t-shirt, plus a stocking cap and chapstick.
Pre-run food today: granola bar, Dew, water, cheese and whole wheat crackers. Nom Nom.
I had a massive calf cramp last night. The kind where the screaming wakes you up, rather than the cramp itself. My leg was still very sore today, but I thought I would be ok to run. I stretched the Achilles a bit longer, and hoped for the best. When I set out (poem in hand, mp3 at home), it was actually my ankles that hurt. Sigh. My shins were also hurting today. Whatever.
I started off following the same route as last time, taking the hills first. However, I felt like I needed to avoid getting too close to the house, so I slightly tweaked the twist of my Figure-8. I ran straight to the main road, instead of taking an early turn a block closer to home.
This seemed effective, along with heavy use of trying to memorize the poem. Aside from getting quite hot, there really wasn't much to report. At the corner where the 5K mark is, I noted that I had been running 39 minutes (a minute faster than last time). I made it home in what seemed like relative ease. I can't believe I've officially cleared the 5K hurdle.
Once home, my ankles continued to hurt, as did the bottoms of my feet, of course. I also need to look into headaches post-workout. I get them sometimes, but they have been more regular lately, and they're horrendous. I know I've come across articles on the subject, but now I really need to look into it to see what I can do about it. I'm taking way too many tylenol again for my liking.
This run felt especially amazing after sitting in an office all week (well, 4 days). I'm really excited about having running help me through my dreaded work life.
Weather: 56, Sunny, 15mph Wind, 51% Humidity
Time: 1pm; 41:35 - 10 seconds faster than last time.
Distance: 5.2K (3.23mi) - Essentially the same distance as last time.
Elevation: +89.3/-89.3/net 0 ft
5K/10K: 39:52/1:24:16 - While faster than last time, I'd really like to be moving along a bit faster now that I know I can do the distance. This was my 14th fastest overall, 32nd fastest just running time. I wouldn't have bothered counting if I weren't still so excited about running a 5K.
...to 5K!!!!!!
Run Day: Wednesday, November 10.
I am irritated to no end that I waited this long to blog this. I do, however, remember the details a bit more clearly than Monday's run.
Today started off like so many other days this year. A lot of hassle to go in for an interview for a job that turns out I would never want. This was approximately my 15th interview of the year. This one was my breaking point. I've stayed remarkably positive through this process, whether it's because I much prefer being poor to working, or maybe it is the endorphins from running, but this one just made me postal. Well, borderline postal. I came home and checked my email. I have actually been hired for part time temporary work, but the process has been long and arduous and it's been about a month, but I haven't actually started working yet. My email held the news that the office I had been placed in was only going to need me 2-3 days a week, instead of 5. Oh, there's postal.
I was already planning on running, but time was getting short before I had to go back and pick up Husband, and there was a threat of storms in the area. Not a "watch," just a threat, based mostly on the thick rolling clouds that were blowing through. However, when I read that email, I knew running was of the essence. As I was stretching, I was in full-on meltdown mode. Today was going to be a definite test to see if running was strong enough to bust stress. I was rocking a pair of shorts that actually had a pocket for my id, and a margarita t-shirt, as I would have preferred a margarita if I didn't have to pick up Husband.
Today I had ingested a Dew, homemade pumpkin bread, a couple of homemade whole grain crackers, and about 3 glasses of water.
I had written down the first stanza of "If" and left my mp3 behind. Partly because I knew the charge was low, but mostly because I thought this poem memorizing this was going to work, but not with music. So I set off with phone in one hand, and poem in the other - a lighter load than normal.
I was tired after 3 blocks.
My feet were still sore from Monday's run.
I was dizzy. (Argh!?)
But most of all, I was pissed. I went obsessively back through the morning's interview, which I always do, and find it leaves me with much less of a feeling of wasting time when I do it while running. I stomped through my rage about getting my hours cut before I even start a job. I stomped and stomped and stomped. By the time I got through the hills and to the end of the bottom of the Figure-8, about 1 mile, I was over it. Over it all.
I was much more concerned about the clouds. I had taken my sunglasses off, partly because it was so dark now, and partly to just keep a better eye on the clouds blowing in. (It was super windy, but it didn't seem to be hitting me in the face like normal.) I didn't like having my sunglasses off, because everyone and their mother was outside. I was spending a lot of precious energy saying hello, excuse me, and nodding kindly to people, even though I have sworn many times to not do that while I'm trying to run. I started worrying that I would have to stop when I got close to the house today, just for my own safety. I also wished I had my mp3, as I should be able to pick up the local radio stations on it and check the weather.
As I ran back towards the center of the Figure-8, I unfolded the poem. I had been worried I wouldn't adequately be able to run and read what was in my hand, but I managed. It was an okay distraction.
Nearing the intersection by the post office, I saw a sheriff's deputy at the stop sign. I was looking at the clouds, and looking at him, thinking, if there was about to be a tornado, surely he would pull up and let me know, right? Meh. He waved as he went by, probably wondering why I was staring so desperately at him, so I decided to keep going, and veered away from the house.
It was somewhere around this point of the run that I realized what I had been missing. I needed someone to tell me that I can't finish a 5K. (Someone besides myself.) I have removed all unsupportive people from my circle, which is great. But, there's still something in my character that pushes me harder when I am told I can't do it. Today, it was the weather that said, nope, you don't have 40 minutes before the flood gates open. You can't fit it in today. But I figure, what better way to wrap up the 5K, finally, than in the pouring rain with thunder and lightning and hail pounding around me. It would be festive, no?
Still, I was concerned, so as I rounded the post office, I sent off my first facebook-status-while-running, hoping someone would google the weather and post it in reply. No one did. That's cool. I wasn't real clear on what I needed, as I was texting while running.
Anyhoo, I round the post office and head down the long road that starts the top loop of the 8. There's a wee little dog and its owner ahead. And the dog mauled me. OK, it wasn't that bad. It actually did, I believe, attempt to bite my leg, but due to its tiny face and my giant leg muscles, apparently all I got was some drool. They're called ankle biters for a reason, and that's why I am always blogging doggie updates. Vicious crap machines.
I ran on, and got to the point where I had stopped on my last viable 5K attempt, and was ecstatic to still be going past the point of the crippling cramp. Granted, since I added on that extra block at the one mile mark, I had actually already ran farther than the last time.
This is it. I finish this street, and head up the heinous hill at the end. I was in sheer agony going up the hill. I made it, noting the ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations that had popped up at Tux's house, as I started my final leg back down the main road. It's still slightly uphill here, and I was just dying. I kept telling myself, you have run this stretch a billion times, in far worse condition that this. I crossed the street, because it seems somehow less difficult on that side, and I started repeating "If."
I think I very nearly blacked out along here. There were a couple of blocks where I don't really remember much. I just knew that I was too close to quit, so no matter what happened, I was finishing this thing. As I rounded the corner onto my street, I had the presence of mind to realize that right around there should be the actual 5K point. I had been running 40 minutes. (Later, I checked on the map, and that was the 5K point. I had done it.)
After all the commotion that made up this run, I still had one more neighbor to acknowledge, as I made the final push down my block. I ran up my alley, knowing with certainty I had ran more than 5K, and I almost felt like I could run some more!!! Absurdity! I decided it was best to stop, as I had already defeated the impending storm and the Finally 5K, and anything else just seemed like I would be pushing my luck.
I had been looking forward to The Victory Arms, but they didn't come until I was seated in my family room, in total disbelief. And they were pretty weak. I'll have to remember that if I ever run a real race, with a photographer. (Can you do Victory Arms if you don't win? I don't care.)
A couple of other notes...I only had to stop once, quickly, for traffic on this run. I also think this was the first run where I wore chapstick. My lips get sooo dry while I am running. If it wasn't this run, it was the next, but regardless, it is a lifesaver.
I started running on May 4. The program I used was 70 days, in theory wrapping up July 12th...I, however, had to repeat a couple of the weeks in the program, building my times and distances a bit more slowly. I finally made it to the 5K day on August 16th, a month late. I was pretty stoked that I made it, though. I wanted to give up many, many times. So I mapped out a distance of 5K, and set out to a huge Fail. I kept trying. Fail, Fail, Fail. A couple of times, I got close, but Fail. In frustration, and due to some small injuries, my runs have become more spaced out, but despite many threats to quit, and absolute certainty that I would never run 5K, I kept going. 22 tries later, I finally got through it on November 10th!! My 70 day program took 191 days and it feels GREAT!
You can't go from couch potato to 5K overnight; even if you can't do it in 70 days, it can be done, especially if you surround yourself with supportive people, put in a constant effort, and for the love of cocoa on Christmas, don't give up. And maybe a little homemade pumpkin bread will help, too. And rage at The Man. And threat of storm. And chapstick. Look, I knew all along there were a lot of variables to be managed. Now the question is...can I do it again..?
Weather: 72, Mostly Cloudy (Threat of Doom), 21mph Wind, 51% Humidity
Time: 1:45 pm; 41 minutes 45 seconds - Obviously my longest run time.
Distance: 5.19K (3.23mi) - Obviously, my longest distance.
Elevation: +92.2/-91/net 1.2 ft - For this momentous occasion, I included the elevation profile at the end of this post.
5K/10K: 40:07/1:24:47 - Nailed the 5K time. (I'll now be "Yay"-ing my goals of completing a 5K, and completing a 5K in under 45 minutes!) My times were not great, but better than in awhile. The threat of storms does wonders...Anyway, I counted it up, and this was my 14th best predictor overall, but only my 33rd best for just run times.
Overall, I have completed 23.62 hours of run/walk, covering 172.13K (106.97mi). My overall 5K/10K predictor average is 44:10 and 1:33:20.
My numbers for just running to date, which are less accurate, show 15.52 hours, covering 123.75K (76.89mi), with a 5K/10K predictor of 39:24/1:23:25.
And I go back to work Monday.
Ok, so this blog post title would look a lot cooler if I had thought far enough ahead to name my first post "Couch..." Especially since my first day of the Couch to 5K training plan found me sitting "on the couch for awhile. There's a lot of psyching up that has to go on, and that pisses me off, because I was so excited about this!" Way back on August 16th, as I set off in the early morning on what was supposed to be my first 5K distance, I thought of the title to this blog post, and it was the first time I realized I started this whole thing literally forcing myself off the Couch.
I am irritated to no end that I waited this long to blog this. I do, however, remember the details a bit more clearly than Monday's run.
Today started off like so many other days this year. A lot of hassle to go in for an interview for a job that turns out I would never want. This was approximately my 15th interview of the year. This one was my breaking point. I've stayed remarkably positive through this process, whether it's because I much prefer being poor to working, or maybe it is the endorphins from running, but this one just made me postal. Well, borderline postal. I came home and checked my email. I have actually been hired for part time temporary work, but the process has been long and arduous and it's been about a month, but I haven't actually started working yet. My email held the news that the office I had been placed in was only going to need me 2-3 days a week, instead of 5. Oh, there's postal.
I was already planning on running, but time was getting short before I had to go back and pick up Husband, and there was a threat of storms in the area. Not a "watch," just a threat, based mostly on the thick rolling clouds that were blowing through. However, when I read that email, I knew running was of the essence. As I was stretching, I was in full-on meltdown mode. Today was going to be a definite test to see if running was strong enough to bust stress. I was rocking a pair of shorts that actually had a pocket for my id, and a margarita t-shirt, as I would have preferred a margarita if I didn't have to pick up Husband.
Today I had ingested a Dew, homemade pumpkin bread, a couple of homemade whole grain crackers, and about 3 glasses of water.
I had written down the first stanza of "If" and left my mp3 behind. Partly because I knew the charge was low, but mostly because I thought this poem memorizing this was going to work, but not with music. So I set off with phone in one hand, and poem in the other - a lighter load than normal.
I was tired after 3 blocks.
My feet were still sore from Monday's run.
I was dizzy. (Argh!?)
But most of all, I was pissed. I went obsessively back through the morning's interview, which I always do, and find it leaves me with much less of a feeling of wasting time when I do it while running. I stomped through my rage about getting my hours cut before I even start a job. I stomped and stomped and stomped. By the time I got through the hills and to the end of the bottom of the Figure-8, about 1 mile, I was over it. Over it all.
I was much more concerned about the clouds. I had taken my sunglasses off, partly because it was so dark now, and partly to just keep a better eye on the clouds blowing in. (It was super windy, but it didn't seem to be hitting me in the face like normal.) I didn't like having my sunglasses off, because everyone and their mother was outside. I was spending a lot of precious energy saying hello, excuse me, and nodding kindly to people, even though I have sworn many times to not do that while I'm trying to run. I started worrying that I would have to stop when I got close to the house today, just for my own safety. I also wished I had my mp3, as I should be able to pick up the local radio stations on it and check the weather.
As I ran back towards the center of the Figure-8, I unfolded the poem. I had been worried I wouldn't adequately be able to run and read what was in my hand, but I managed. It was an okay distraction.
Nearing the intersection by the post office, I saw a sheriff's deputy at the stop sign. I was looking at the clouds, and looking at him, thinking, if there was about to be a tornado, surely he would pull up and let me know, right? Meh. He waved as he went by, probably wondering why I was staring so desperately at him, so I decided to keep going, and veered away from the house.
It was somewhere around this point of the run that I realized what I had been missing. I needed someone to tell me that I can't finish a 5K. (Someone besides myself.) I have removed all unsupportive people from my circle, which is great. But, there's still something in my character that pushes me harder when I am told I can't do it. Today, it was the weather that said, nope, you don't have 40 minutes before the flood gates open. You can't fit it in today. But I figure, what better way to wrap up the 5K, finally, than in the pouring rain with thunder and lightning and hail pounding around me. It would be festive, no?
Still, I was concerned, so as I rounded the post office, I sent off my first facebook-status-while-running, hoping someone would google the weather and post it in reply. No one did. That's cool. I wasn't real clear on what I needed, as I was texting while running.
Anyhoo, I round the post office and head down the long road that starts the top loop of the 8. There's a wee little dog and its owner ahead. And the dog mauled me. OK, it wasn't that bad. It actually did, I believe, attempt to bite my leg, but due to its tiny face and my giant leg muscles, apparently all I got was some drool. They're called ankle biters for a reason, and that's why I am always blogging doggie updates. Vicious crap machines.
I ran on, and got to the point where I had stopped on my last viable 5K attempt, and was ecstatic to still be going past the point of the crippling cramp. Granted, since I added on that extra block at the one mile mark, I had actually already ran farther than the last time.
This is it. I finish this street, and head up the heinous hill at the end. I was in sheer agony going up the hill. I made it, noting the ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations that had popped up at Tux's house, as I started my final leg back down the main road. It's still slightly uphill here, and I was just dying. I kept telling myself, you have run this stretch a billion times, in far worse condition that this. I crossed the street, because it seems somehow less difficult on that side, and I started repeating "If."
I think I very nearly blacked out along here. There were a couple of blocks where I don't really remember much. I just knew that I was too close to quit, so no matter what happened, I was finishing this thing. As I rounded the corner onto my street, I had the presence of mind to realize that right around there should be the actual 5K point. I had been running 40 minutes. (Later, I checked on the map, and that was the 5K point. I had done it.)
After all the commotion that made up this run, I still had one more neighbor to acknowledge, as I made the final push down my block. I ran up my alley, knowing with certainty I had ran more than 5K, and I almost felt like I could run some more!!! Absurdity! I decided it was best to stop, as I had already defeated the impending storm and the Finally 5K, and anything else just seemed like I would be pushing my luck.
I had been looking forward to The Victory Arms, but they didn't come until I was seated in my family room, in total disbelief. And they were pretty weak. I'll have to remember that if I ever run a real race, with a photographer. (Can you do Victory Arms if you don't win? I don't care.)
A couple of other notes...I only had to stop once, quickly, for traffic on this run. I also think this was the first run where I wore chapstick. My lips get sooo dry while I am running. If it wasn't this run, it was the next, but regardless, it is a lifesaver.
I started running on May 4. The program I used was 70 days, in theory wrapping up July 12th...I, however, had to repeat a couple of the weeks in the program, building my times and distances a bit more slowly. I finally made it to the 5K day on August 16th, a month late. I was pretty stoked that I made it, though. I wanted to give up many, many times. So I mapped out a distance of 5K, and set out to a huge Fail. I kept trying. Fail, Fail, Fail. A couple of times, I got close, but Fail. In frustration, and due to some small injuries, my runs have become more spaced out, but despite many threats to quit, and absolute certainty that I would never run 5K, I kept going. 22 tries later, I finally got through it on November 10th!! My 70 day program took 191 days and it feels GREAT!
You can't go from couch potato to 5K overnight; even if you can't do it in 70 days, it can be done, especially if you surround yourself with supportive people, put in a constant effort, and for the love of cocoa on Christmas, don't give up. And maybe a little homemade pumpkin bread will help, too. And rage at The Man. And threat of storm. And chapstick. Look, I knew all along there were a lot of variables to be managed. Now the question is...can I do it again..?
Weather: 72, Mostly Cloudy (Threat of Doom), 21mph Wind, 51% Humidity
Time: 1:45 pm; 41 minutes 45 seconds - Obviously my longest run time.
Distance: 5.19K (3.23mi) - Obviously, my longest distance.
Elevation: +92.2/-91/net 1.2 ft - For this momentous occasion, I included the elevation profile at the end of this post.
5K/10K: 40:07/1:24:47 - Nailed the 5K time. (I'll now be "Yay"-ing my goals of completing a 5K, and completing a 5K in under 45 minutes!) My times were not great, but better than in awhile. The threat of storms does wonders...Anyway, I counted it up, and this was my 14th best predictor overall, but only my 33rd best for just run times.
Overall, I have completed 23.62 hours of run/walk, covering 172.13K (106.97mi). My overall 5K/10K predictor average is 44:10 and 1:33:20.
My numbers for just running to date, which are less accurate, show 15.52 hours, covering 123.75K (76.89mi), with a 5K/10K predictor of 39:24/1:23:25.
And I go back to work Monday.
Ok, so this blog post title would look a lot cooler if I had thought far enough ahead to name my first post "Couch..." Especially since my first day of the Couch to 5K training plan found me sitting "on the couch for awhile. There's a lot of psyching up that has to go on, and that pisses me off, because I was so excited about this!" Way back on August 16th, as I set off in the early morning on what was supposed to be my first 5K distance, I thought of the title to this blog post, and it was the first time I realized I started this whole thing literally forcing myself off the Couch.
Things Worth Memorizing
After my run on November 8th, I knew I had to find something to memorize while running. I have been threatening this from the beginning, as it was a trick my blogging runner in the Netherlands used. I flipped through my giant book o' Shakespeare, and thought about the Constitution, or maybe state capitols. I really couldn't latch on to anything that interested me.
I sat down to the Google, and compiled a list. I decided to post the poems here for my future reference. While looking, I also thought about my book, "Poems of Childhood," which probably has some memorizable poems in it, all of which I have loved since I was a wee. I also thought about looking into some Pablo Neruda. In the meantime, I marked the following down.
Elizabeth Bishop, "Sonnet" (BTW, Googling for Elizabeth Bennett, heroine of "Pride and Prejudice," gets you nowhere when looking for Ms. Bishop's poem):
I am in need of music that would flow
Over my fretful, feeling finger-tips,
Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips,
With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.
Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low,
Of some song sung to rest the tired dead,
A song to fall like water on my head,
And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow!
There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.
Perhaps some "Fiddler Jones," from Edgar Lee Masters:
The Earth keeps some vibration going
There in your heart, and that is you.
And if the people find you can fiddle,
Why, fiddle you must, for all your life.
What do you see, a harvest of clover?
Or a meadow to walk through to the river?
The wind’s in the corn; you rub your hands
For beeves hereafter ready for market;
Or else you hear the rustle of skirts
Like the girls when dancing at Little Grove.
To Cooney Potter a pillar of dust
Or whirling leaves meant ruinous drouth;
They looked to me like Red-Head Sammy
Stepping it off, to “Toor-a-Loor.”
How could I till my forty acres
Not to speak of getting more,
With a medley of horns, bassoons and piccolos
Stirred in my brain by crows and robins
And the creak of a wind-mill—only these?
And I never started to plow in my life
That some one did not stop in the road
And take me away to a dance or picnic.
I ended up with forty acres;
I ended up with a broken fiddle—
And a broken laugh, and a thousand memories,
And not a single regret.
Ahh, or of course, "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
But eventually, I settled on the first item I will be focusing on memorizing.
"If," by Rudyard Kipling:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
I can hardly wait to start memorizing it - such a great poem!!
I sat down to the Google, and compiled a list. I decided to post the poems here for my future reference. While looking, I also thought about my book, "Poems of Childhood," which probably has some memorizable poems in it, all of which I have loved since I was a wee. I also thought about looking into some Pablo Neruda. In the meantime, I marked the following down.
Elizabeth Bishop, "Sonnet" (BTW, Googling for Elizabeth Bennett, heroine of "Pride and Prejudice," gets you nowhere when looking for Ms. Bishop's poem):
I am in need of music that would flow
Over my fretful, feeling finger-tips,
Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips,
With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.
Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low,
Of some song sung to rest the tired dead,
A song to fall like water on my head,
And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow!
There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.
Perhaps some "Fiddler Jones," from Edgar Lee Masters:
The Earth keeps some vibration going
There in your heart, and that is you.
And if the people find you can fiddle,
Why, fiddle you must, for all your life.
What do you see, a harvest of clover?
Or a meadow to walk through to the river?
The wind’s in the corn; you rub your hands
For beeves hereafter ready for market;
Or else you hear the rustle of skirts
Like the girls when dancing at Little Grove.
To Cooney Potter a pillar of dust
Or whirling leaves meant ruinous drouth;
They looked to me like Red-Head Sammy
Stepping it off, to “Toor-a-Loor.”
How could I till my forty acres
Not to speak of getting more,
With a medley of horns, bassoons and piccolos
Stirred in my brain by crows and robins
And the creak of a wind-mill—only these?
And I never started to plow in my life
That some one did not stop in the road
And take me away to a dance or picnic.
I ended up with forty acres;
I ended up with a broken fiddle—
And a broken laugh, and a thousand memories,
And not a single regret.
Ahh, or of course, "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
But eventually, I settled on the first item I will be focusing on memorizing.
"If," by Rudyard Kipling:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
I can hardly wait to start memorizing it - such a great poem!!
Day 189: Losing Focus
Run Day: Monday Nov. 8.
Oy, waiting 3 weeks to post on a run was not a great idea. I'll make the most of my notes and get on to the next, more exciting posts.
I'll start off by pointing out it had been two weeks since my last run, and my toes were still sore when I went for this run. I believe I set off with the mindset that I would run the 5K, but I think I was just going to be happy with however far I made it, given that it had been a few weeks.
So I had made some homemade mini raw bars and ate some of them, a Dew, and a little water. I was rocking my compression pants, and I felt a little sick (now, I believe that was like sinuses, not tummy, not sure). I packed my mp3 and took off. My legs were very heavy, which was likely due to the compression pants as much as the break in running, and I had the wind in my face.
When I got to the very bottom of my Figure-8 route, I went an extra block before I turned around and ran back onto the route. This would make the route go from just shy of a 5K, to just over.
The worst part of leaving a massive gap in between runs is this run. It's like a throwaway. I know I can't do a 5K out of the blue, but running a shorter distance, and then having a rest day, before I can truly attempt the 5K again is just so frustrating.
Running back to the middle of the Figure-8, I was super tired, my left knee hurt, the bottoms of my arches hurt, I had slight side cramps. I tried to focus on ANYTHING, but my mind was just jumping around, and no tricks were working. I kept telling myself that I wouldn't be stopping at the house when I got close. Just. Keep. Going.
As I approached the turnoff for the post office, which would take me into the top of the Figure-8, I remembered my injured toes, but they weren't hurting! I quickly tried to think about something else before I thought them into pain! Per usual, there was a lot of traffic at this intersection, and I decided not to cross. I was nearly tapped anyway, and only a block from my street.
I kept running down the main road, and unbelievably, I ran past my street. This will stand as one of my more amazing running moments. There's a slight uphill on the other side of my street and despite fearing it, I just kept going. I was so impressed with myself for not going home, that I started thinking about how my revised route could be 'fixed' and still be 5K.
Really, I wanted to go for 30 minutes. Or as far as possible.
I made it 31 minutes, about halfway down the main road (where I turn off to go to the hills on the street with no sidewalks). I believe I was just starting to decide if I was going to try to walk a bit, then run it out, when I realized I had full-on jelly legs. I think I have taken jelly legs in vain on here before. My legs were jelly. I turned around immediately. I could hardly stand up once I stopped running, and I wasn't sure how I was going to make it back home.
I made it back very, very slowly. As I walked, I became aware that everything hurt. My knee, feet, legs, teeth, hair, and I had a headache. It was a rough walk home. After I got home, and sat down for awhile, I got up and my toes hurt super bad. And I couldn't remember why, thank you, Exhaustion. Rough day!
Weather: 71, Sunny, 16mph wind, 31% Humidity
Time: 12:30 pm; 31 minutes
Distance: 3.8K (2.36mi) - I was super-stoked when I saw just how far I had run after a break. It's not a 5K, but I was happy with it.
Elevation: +48.5/-39.6/net 8.9 ft
5K/10K: 41:42/1:28:09
It wasn't until today that I realized just how great this run actually was. My previous best times for straight runs were 30 (3.91K), 28 (3.52K), and 32 (3.96K). Yay!
Oy, waiting 3 weeks to post on a run was not a great idea. I'll make the most of my notes and get on to the next, more exciting posts.
I'll start off by pointing out it had been two weeks since my last run, and my toes were still sore when I went for this run. I believe I set off with the mindset that I would run the 5K, but I think I was just going to be happy with however far I made it, given that it had been a few weeks.
So I had made some homemade mini raw bars and ate some of them, a Dew, and a little water. I was rocking my compression pants, and I felt a little sick (now, I believe that was like sinuses, not tummy, not sure). I packed my mp3 and took off. My legs were very heavy, which was likely due to the compression pants as much as the break in running, and I had the wind in my face.
When I got to the very bottom of my Figure-8 route, I went an extra block before I turned around and ran back onto the route. This would make the route go from just shy of a 5K, to just over.
The worst part of leaving a massive gap in between runs is this run. It's like a throwaway. I know I can't do a 5K out of the blue, but running a shorter distance, and then having a rest day, before I can truly attempt the 5K again is just so frustrating.
Running back to the middle of the Figure-8, I was super tired, my left knee hurt, the bottoms of my arches hurt, I had slight side cramps. I tried to focus on ANYTHING, but my mind was just jumping around, and no tricks were working. I kept telling myself that I wouldn't be stopping at the house when I got close. Just. Keep. Going.
As I approached the turnoff for the post office, which would take me into the top of the Figure-8, I remembered my injured toes, but they weren't hurting! I quickly tried to think about something else before I thought them into pain! Per usual, there was a lot of traffic at this intersection, and I decided not to cross. I was nearly tapped anyway, and only a block from my street.
I kept running down the main road, and unbelievably, I ran past my street. This will stand as one of my more amazing running moments. There's a slight uphill on the other side of my street and despite fearing it, I just kept going. I was so impressed with myself for not going home, that I started thinking about how my revised route could be 'fixed' and still be 5K.
Really, I wanted to go for 30 minutes. Or as far as possible.
I made it 31 minutes, about halfway down the main road (where I turn off to go to the hills on the street with no sidewalks). I believe I was just starting to decide if I was going to try to walk a bit, then run it out, when I realized I had full-on jelly legs. I think I have taken jelly legs in vain on here before. My legs were jelly. I turned around immediately. I could hardly stand up once I stopped running, and I wasn't sure how I was going to make it back home.
I made it back very, very slowly. As I walked, I became aware that everything hurt. My knee, feet, legs, teeth, hair, and I had a headache. It was a rough walk home. After I got home, and sat down for awhile, I got up and my toes hurt super bad. And I couldn't remember why, thank you, Exhaustion. Rough day!
Weather: 71, Sunny, 16mph wind, 31% Humidity
Time: 12:30 pm; 31 minutes
Distance: 3.8K (2.36mi) - I was super-stoked when I saw just how far I had run after a break. It's not a 5K, but I was happy with it.
Elevation: +48.5/-39.6/net 8.9 ft
5K/10K: 41:42/1:28:09
It wasn't until today that I realized just how great this run actually was. My previous best times for straight runs were 30 (3.91K), 28 (3.52K), and 32 (3.96K). Yay!
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Agony of De'Feet
Awhile back I mentioned I thought I may have broken my toes on my right foot when the dog and I raced through the dining room. That turned out to be a pretty minor deal and I'm sure nothing was actually broken. I've been long healed from the incident.
Last night, I was walking through the dining room and tripped over my suitcase (yes, we got home Monday night so I probably deserved it) and most certainly shattered some toe bone in my left foot. Oy, it's excruciating. It's the three middle toes and it hurts to even consider moving them (not that I can, I have tried). It hurts to raise them off the ground, it hurts to press them into the ground.
I've been wanting to run pretty much everyday since my last run, but couldn't muster the energy in New Orleans, and couldn't face the cold when we got back. I also am not feeling real great in general, but it's mostly the cold keeping me in. I was hoping to get to the gym if my stomach could keep me upright long enough. Alas, now I won't be running for a bit no matter how much I want to.
So since this blog started in an effort to track my progress towards running past jazz musicians, and in an attempt to explain why I was so tired in NOLA, I thought I would post a list of the bands we saw on our trip.
We went to the Voodoo Experience, which is a 3-day music festival with 6 stages. Music plays from about 11 am to 11 pm, a little earlier on the last day. They feature all types of music, which is great, because I have the most schizophrenic music tastes on this earth. All modes of transportation drop you off a mile from the closest stage to the entrance.
A lot of shows overlap, so we didn't see whole sets of most of these, but these are the artists we saw...also, there was a dance/DJ stage - we never went to it, but you could hear/feel a lot of those artists all weekend (I'm only noting one DJ below as we could clearly hear them for quite awhile).
Friday:
COOT
Fitz & The Tantrums
Creole String Beans
Miracle at St Anna (we could only hear them as we were walking around and they were AWFUL)
Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes
Feufollet
Stanton Moore Trio plus Anders Osborne and Robert Walkter
Eli "Paperboy" Reed and The True Loves
Rosie Ledet
Metric
Weezer
Galactic with special guests Cyril Neville & Corey Henry
Raphael Saadiq
Saturday:
Treme Brass Band with Uncle Lionel Batiste
River City Extension
Rebirth Brass Band
Cage the Elephant (I love them, this was going to be one my top shows. They should pay their producer more because they FN SUCK live.)
Florence & The Machine (like 1 song, I hate them.)
Buckwheat Zydeco
Street Sweeper Social Club (I knew Husband was going to hate this show - I only knew 1-2 of their songs, but I thought I would really enjoy. I did - it turned out to be in the 3-way tie for my favorite show. We were going to just watch half and then go watch Jakob Dylan & Three Legs. Husband went to see Jakob Dylan, I stayed for SSSC.)
Ozzy Fn Osbourne. (Hollleee Crap. I was excited to finally see Ozzy, but I wasn't expecting to be blown off the face of the earth by him. Husband informed me that Sharon mooched a couple of Rob Zombie's guys to play with Ozzy and it SHOWS. I was glad I got to see the drummer who played with Rob when Husband caught an autographed drum top which is hanging in our foyer. I feel connected to that piece now. He played everything - it was absolutely amazing. I almost fell over when he started "Fairies wear boots." I don't know exactly how I managed it, but THAT was the first Sabbath song I knew and perhaps had a hand in making me the upstanding citizen I am today. It was my gateway to the dark side. He played a couple new songs, too, which I did not know, but rocked way harder than the older stuff. Three-way tie for best show of the weekend. And SSSC was the PERFECT band to go on before him.)
Sunday was a mess. First, we stayed out till 5 am the night before. Second, something was wrong with the St Charles Avenue Streetcar - they kept going out, but none were coming back. Plus, it's the shortest day anyway. Then one of the acts had technical difficulties and it screwed up a couple shows we really wanted to see. Sadly, we didn't make it in time to see the Zydepunks. Maybe next year. We did see...
JP, Chrissie [Hynde] and the Fairground Boys
Voice of the Wetland All-Stars (including Dr. John and Tab Benoit)
Toubab Krewe
deadmau5 (this was the huge DJ act of the weekend - we were laying on the ground, across the park. There was no band on the stage we were by at that time. I could feel the ground pulsing under me. We could definitely hear it.)
Macy Gray (just barely caught the end)
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Blew us out of the park - perfect end to the festival. He is A- Ma-Zing. And that closes out the 3-way tie for favorite act of the weekend.)
There may have been a couple acts I missed, but I must not have been paying too much attention if I can't remember them a week later, so there you have it.
In closing, the Voodoo production team didn't even give us a week to get another paycheck (for those who actually work anyway) before putting Voodoo 2011 tickets on sale for the lowest price they'll be selling them at, $75 for the weekend. I believe they go up to $150 by the time the weekend actually rolls around, so, as Ferris would say, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. We didn't even see most of the "top" bands that played this year. $75 is the deal of the century for music lovers who can still hang with a festival crowd.
Till I can run again...
Last night, I was walking through the dining room and tripped over my suitcase (yes, we got home Monday night so I probably deserved it) and most certainly shattered some toe bone in my left foot. Oy, it's excruciating. It's the three middle toes and it hurts to even consider moving them (not that I can, I have tried). It hurts to raise them off the ground, it hurts to press them into the ground.
I've been wanting to run pretty much everyday since my last run, but couldn't muster the energy in New Orleans, and couldn't face the cold when we got back. I also am not feeling real great in general, but it's mostly the cold keeping me in. I was hoping to get to the gym if my stomach could keep me upright long enough. Alas, now I won't be running for a bit no matter how much I want to.
So since this blog started in an effort to track my progress towards running past jazz musicians, and in an attempt to explain why I was so tired in NOLA, I thought I would post a list of the bands we saw on our trip.
We went to the Voodoo Experience, which is a 3-day music festival with 6 stages. Music plays from about 11 am to 11 pm, a little earlier on the last day. They feature all types of music, which is great, because I have the most schizophrenic music tastes on this earth. All modes of transportation drop you off a mile from the closest stage to the entrance.
A lot of shows overlap, so we didn't see whole sets of most of these, but these are the artists we saw...also, there was a dance/DJ stage - we never went to it, but you could hear/feel a lot of those artists all weekend (I'm only noting one DJ below as we could clearly hear them for quite awhile).
Friday:
COOT
Fitz & The Tantrums
Creole String Beans
Miracle at St Anna (we could only hear them as we were walking around and they were AWFUL)
Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes
Feufollet
Stanton Moore Trio plus Anders Osborne and Robert Walkter
Eli "Paperboy" Reed and The True Loves
Rosie Ledet
Metric
Weezer
Galactic with special guests Cyril Neville & Corey Henry
Raphael Saadiq
Saturday:
Treme Brass Band with Uncle Lionel Batiste
River City Extension
Rebirth Brass Band
Cage the Elephant (I love them, this was going to be one my top shows. They should pay their producer more because they FN SUCK live.)
Florence & The Machine (like 1 song, I hate them.)
Buckwheat Zydeco
Street Sweeper Social Club (I knew Husband was going to hate this show - I only knew 1-2 of their songs, but I thought I would really enjoy. I did - it turned out to be in the 3-way tie for my favorite show. We were going to just watch half and then go watch Jakob Dylan & Three Legs. Husband went to see Jakob Dylan, I stayed for SSSC.)
Ozzy Fn Osbourne. (Hollleee Crap. I was excited to finally see Ozzy, but I wasn't expecting to be blown off the face of the earth by him. Husband informed me that Sharon mooched a couple of Rob Zombie's guys to play with Ozzy and it SHOWS. I was glad I got to see the drummer who played with Rob when Husband caught an autographed drum top which is hanging in our foyer. I feel connected to that piece now. He played everything - it was absolutely amazing. I almost fell over when he started "Fairies wear boots." I don't know exactly how I managed it, but THAT was the first Sabbath song I knew and perhaps had a hand in making me the upstanding citizen I am today. It was my gateway to the dark side. He played a couple new songs, too, which I did not know, but rocked way harder than the older stuff. Three-way tie for best show of the weekend. And SSSC was the PERFECT band to go on before him.)
Sunday was a mess. First, we stayed out till 5 am the night before. Second, something was wrong with the St Charles Avenue Streetcar - they kept going out, but none were coming back. Plus, it's the shortest day anyway. Then one of the acts had technical difficulties and it screwed up a couple shows we really wanted to see. Sadly, we didn't make it in time to see the Zydepunks. Maybe next year. We did see...
JP, Chrissie [Hynde] and the Fairground Boys
Voice of the Wetland All-Stars (including Dr. John and Tab Benoit)
Toubab Krewe
deadmau5 (this was the huge DJ act of the weekend - we were laying on the ground, across the park. There was no band on the stage we were by at that time. I could feel the ground pulsing under me. We could definitely hear it.)
Macy Gray (just barely caught the end)
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Blew us out of the park - perfect end to the festival. He is A- Ma-Zing. And that closes out the 3-way tie for favorite act of the weekend.)
There may have been a couple acts I missed, but I must not have been paying too much attention if I can't remember them a week later, so there you have it.
In closing, the Voodoo production team didn't even give us a week to get another paycheck (for those who actually work anyway) before putting Voodoo 2011 tickets on sale for the lowest price they'll be selling them at, $75 for the weekend. I believe they go up to $150 by the time the weekend actually rolls around, so, as Ferris would say, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. We didn't even see most of the "top" bands that played this year. $75 is the deal of the century for music lovers who can still hang with a festival crowd.
Till I can run again...
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Note to Self
No matter how much you love running on vacation, and no matter how desperately you wanted to run down the neutral ground in the Garden District in New Orleans, and no matter how hard you worked to squeeze your running shoes in your suitcase, you will never, never, never, ever, ever feel like going for a run while you are in New Orleans.
For beignet's sake, you stayed out to 5am one night. When precisely did you think you would feel like running after that misadventure?
Oh sure, you even took the time to email the local running club ahead of time because you weren't sure if the exact location of your hotel was a little shady. That's all well and good, but it's a mile walk just to get in to the Voodoo stages, nevermind all the walking about once you're inside!
Yep, you watched lots of other runners go up and down the neutral ground, but you could hardly stay upright watching them from the sheer exhaustion that is New Orleans at Halloween.
So do us all a huge favor and just leave your stupid running gear at home next year. It's simply never going to happen.
For beignet's sake, you stayed out to 5am one night. When precisely did you think you would feel like running after that misadventure?
Oh sure, you even took the time to email the local running club ahead of time because you weren't sure if the exact location of your hotel was a little shady. That's all well and good, but it's a mile walk just to get in to the Voodoo stages, nevermind all the walking about once you're inside!
Yep, you watched lots of other runners go up and down the neutral ground, but you could hardly stay upright watching them from the sheer exhaustion that is New Orleans at Halloween.
So do us all a huge favor and just leave your stupid running gear at home next year. It's simply never going to happen.
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