Ha ha 9 miler. You thought I wasn't going to be able to get you, but I did. Take that sucker!
....And thanks to all for the words of support! Most appreciated, really.....
Not satisfied by my failure of an attempt on Friday I spontaneously headed out yesterday afternoon to try again. I felt more rested. The weather was warmer. I was in no great rush. All those things made it completely possible and I finished in about 1 hour and 16 minutes. not going to break any records but a pretty decent effort.
I think I should get extra points due to the fact that not only was there a fierce headwind but the hills.... Ohhhhh those hills. When I run I tend to get "Climb Every Mountain" in my head in a bad way. Thank you Mother Superior for putting an epic ballad into my head, overriding my ipod. (tangent: then I start thinking about how then Fraulein Maria heads back to the Von Trapps to be seduced by the creepy Captain in the Garden. As a kid I always wondered if I would ever find that to be romantic? But something about that love in the garden scene has always made me cringe. Is it the seduction of the nun that is icky? The fact that I always thought that Capt. Von Trapp was a sketch ball with a weak and thready baritone and a hodge Podge of children? Or the sappy song they sing? Whatever. I still think it's creepy. And obviously have to have this debate with myself every time I set foot on the road to bust up the HILLS.)
Moving on here. Really, my ADD is out of control. And I don't even have ADD.
I did the 9 miles and did not walk, loose my lunch in any direction or wish to die. A clear win, if you ask me. And my type A personality was comforted my the fact that I managed to squeeze in the "missed" miles. HA!
One more day for the giveaway! Keep those guesses coming in....
Showing posts with label Giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giveaway. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Time to get in my Failboat....
Well. After a good week yesterdays run kinda makes me want to get in my failboat and drift slowly away, weeping and gnashing in agony and defeat. Oh dear.
Things did not go according to plan from the start. Today was supposed to be "long run" day but a combo of a terrible weather forecast and a busy work load required that I bump it up a day- or risk losing it altogether. Then out of the blue I lost an hour of my day- work stuff- and non negotiable. I had to move my running time to right after lunch (which I ate wisely- so no emergency runs for the pepto!) but still a tricky time. Knowing that running the full 9 was out of the question I decided to run as far as I could one way in the time I had, then turn back.
I can honestly say that if this had been a 3 miler it would have been my worst run in a long time. It was DAMN cold, my feet were ice cubes for the first 2 miles and my legs were not happy. A long week of running was clearly taking its toll and my legs were crying Uncle, and cussing me out in a way that was most rude. I was not in a happy head space. The hills (and there were many of them) were torture. UGH! If I had been in any position to quit after the first 3 miles I might have (well, probably not since I'm not a quitter but my head wanted OUT! DONE!) Oddly, for the last 2 miles or so everything came together reasonably well and I ended up feeling more positive about the whole rotten mess (until I calculated my actual mileage. 7.5. FAIL!) I was rather upset about the whole dreadful waste of time!!
Then I gave myself a reality check.
-This is my longest run ever AND it was after 3 weeks of consistently high mileage. Win!
-I did it in 1:05. Not bad considering my first 3 miles were a death march. Win!
-It was cold and running after eating makes me slow. Excuse!
-I got out and did it. WIN!
Funny that just a few weeks ago I would have been so amazed that I was able to complete 7.5 miles and now I'm sobbing in my soup that it wasn't far enough! I'm such a douche sometimes, I have to keep a perspective and remember that this is my HOBBY and that I'm no elite runner and that it supposed to be FUN (ish).
I'm taking a well deserved day "off" to let the legs rest from the week of madness. This is how it turned out:
Monday- 5 Miles, supposed to be at 10:30 was closer to 8:30 (it was too cold to run slow)
Tuesday- 30 min x-train: Hill workout on stationary bike. BORING!
Wednesday- 7 miles at about 8:30. Was supposed to be 6 at 9:30. Whateves.
Thursday- 4 miles on dreadmill at 9:01. Was supposed to be at 10:30 but I couldn't handle the slow boring pace.
Friday- 7.5 miles in 1:05. Was supposed to be 9 miles at 10:00 per mile. FAIL. But oh well!
Remember that tomorrow will be "hint" day for my giveaway! Everyone can indeed have a second chance at winning so comment away. Post to your blog too, for extra entries!
Things did not go according to plan from the start. Today was supposed to be "long run" day but a combo of a terrible weather forecast and a busy work load required that I bump it up a day- or risk losing it altogether. Then out of the blue I lost an hour of my day- work stuff- and non negotiable. I had to move my running time to right after lunch (which I ate wisely- so no emergency runs for the pepto!) but still a tricky time. Knowing that running the full 9 was out of the question I decided to run as far as I could one way in the time I had, then turn back.
I can honestly say that if this had been a 3 miler it would have been my worst run in a long time. It was DAMN cold, my feet were ice cubes for the first 2 miles and my legs were not happy. A long week of running was clearly taking its toll and my legs were crying Uncle, and cussing me out in a way that was most rude. I was not in a happy head space. The hills (and there were many of them) were torture. UGH! If I had been in any position to quit after the first 3 miles I might have (well, probably not since I'm not a quitter but my head wanted OUT! DONE!) Oddly, for the last 2 miles or so everything came together reasonably well and I ended up feeling more positive about the whole rotten mess (until I calculated my actual mileage. 7.5. FAIL!) I was rather upset about the whole dreadful waste of time!!
Then I gave myself a reality check.
-This is my longest run ever AND it was after 3 weeks of consistently high mileage. Win!
-I did it in 1:05. Not bad considering my first 3 miles were a death march. Win!
-It was cold and running after eating makes me slow. Excuse!
-I got out and did it. WIN!
Funny that just a few weeks ago I would have been so amazed that I was able to complete 7.5 miles and now I'm sobbing in my soup that it wasn't far enough! I'm such a douche sometimes, I have to keep a perspective and remember that this is my HOBBY and that I'm no elite runner and that it supposed to be FUN (ish).
I'm taking a well deserved day "off" to let the legs rest from the week of madness. This is how it turned out:
Monday- 5 Miles, supposed to be at 10:30 was closer to 8:30 (it was too cold to run slow)
Tuesday- 30 min x-train: Hill workout on stationary bike. BORING!
Wednesday- 7 miles at about 8:30. Was supposed to be 6 at 9:30. Whateves.
Thursday- 4 miles on dreadmill at 9:01. Was supposed to be at 10:30 but I couldn't handle the slow boring pace.
Friday- 7.5 miles in 1:05. Was supposed to be 9 miles at 10:00 per mile. FAIL. But oh well!
Remember that tomorrow will be "hint" day for my giveaway! Everyone can indeed have a second chance at winning so comment away. Post to your blog too, for extra entries!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Marching to the Gym....
(ONE MORE DAY to enter my giveaway! Tell your friends! Shout from the rooftops! Make it happen!)
BTW: Being the Master of Karate And Friendship for Everyone WILL grant you an extra entry. If you can quote more songs from my favorite show bonus entries will be yours!
Thanks for the advice on adding bacon to Brussels Sprouts too- BRILLIANT! Bacon is my favorite food and I firmly believe that if improves the taste of anything.
Well, now that my sales pitch/thank you letter is over we'll get down to the business at hand. My Foray into the world of backcountry Gyms!
After tumbling headfirst into a ditch last week due to falling over my frozen feet I determined that running in single digit temps is not for me. I am a brave gal- I work in excess of 10 hours per day outside in the harsh, unforgiving elements. To be rather blunt, the last thing I enjoy is doing ANY additional activities outdoors during this ghastly time of year. And clearly it is becoming unsafe for me... Doom!
Those of you who have been following along know that a treadmill has been on my horizons of things to acquire. Two major things got up in my way: The vehicle that the Huz calls his went and died on him, resulting in a repair bill close to $400. Yowza! The propane tank needed to get filled (we have geothermal heat- which is awesomesauce- but we use propane for hot water and fill the tank yearly.) Anywho that was another $300 of pocket change out the door. No fun fund treadmill money for me at this time. No running on the road for me either, for obvious safety issued due to my epic lack of coordination. With my 10K just around the corner hanging up the running shoes and being as lazy as my Dog was NOT going to happen.
So I bit the bullet, and headed to the Gym.
We need to backtrack just a teensy bit for one moment. First of all driving to the Gym is no little thing around these parts. It matters not which direction I go in, any of the (THREE) gyms in the "area" are a minimum of a 20 minute drive- one way. This means that logically I am going to have to give up either eating breakfast or lunch, or just do so in my car (that was my end decision, not enough hours in the day damnit!) The other matter that required a bit of mulling over way my desire for solitude while exercising. I don't love chatty Cathy's on the treadmill next door (unless I know them) I'm not always a fan of the Gym owners/employees who don't understand why I do not wish to upgrade my membership to include Zumba classes and perks I will not use. I might enjoy those things but I don't have the time! AAKK! By far the biggest issue for me was the amount of time/money I'd be spending to do something that I can normally do for free..... All I could imagine was hauling my booty off to the gym during my beloved lunch break only to find that all of the treadmills were in use, and having to leave without getting a run in, shamefaced and desolate (dramatic imaginings by yours truly.)
I was able to make a quick decision on what Gym to go to based on two factors. Price (cheap as anything!) and Meathead-free factors (female owner of Gym did not harass me to upgrade membership or to pump iron!) The Gym looks to be straight out of the 80's and even has a step aerobics class, which is so charmingly retro that perhaps I'll dig up my high top sneakers and join in the fun?! The equipment is in excellent condition even though it is obviously as old as I am, but the real plus is that the place is deserted and so far I have not seen another soul. Perfect for my anti social tendencies (but bad if the coordination thing becomes a factor and I tumble off my treadmill...)
Week one at said Gym was a great success- it got me out of the sub zeros, I did a decent amount of mileage, and all of this for only a fistful of change that I dug out of the couch cushions. I'm hoping that my luck continues with the (lack of) crowds there and I'm able to do what I need to do with no waiting involved... So far, so good!
BTW: Being the Master of Karate And Friendship for Everyone WILL grant you an extra entry. If you can quote more songs from my favorite show bonus entries will be yours!
Thanks for the advice on adding bacon to Brussels Sprouts too- BRILLIANT! Bacon is my favorite food and I firmly believe that if improves the taste of anything.
Well, now that my sales pitch/thank you letter is over we'll get down to the business at hand. My Foray into the world of backcountry Gyms!
After tumbling headfirst into a ditch last week due to falling over my frozen feet I determined that running in single digit temps is not for me. I am a brave gal- I work in excess of 10 hours per day outside in the harsh, unforgiving elements. To be rather blunt, the last thing I enjoy is doing ANY additional activities outdoors during this ghastly time of year. And clearly it is becoming unsafe for me... Doom!
Those of you who have been following along know that a treadmill has been on my horizons of things to acquire. Two major things got up in my way: The vehicle that the Huz calls his went and died on him, resulting in a repair bill close to $400. Yowza! The propane tank needed to get filled (we have geothermal heat- which is awesomesauce- but we use propane for hot water and fill the tank yearly.) Anywho that was another $300 of pocket change out the door. No fun fund treadmill money for me at this time. No running on the road for me either, for obvious safety issued due to my epic lack of coordination. With my 10K just around the corner hanging up the running shoes and being as lazy as my Dog was NOT going to happen.
So I bit the bullet, and headed to the Gym.
We need to backtrack just a teensy bit for one moment. First of all driving to the Gym is no little thing around these parts. It matters not which direction I go in, any of the (THREE) gyms in the "area" are a minimum of a 20 minute drive- one way. This means that logically I am going to have to give up either eating breakfast or lunch, or just do so in my car (that was my end decision, not enough hours in the day damnit!) The other matter that required a bit of mulling over way my desire for solitude while exercising. I don't love chatty Cathy's on the treadmill next door (unless I know them) I'm not always a fan of the Gym owners/employees who don't understand why I do not wish to upgrade my membership to include Zumba classes and perks I will not use. I might enjoy those things but I don't have the time! AAKK! By far the biggest issue for me was the amount of time/money I'd be spending to do something that I can normally do for free..... All I could imagine was hauling my booty off to the gym during my beloved lunch break only to find that all of the treadmills were in use, and having to leave without getting a run in, shamefaced and desolate (dramatic imaginings by yours truly.)
I was able to make a quick decision on what Gym to go to based on two factors. Price (cheap as anything!) and Meathead-free factors (female owner of Gym did not harass me to upgrade membership or to pump iron!) The Gym looks to be straight out of the 80's and even has a step aerobics class, which is so charmingly retro that perhaps I'll dig up my high top sneakers and join in the fun?! The equipment is in excellent condition even though it is obviously as old as I am, but the real plus is that the place is deserted and so far I have not seen another soul. Perfect for my anti social tendencies (but bad if the coordination thing becomes a factor and I tumble off my treadmill...)
Week one at said Gym was a great success- it got me out of the sub zeros, I did a decent amount of mileage, and all of this for only a fistful of change that I dug out of the couch cushions. I'm hoping that my luck continues with the (lack of) crowds there and I'm able to do what I need to do with no waiting involved... So far, so good!
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