I'm really enjoying my psych course...especially since the tests, apart from the final exam, are open book. Guess who scored 100% today? :D
At any rate, I had a good run yesterday. It was hot and humid and sunny once I was done jogging with the dog. Thankfully the sun didn't come out sooner, as he would have suffered. As it was, we had about 4 water stops in about an hour and a bit. Then I left him at home, ate some cheese and drank some ginger ale, and set off again for just under two hours. And the sun came out. What a difference that makes. I had 3 water stops; I was hot, but I was going slowly so I felt alright. I can't race well above 12C or so, but jogging in 20, 30, whatever...it's not too bad. 2 summers below the Mason-Dixon line taught me that; at times, it seems like a bad freaky dream, but it did get me used to hot weather, hydrating more in general (not just during the run), taking walk breaks every so often to let my heartrate drop again, etc.
Still, there is one insurmountable issue: BO. It's not bad, but sometimes I wonder if I'm just fooling myself. LOL
At any rate, I'm still somewhat depressed over my husband's deployment...there are different emotional phases. Just before he goes is probably the sharpest anguish (nothing sucks more to counting down to a departure!) and then there's a lower-grade dejection that is pretty fatiguing, for a week or so, and then things smooth out. It hasn't helped, either, that both times, I was in a less-than-desirable job and place, so I closed down shop both times before he left. lol. But, right now, job-hunting isn't helping my mood any. Fortunately, matters aren't urgent. Still, I'm hoping that, next time, I will be settled in a good job before he goes and so I will avoid at least some of this stress and, more importantly, not pass it onto him. He's got more than enough to think about. Last time, I got an amazing job after he left...hopefully that same luck will kick in. My options are more limited this time because of the dog and my greencard issues, though. I just can't pick up and go. I could work in the States, but I really needed a break from the car-centricity and crappy health care. Not to mention that, after two years of living down south, I was really tired of being talked down to because people assumed I was young, presumably because I wasn't overweight with umpteen kids hanging off me and a car. I'm not really sure what was going on, but I needed to return to my own kind.
Anyway, taking some courses towards a potential career change is helping, though. And running these long runs has helped me too. I covered just over 95 km this week.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A change of wardrobe.
The dog has a new bandana.
The dog also came running with me for several miles. It was hot today but bearable in the evening, so we went for a jog. He really needed a bit of trotting...I don't run with him every day, especially that we're mostly on concrete and asphalt these days (so no more 5-6X a week in the forest). Every 2nd day seems pretty good, but it hasn't been even that recently. Too hot. He likes running, though, and I think he enjoyed it tonight.
So did I. It was yet another easy run, looking around and so forth. I dropped the dog off after a while and continued on my own. I did just over 9 miles total.
The Japanese lilacs smelled nice. So did a spring going into the river...I suspect it might be adulterated somewhat by refuse, but it still has a nice smell. Kind of fresh, but also of moist stone. Even when the weather's really hot, running by the spring feels cooler. It sort of reminds me of an old old house somewhere down in the tri-state area, probably in Maryland. I went to see it with my friends and it was over 100F--really hot---but it was cool in the house. It had thick walls and the same sort of stone clamminess, but it wasn't entirely pleasant. Parts of it dated from the 1690s. Those old Dutch things sort of creep me out. Still, I was a bit miffed that the tour guide wouldn't take us down to the basement, nor let me go on my own. At the same time, she was panting pretty heavily and I definitely didn't want to stress her out.
Anyway, the principle was the same: damp old stone: cool.
On the emotional front, I was pretty low today, but I got one of my textbooks in the mail and that cheered me up somewhat. My husband is doing well, too, which is a big relief. Plus, he has some access to internet. woo-hoo!
The dog also came running with me for several miles. It was hot today but bearable in the evening, so we went for a jog. He really needed a bit of trotting...I don't run with him every day, especially that we're mostly on concrete and asphalt these days (so no more 5-6X a week in the forest). Every 2nd day seems pretty good, but it hasn't been even that recently. Too hot. He likes running, though, and I think he enjoyed it tonight.
So did I. It was yet another easy run, looking around and so forth. I dropped the dog off after a while and continued on my own. I did just over 9 miles total.
The Japanese lilacs smelled nice. So did a spring going into the river...I suspect it might be adulterated somewhat by refuse, but it still has a nice smell. Kind of fresh, but also of moist stone. Even when the weather's really hot, running by the spring feels cooler. It sort of reminds me of an old old house somewhere down in the tri-state area, probably in Maryland. I went to see it with my friends and it was over 100F--really hot---but it was cool in the house. It had thick walls and the same sort of stone clamminess, but it wasn't entirely pleasant. Parts of it dated from the 1690s. Those old Dutch things sort of creep me out. Still, I was a bit miffed that the tour guide wouldn't take us down to the basement, nor let me go on my own. At the same time, she was panting pretty heavily and I definitely didn't want to stress her out.
Anyway, the principle was the same: damp old stone: cool.
On the emotional front, I was pretty low today, but I got one of my textbooks in the mail and that cheered me up somewhat. My husband is doing well, too, which is a big relief. Plus, he has some access to internet. woo-hoo!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tapping into that mellow vibe
I heard from my habibi today and he made it to the sandbox safe and sound. Step two: making it through the sandbox safe and sound. Fingers crossed that things stay quiet :)
It was another drizzly day today, which I like. Means I don't have to water my garden or sweat like a stuck pig. I walked the dog in the morning, and he was a bit sluggish (he doesn't like the rain), and I felt sluggish too....but I still had a good evening jog.
The idea was (the day after my 3-hour run) to run gently, to allow things to loosen up. Actually, my best bet this summer seems to be to run as easily as possible, but to stretch the runs out a bit more here and there as I feel fit. I really don't need more stress in my life these days. I figure I'll do speedwork with the running club, and tack some tempo work onto the end of a run here or there, but otherwise, I want running to be a calming experience. I've been thinking a lot about what I wish to accomplish with running, and while I'm still weighing goal races and so forth, the main thing I crave is relaxation.
My quads felt a little sore tonight, but that went away after a while. I was hardly breathing, except over a few bridges and hills. Just loping along. It wasn't raining, but it was still overcast, but not enough to make it prematurely dark. It was pretty much ideal. I ran for about an hour and fifteen minutes.
It was another drizzly day today, which I like. Means I don't have to water my garden or sweat like a stuck pig. I walked the dog in the morning, and he was a bit sluggish (he doesn't like the rain), and I felt sluggish too....but I still had a good evening jog.
The idea was (the day after my 3-hour run) to run gently, to allow things to loosen up. Actually, my best bet this summer seems to be to run as easily as possible, but to stretch the runs out a bit more here and there as I feel fit. I really don't need more stress in my life these days. I figure I'll do speedwork with the running club, and tack some tempo work onto the end of a run here or there, but otherwise, I want running to be a calming experience. I've been thinking a lot about what I wish to accomplish with running, and while I'm still weighing goal races and so forth, the main thing I crave is relaxation.
My quads felt a little sore tonight, but that went away after a while. I was hardly breathing, except over a few bridges and hills. Just loping along. It wasn't raining, but it was still overcast, but not enough to make it prematurely dark. It was pretty much ideal. I ran for about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Track and Field
No, I didn't compete in a track meet. I didn't even make it into the stadium or whatever they call it (it was an outdoor track) to watch.
It was my first time at a track meet (as opposed to just plain track) and I wasn't anticipating a charge. It seems reasonable, though, and I would have paid it if I had the $5 bucks on me. However, I had decided to combine watching a friend in a 5K race, and running for a couple of hours or so, although not simultaneously. Accordingly, I left the house, ran for about an hour and ten-fifteen minutes, and then after a few false forays found the track. And a fence around it, and gates...
I went up to the first one, and asked about spectating. It turns out that that was the place to register. No, I didn't register. Then the guy took a closer look at me and asked me if I was competing. Uh, no.
So I went down to the next gate, and there saw that $5 sign. oops. I felt kind of crummy. Probably the guy at the gate felt crummy, too, but in a different way, like he thought I didn't think it was worth $5. He said something about how it cost a lot to put on an event such as that one. I understood, I just didn't have $5. I tried to apologize, but I was still kind of in a running zone and probably didn't make much sense. I turned away, and then heard him, or someone else, sort of snort in derision. So I turned back again, said something along the lines of I understood, and thought the fee was valid, and asked if most events they put on had an admission fee, for future reference. He said 'This is the Provincials.' ok...
And then he took a closer look at me and asked if I was competing. I said no, and left quickly because I just wasn't connecting with these people at all. I wasn't making sense, and they were throwing me off further. haha. In retrospect, it makes sense--there were people of all ages competing, and though I hadn't been running particularly hard, I was still sweating and probably flushing red and so forth. I had that weird red face/white around the eyes thing when I got home.
However, when I run for a while, I think a bunch of blood must get diverted from my brain, and things seem nonsensical, or funny, when they are not.
Anyway, I found an open bit of fence and watched my friend finish from there. It was pretty neat seeing the race. The part that surprised me most, apart from the track being blue, was that during the race, on the inside lane mostly, other people were warming up on the outside lanes. At first glance, I wasn't sure what was going on. But it was neat and I would have liked to watch more, but didn't wish to overstay my welcome.
I ran off, and around, for about three hours and ten minutes, or so. I took a few walking breaks, too. It was pretty relaxed. This is the sort of atmos I'm aiming for my long-long runs this summer. Anything around 2 hrs or under, I'll Garmin up (probably), unless it's a recovery jog, but longer runs seem to go better when I chill more, taking a walk break here or there, and taking in the scenery. But it's hard to relax like that. I guess I tend to get too wrapped up in pace to enjoy long runs much of the time, and watching the numbers makes it seem longer and more arduous. A 2 hr run glued to the timer seems longer than a 3+ hour without.
It was my first time at a track meet (as opposed to just plain track) and I wasn't anticipating a charge. It seems reasonable, though, and I would have paid it if I had the $5 bucks on me. However, I had decided to combine watching a friend in a 5K race, and running for a couple of hours or so, although not simultaneously. Accordingly, I left the house, ran for about an hour and ten-fifteen minutes, and then after a few false forays found the track. And a fence around it, and gates...
I went up to the first one, and asked about spectating. It turns out that that was the place to register. No, I didn't register. Then the guy took a closer look at me and asked me if I was competing. Uh, no.
So I went down to the next gate, and there saw that $5 sign. oops. I felt kind of crummy. Probably the guy at the gate felt crummy, too, but in a different way, like he thought I didn't think it was worth $5. He said something about how it cost a lot to put on an event such as that one. I understood, I just didn't have $5. I tried to apologize, but I was still kind of in a running zone and probably didn't make much sense. I turned away, and then heard him, or someone else, sort of snort in derision. So I turned back again, said something along the lines of I understood, and thought the fee was valid, and asked if most events they put on had an admission fee, for future reference. He said 'This is the Provincials.' ok...
And then he took a closer look at me and asked if I was competing. I said no, and left quickly because I just wasn't connecting with these people at all. I wasn't making sense, and they were throwing me off further. haha. In retrospect, it makes sense--there were people of all ages competing, and though I hadn't been running particularly hard, I was still sweating and probably flushing red and so forth. I had that weird red face/white around the eyes thing when I got home.
However, when I run for a while, I think a bunch of blood must get diverted from my brain, and things seem nonsensical, or funny, when they are not.
Anyway, I found an open bit of fence and watched my friend finish from there. It was pretty neat seeing the race. The part that surprised me most, apart from the track being blue, was that during the race, on the inside lane mostly, other people were warming up on the outside lanes. At first glance, I wasn't sure what was going on. But it was neat and I would have liked to watch more, but didn't wish to overstay my welcome.
I ran off, and around, for about three hours and ten minutes, or so. I took a few walking breaks, too. It was pretty relaxed. This is the sort of atmos I'm aiming for my long-long runs this summer. Anything around 2 hrs or under, I'll Garmin up (probably), unless it's a recovery jog, but longer runs seem to go better when I chill more, taking a walk break here or there, and taking in the scenery. But it's hard to relax like that. I guess I tend to get too wrapped up in pace to enjoy long runs much of the time, and watching the numbers makes it seem longer and more arduous. A 2 hr run glued to the timer seems longer than a 3+ hour without.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Starting off the summer
First, a race report.
Emilie's Run seemed like a good way to distract myself. Wish I'd thought of that in time to pay a reduced race fee and get a t-shirt, but there has been a lot on my mind. I woke up around 7 and took the bus down to the aviation museum. The weather was already feeling a little too hot, but this was a race just to see where I was at. Plus, I'd never run a 5K before so my hopes weren't high.
Sort of.
You see, I was doing much better running-wise last spring/summer--more miles, more time, less stress--and at one point, I'd knocked off about 3 miles in 20:20 or so. The weather was perfect, 9C and overcast, and I was peaking for a marathon with a bunch of tough workouts behind me. I knew I wouldn't manage that sort of pace today, but I was at least expecting to run faster than during the first 5K of my last two 10Ks (around 23 min flat). Maybe next time.
At any rate, registering late was a breeze, and the setting was lovely. The museum was open and we were able to use the bathrooms and sit on nice comfy chairs in the lobby...bliss. The museum also had lockers but all of them were occupied, so I put my bag besides a bunch of others. There wasn't much in it although my bus fare back was kind of important.
I had thought about running back home, but the race goody bag ncluded a few magazines and some pamphlets. It felt too heavy to run 6-ish miles with in my hand, but I'm looking forward to perusing it later.
Anyway, I had about 40 minutes to relax before the race. I didn't warm up apart from jogging the 200M to the start. I was already warm enough. I put myself about midway in the field. Usually I move closer to the front, but I knew that this would be a fast race. Last year, about 250 women ran and 45 came in under 20 minutes. I decided that I wouldn't set my timer or look at my watch during the race. Just in case, I changed the setting to show my alarm. lol
And we were off! The start was at the crest of an overpass, so the first km went by easily and quickly. I passed a bunch of people just letting go on the downhill...I didn't want to go out too fast but I didn't want to hold back, either. The 2nd km, likewise, was nice, although I was feeling hot. I think I passed a few people, and a few passed me. The turn around came along pretty quickly. Hey, I could get to like this 5K thing. There was a drink station and I tossed a cup of water over me. It seemed way too soon to drink.
Maybe not. And then I started to wilt. It wasn't terribly hot, 17C? but humid, sunny, and there was no shade. I don't handle heat well, although I can jog about in it for 2-3 hours without any problems. However, when I try to race in it, my heartrate goes higher than normal for the pace (and it's already pretty high during exercise), and it feels like half my blood has left my legs and I'm left with not much to work with. These are the same physiological changes that everyone else goes through in hot weather. Unfortunately, my threshhold seems to be lower than normal. I often looked underdressed compared to others around me, but after about 10C or so, there's nothing left for me to decently remove!
Well, I hung in there and tried to run one bit at a time. At this point in a race, I usually guesstimate the time I have left to run, and consequently check my watch more, too much. It helped not having a watch this time and I think I'll leave it behind during my next race as well. I tried to remember various things, loosen up here, lean more, etc, etc, and I thought of my husband whenever I wanted to stop. I didn't, however, picture him up ahead, which might have helped. I also didn't try to pick it up when I was feeling especially crappy. I'm not good at remembering that one.
One woman breezed by me at one point, but I tried to hang on and caught up a bit. She ended up about 2 seconds ahead of me. I'm not sure what other passing was going on, although a few passed me, I think. At any rate, there were a few turns in the last km, and I didn't have much of a kick, but I tried.
And, gosh, after the race, I really felt horrible for a few minutes, but I got some gatorade and walked a bit. I stayed by the finish until the 30 minute mark, and then decided to hit the loo while the line was still reasonable. My deoderant had foamed up again (doesn't matter which brand I use!) and so I tried to wipe/wash myself as much as possible, and changed my shirt. Usually, I wouldn't care, but I was thinking of the bus ride home. Still, it was sort of payback for all of the times I've had to endure someone else's BO. lol
Anyway, it turns out they timed each km!
1: 4:25/7:06
2: 4:31/7:16
3: 4:39/7:29
4: 4;55/7:54
5: 4:51/7:48
Yeah, I wilted...again. There was some wind on the return, but it felt good. Maybe the return was a bit more uphill...but the whole thing was pretty flat apart from the downhill at the beginning. Still, it was a good first 5K, I think, and hopefully circumstances will be better next time.
So, to recap my last few races:
10K: 47:14
1/2: 1:48:00
5K: 23:18
punching the latest into the mcmillan calculator, I get 48:24 for a 10K and 1:47:42 for the 1/2. The 10K was my A race, so I guess tapering and all do help! At any rate, I think, if nothing else, I've improved in stamina. I'm not sure about my 10K last spring, but my 1/2 PB was 1:50:08, despite faster times at shorter distances.
Emilie's Run seemed like a good way to distract myself. Wish I'd thought of that in time to pay a reduced race fee and get a t-shirt, but there has been a lot on my mind. I woke up around 7 and took the bus down to the aviation museum. The weather was already feeling a little too hot, but this was a race just to see where I was at. Plus, I'd never run a 5K before so my hopes weren't high.
Sort of.
You see, I was doing much better running-wise last spring/summer--more miles, more time, less stress--and at one point, I'd knocked off about 3 miles in 20:20 or so. The weather was perfect, 9C and overcast, and I was peaking for a marathon with a bunch of tough workouts behind me. I knew I wouldn't manage that sort of pace today, but I was at least expecting to run faster than during the first 5K of my last two 10Ks (around 23 min flat). Maybe next time.
At any rate, registering late was a breeze, and the setting was lovely. The museum was open and we were able to use the bathrooms and sit on nice comfy chairs in the lobby...bliss. The museum also had lockers but all of them were occupied, so I put my bag besides a bunch of others. There wasn't much in it although my bus fare back was kind of important.
I had thought about running back home, but the race goody bag ncluded a few magazines and some pamphlets. It felt too heavy to run 6-ish miles with in my hand, but I'm looking forward to perusing it later.
Anyway, I had about 40 minutes to relax before the race. I didn't warm up apart from jogging the 200M to the start. I was already warm enough. I put myself about midway in the field. Usually I move closer to the front, but I knew that this would be a fast race. Last year, about 250 women ran and 45 came in under 20 minutes. I decided that I wouldn't set my timer or look at my watch during the race. Just in case, I changed the setting to show my alarm. lol
And we were off! The start was at the crest of an overpass, so the first km went by easily and quickly. I passed a bunch of people just letting go on the downhill...I didn't want to go out too fast but I didn't want to hold back, either. The 2nd km, likewise, was nice, although I was feeling hot. I think I passed a few people, and a few passed me. The turn around came along pretty quickly. Hey, I could get to like this 5K thing. There was a drink station and I tossed a cup of water over me. It seemed way too soon to drink.
Maybe not. And then I started to wilt. It wasn't terribly hot, 17C? but humid, sunny, and there was no shade. I don't handle heat well, although I can jog about in it for 2-3 hours without any problems. However, when I try to race in it, my heartrate goes higher than normal for the pace (and it's already pretty high during exercise), and it feels like half my blood has left my legs and I'm left with not much to work with. These are the same physiological changes that everyone else goes through in hot weather. Unfortunately, my threshhold seems to be lower than normal. I often looked underdressed compared to others around me, but after about 10C or so, there's nothing left for me to decently remove!
Well, I hung in there and tried to run one bit at a time. At this point in a race, I usually guesstimate the time I have left to run, and consequently check my watch more, too much. It helped not having a watch this time and I think I'll leave it behind during my next race as well. I tried to remember various things, loosen up here, lean more, etc, etc, and I thought of my husband whenever I wanted to stop. I didn't, however, picture him up ahead, which might have helped. I also didn't try to pick it up when I was feeling especially crappy. I'm not good at remembering that one.
One woman breezed by me at one point, but I tried to hang on and caught up a bit. She ended up about 2 seconds ahead of me. I'm not sure what other passing was going on, although a few passed me, I think. At any rate, there were a few turns in the last km, and I didn't have much of a kick, but I tried.
And, gosh, after the race, I really felt horrible for a few minutes, but I got some gatorade and walked a bit. I stayed by the finish until the 30 minute mark, and then decided to hit the loo while the line was still reasonable. My deoderant had foamed up again (doesn't matter which brand I use!) and so I tried to wipe/wash myself as much as possible, and changed my shirt. Usually, I wouldn't care, but I was thinking of the bus ride home. Still, it was sort of payback for all of the times I've had to endure someone else's BO. lol
Anyway, it turns out they timed each km!
1: 4:25/7:06
2: 4:31/7:16
3: 4:39/7:29
4: 4;55/7:54
5: 4:51/7:48
Yeah, I wilted...again. There was some wind on the return, but it felt good. Maybe the return was a bit more uphill...but the whole thing was pretty flat apart from the downhill at the beginning. Still, it was a good first 5K, I think, and hopefully circumstances will be better next time.
So, to recap my last few races:
10K: 47:14
1/2: 1:48:00
5K: 23:18
punching the latest into the mcmillan calculator, I get 48:24 for a 10K and 1:47:42 for the 1/2. The 10K was my A race, so I guess tapering and all do help! At any rate, I think, if nothing else, I've improved in stamina. I'm not sure about my 10K last spring, but my 1/2 PB was 1:50:08, despite faster times at shorter distances.
Counting down...if I can't help it.
My husband is starting his 2nd year-long deployment to Iraq. We're lucky: it could have been 15 months. Hopefully we'll be even luckier and get posted somewhere nice after this. As tempting as it is to indicate/trash the not-nice places we've been in, I'm afraid of jinxing our next posting.
So, I'm in Canada this time around. Working in Asia again would be better in so many ways, but now I have a dog and greencard issues requiring my periodic reappearance in the States, which makes that option somewhat difficult. Staying in the States would have been easier, but our last two postings were not-nice and I had had enough. I found out afterwards that, when one is afflicted by negative thoughts, the heart's electrical field is jacked up for several hours, and this in turn affects other people. This isn't a non sequitur. Geographically, our last post was nice, right on a bay, but I was perpeptually searching for reasons why it was so miserable. Yes, the summer was awful, but there was more going on, including possible chemical/nuclear contamination and, as it turned out, all these poor souls driving around (very few walked or ran or biked) with these whacked-out electrical fields. So, to buffer myself against these bad vibes, I ran a lot.
Which is what I'll be doing for the next year-ish. I have other non-running plans, too.
I still haven't decided any running goals. Do I want to try to qualify for Boston again (my last two attempts were 11 and 10 minutes too slow), or do I want to finally crack 8:00/mile on a 1/2 marathon (my last three attempts were 8:10, 8:10, and 8:14/mile), or do I want to try an ultra, or work towards something shorter....lots of options. My only confirmed race is the Army 1/2 in Sept. I've been on a plateau for the last six months or so, but this is probably because I haven't been putting in as many miles as last year. Plus, my fitness took a hit about a year ago from a ruptured cyst. It's taken a while for things to heal, and it's been a bit demoralizing to have gotten slower, but this is far less of a setback than my first one: a few years of ITBS joy, and many months off running completely. A bit of inner scarring and septis is nothing!
So, goal 1: run more.
So, I'm in Canada this time around. Working in Asia again would be better in so many ways, but now I have a dog and greencard issues requiring my periodic reappearance in the States, which makes that option somewhat difficult. Staying in the States would have been easier, but our last two postings were not-nice and I had had enough. I found out afterwards that, when one is afflicted by negative thoughts, the heart's electrical field is jacked up for several hours, and this in turn affects other people. This isn't a non sequitur. Geographically, our last post was nice, right on a bay, but I was perpeptually searching for reasons why it was so miserable. Yes, the summer was awful, but there was more going on, including possible chemical/nuclear contamination and, as it turned out, all these poor souls driving around (very few walked or ran or biked) with these whacked-out electrical fields. So, to buffer myself against these bad vibes, I ran a lot.
Which is what I'll be doing for the next year-ish. I have other non-running plans, too.
I still haven't decided any running goals. Do I want to try to qualify for Boston again (my last two attempts were 11 and 10 minutes too slow), or do I want to finally crack 8:00/mile on a 1/2 marathon (my last three attempts were 8:10, 8:10, and 8:14/mile), or do I want to try an ultra, or work towards something shorter....lots of options. My only confirmed race is the Army 1/2 in Sept. I've been on a plateau for the last six months or so, but this is probably because I haven't been putting in as many miles as last year. Plus, my fitness took a hit about a year ago from a ruptured cyst. It's taken a while for things to heal, and it's been a bit demoralizing to have gotten slower, but this is far less of a setback than my first one: a few years of ITBS joy, and many months off running completely. A bit of inner scarring and septis is nothing!
So, goal 1: run more.
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