Something like that!
two miles with the dog, mostly walking. It was so hot, I'm still tired from the weekend, never mind yesterday. Plus, I have no appetite--a combo of IBS, the heat, and being distracted (lol). I chowed down a lot at the dragonboat festival, but have been just grazing ever since. Bad, I know...well, in maybe 16ish hours I'll be sitting down to a nice meal with my husband.
I can't believe this deployment is OVER.
I met my run club coach while doing errands today and we talked about what I might be doing in the fall. He suggested Philly again. It's reliably cooler then. I think I want to focus on the Winterman in February because that's a better course for me (loops! I love loops!), but I could do Philly as a confidence-builder. I'm still not 100% sure how much speedwork/training I can handle...I have to wait 5 months to see an arrythmia specialist. I chose to wait longer to see someone good rather than see someone not so good who will likely just prescribe beta blockers. Fortunately, it sounds like whatever I have isn't urgent, just a quirk, and I have figured out a few ways to make things less uncomfortable, such as walking a bit before and after running, and not talking during rest periods between speed intervals...sounds stupid, but that has actually set things off at least a couple of times! It's really hard to not talk, though.
But, blah, blah, blah, I'm seeing my husband TOMORROW! and I'm not sure I'll be running much more this week. Will bring my running stuff just in case but running can wait. Maybe the hotel has a TM. I doubt I'll be running outside. I even dug out some clothes I haven't worn much since I was in the Middle East, thin cotton stuff. the humidex will be over 40C so I'm going to roast.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Counting down~
Sunday: more dragonboating. no run.
Monday: 7.5 miles with the dog this morning. Not a steady run. It was already kind of hot, so I took walk breaks to let him cool down including, admittedly, the last two miles. He wilts even more than I do in the heat, poor thing has more fur and fewer sweat glands. Still, I wanted to get him out for a while to tire him. I'll be away for nearly a week in a couple of days. :)
This evening, I was supposed to run with the group but I took a nap that was longer than intended. I missed the group, but headed out anyway and ended up jogging a couple of miles with a racewalker whom I often see during Wednesday speedwork. He's pretty fast--he was taking it easy, and it was a nice pace, like 10:20/mile. Then I continued on and met up with my friends, who were going about 2 min/mile faster...I didn't stick with them long. Too hot for that. lol. This is something that happens quite a bit with the group--I really like being a part of it, but their jogging speed tends to be quite faster than mine, even the people who are slower than I in races and speedwork. Maybe I'm lazy. Maybe they'll blow by me next season. Oh, well. We'll see what happens when my husband gets back; I've been considering doing long runs on my own. I could go at my pace, which is sometimes 11:00/mile for the first few if I'm feeling crappy, and also do Daniels' workouts such as tempo portions within longer runs. I'll think about it more once I decide what races I'm doing this fall!
I walked the last mile home to cool off. It was pretty hot out there today. 8.91 miles in the evening, so 16.41 total.
I think tomorrow will be a lighter day, will see what time I get up. I'm still short on sleep and I'm dealing with stomach issues again. Hopefully they'll go away; I sure as heck don't want to spend another summer with them. I'm not jogging alone in a forest these days--my options are more limited downtown. LOL
oh, yeah, I'm pretty beat up, but I'll do some light resistance exercises soon, to get back into that routine.
Monday: 7.5 miles with the dog this morning. Not a steady run. It was already kind of hot, so I took walk breaks to let him cool down including, admittedly, the last two miles. He wilts even more than I do in the heat, poor thing has more fur and fewer sweat glands. Still, I wanted to get him out for a while to tire him. I'll be away for nearly a week in a couple of days. :)
This evening, I was supposed to run with the group but I took a nap that was longer than intended. I missed the group, but headed out anyway and ended up jogging a couple of miles with a racewalker whom I often see during Wednesday speedwork. He's pretty fast--he was taking it easy, and it was a nice pace, like 10:20/mile. Then I continued on and met up with my friends, who were going about 2 min/mile faster...I didn't stick with them long. Too hot for that. lol. This is something that happens quite a bit with the group--I really like being a part of it, but their jogging speed tends to be quite faster than mine, even the people who are slower than I in races and speedwork. Maybe I'm lazy. Maybe they'll blow by me next season. Oh, well. We'll see what happens when my husband gets back; I've been considering doing long runs on my own. I could go at my pace, which is sometimes 11:00/mile for the first few if I'm feeling crappy, and also do Daniels' workouts such as tempo portions within longer runs. I'll think about it more once I decide what races I'm doing this fall!
I walked the last mile home to cool off. It was pretty hot out there today. 8.91 miles in the evening, so 16.41 total.
I think tomorrow will be a lighter day, will see what time I get up. I'm still short on sleep and I'm dealing with stomach issues again. Hopefully they'll go away; I sure as heck don't want to spend another summer with them. I'm not jogging alone in a forest these days--my options are more limited downtown. LOL
oh, yeah, I'm pretty beat up, but I'll do some light resistance exercises soon, to get back into that routine.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Emilie's Run.2
The other book end of my year, of this blog.
(however, I might continue the latter...)
I ran Emilie's Run last year too, on the day my husband left Kansas for Iraq. It's really hard how to describe how that feels, a sick and numb feeling, kind of like the tail end of food poisoning where your electrolyte balance is out of whack, you're cramping from dry heaving and you still feel nauseated and sick, but it's all in a dull way because you're tired. It's almost like it's so horrible and tiring that you've distanced yourself physically and mentally and are watching it as though it were a movie and it was happening to someone else.
Emilie's Run last year was a welcome distraction. It was hot and humid and sunny--my fave Trifecta, lol--and I didn't do so well:
4:25
4:31
4:39
4:55
4:51
total 23:18. I really faded. It was a hard run.
Blech
This morning, it was hot and humid and sunny, but emotionally I was a lot better, especially since I know my husband is safely in Kuwait, if not Kansas by now.
4:24
4:27
4:24
4:43
4:30
total 22:28.
So, I was a bit slow (it's not a pr) and I still faded, but less drastically than last year, and far less drastically within the pack than last year. Last year, all sorts of people passed me in the 2nd half--this year, I don't think anyone did. I don't remember anyone passing me; rather, I was the one who passed people in the 2nd half. Not that many, though, but it was still a nice feeling. For the most part, I was with the same few runners. That struck me as a bit odd, as though I was standing still, or we all were standing still, or walking, but of course it was strangely exhausting too. LOL
But, yeah, that 4th K...I'm not sure if there's a slight incline at that point, or if that's just how the 4th K of a 5K is supposed to feel. I broke down the 5K into days--roughly five days until I see my husband, for real! (he'll be sent to Texas for a few days after debriefing, and I'll see him there and then), and it was amazing how positive that felt even coming around the turnaround, but when it came to that 4th K, I had to count down posts on the side of the road and keep reminding myself about form and keeping things light. It felt pretty hard.
I think I would like to take another stab at this race. My goals would be to stay tight through the 4th K and maybe get my time into the 21 minute range. Plus, above all else, get a heck of a load of living with my husband in between. It's funny how a year can boil down to a 50 second course PR. There was so much more going on, I could write volumes, but I could also sum up what I did this year so briefly: I took 50 seconds off my time from last year.
My form looks marginally better in this year's photos, too, but I still have work to do.
At any rate, I did almost no speedwork after March this year, save for three 'tempo' runs (longer and slower than my usual tempo workouts)...though I've been feeling pretty flat, my stamina has improved. I think. I hope! I would have liked to break 22 minutes, but my hopes weren't high with the condition I'm in (ok, just flat) and the weather. I hope to keep my mileage up this summer, do some faster workouts and keep up with the tempo runs, and then PR at the Army Run in Sept. Beyond that, I don't know.
After the race, I went down to the dragonboat festival. I was a spare on a team. Turned out that they had a full boat, so I hung around, ate, took photos, played frisbee...and enjoyed my nemesis from that morning: heat, humidity, sun. It was a wonderful day.
(however, I might continue the latter...)
I ran Emilie's Run last year too, on the day my husband left Kansas for Iraq. It's really hard how to describe how that feels, a sick and numb feeling, kind of like the tail end of food poisoning where your electrolyte balance is out of whack, you're cramping from dry heaving and you still feel nauseated and sick, but it's all in a dull way because you're tired. It's almost like it's so horrible and tiring that you've distanced yourself physically and mentally and are watching it as though it were a movie and it was happening to someone else.
Emilie's Run last year was a welcome distraction. It was hot and humid and sunny--my fave Trifecta, lol--and I didn't do so well:
4:25
4:31
4:39
4:55
4:51
total 23:18. I really faded. It was a hard run.
Blech
This morning, it was hot and humid and sunny, but emotionally I was a lot better, especially since I know my husband is safely in Kuwait, if not Kansas by now.
4:24
4:27
4:24
4:43
4:30
total 22:28.
So, I was a bit slow (it's not a pr) and I still faded, but less drastically than last year, and far less drastically within the pack than last year. Last year, all sorts of people passed me in the 2nd half--this year, I don't think anyone did. I don't remember anyone passing me; rather, I was the one who passed people in the 2nd half. Not that many, though, but it was still a nice feeling. For the most part, I was with the same few runners. That struck me as a bit odd, as though I was standing still, or we all were standing still, or walking, but of course it was strangely exhausting too. LOL
But, yeah, that 4th K...I'm not sure if there's a slight incline at that point, or if that's just how the 4th K of a 5K is supposed to feel. I broke down the 5K into days--roughly five days until I see my husband, for real! (he'll be sent to Texas for a few days after debriefing, and I'll see him there and then), and it was amazing how positive that felt even coming around the turnaround, but when it came to that 4th K, I had to count down posts on the side of the road and keep reminding myself about form and keeping things light. It felt pretty hard.
I think I would like to take another stab at this race. My goals would be to stay tight through the 4th K and maybe get my time into the 21 minute range. Plus, above all else, get a heck of a load of living with my husband in between. It's funny how a year can boil down to a 50 second course PR. There was so much more going on, I could write volumes, but I could also sum up what I did this year so briefly: I took 50 seconds off my time from last year.
My form looks marginally better in this year's photos, too, but I still have work to do.
At any rate, I did almost no speedwork after March this year, save for three 'tempo' runs (longer and slower than my usual tempo workouts)...though I've been feeling pretty flat, my stamina has improved. I think. I hope! I would have liked to break 22 minutes, but my hopes weren't high with the condition I'm in (ok, just flat) and the weather. I hope to keep my mileage up this summer, do some faster workouts and keep up with the tempo runs, and then PR at the Army Run in Sept. Beyond that, I don't know.
After the race, I went down to the dragonboat festival. I was a spare on a team. Turned out that they had a full boat, so I hung around, ate, took photos, played frisbee...and enjoyed my nemesis from that morning: heat, humidity, sun. It was a wonderful day.
Thursdayorama
(but just the morning)
We had a 6:00 am dragonboating practice. My God. I was offered a ride, but I knew that if I rolled out of bed into and out of somebody's car, it would be like all that transitioning had never happened. I'd be stuck in stage one, comatose, useless.
So I figured that since jogging there had been nice, I might as well do that.
I woke up around 4:30 am, before my alarm, and got dressed, drank some juice, and went. I was on my way by 5:06.
And it was pretty much light by then! I had no idea. I had had visions of going over the bronson bridge bathed by a creamy pinky-gold sunrise, something like that, but it turned out that an anemic pink-lavender thing was already succumbing to blue even before I got under the Queensway.
You see, way back in the day, I had to go to the Byward market at 5:00 am (I ran a stall) and there were a few mornings where the light was this intense gold that shone sideways and made all those dour parliamentary buildings on Wellington look like they were in Venice. (not that I've been to Venice)
So I was disappointed.
However, the run woke me up, and then we were on the water at 6, and I honestly don't remember much of the practice except that it was a good workout. Then, breakfast, kindly brought by our team captain, and then I jogged home by a longer route. I didn't have anything planned except my volunteer stint at the hospital that afternoon.
Then, since I was sort of on a roll, but getting kind of tired, I grabbed the dog after getting a quick bite to eat, and we went off for another hour-ish. Admittedly, there was quite a bit of walking near the end because I was getting kind of tired. I'd already been at it for about four hours by this point. LOL
Total: 13ish miles.
I flaked out of jogging to/from the hospital. I took the bus both ways.
It was a great morning.
We had a 6:00 am dragonboating practice. My God. I was offered a ride, but I knew that if I rolled out of bed into and out of somebody's car, it would be like all that transitioning had never happened. I'd be stuck in stage one, comatose, useless.
So I figured that since jogging there had been nice, I might as well do that.
I woke up around 4:30 am, before my alarm, and got dressed, drank some juice, and went. I was on my way by 5:06.
And it was pretty much light by then! I had no idea. I had had visions of going over the bronson bridge bathed by a creamy pinky-gold sunrise, something like that, but it turned out that an anemic pink-lavender thing was already succumbing to blue even before I got under the Queensway.
You see, way back in the day, I had to go to the Byward market at 5:00 am (I ran a stall) and there were a few mornings where the light was this intense gold that shone sideways and made all those dour parliamentary buildings on Wellington look like they were in Venice. (not that I've been to Venice)
So I was disappointed.
However, the run woke me up, and then we were on the water at 6, and I honestly don't remember much of the practice except that it was a good workout. Then, breakfast, kindly brought by our team captain, and then I jogged home by a longer route. I didn't have anything planned except my volunteer stint at the hospital that afternoon.
Then, since I was sort of on a roll, but getting kind of tired, I grabbed the dog after getting a quick bite to eat, and we went off for another hour-ish. Admittedly, there was quite a bit of walking near the end because I was getting kind of tired. I'd already been at it for about four hours by this point. LOL
Total: 13ish miles.
I flaked out of jogging to/from the hospital. I took the bus both ways.
It was a great morning.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
HOT
Tues: 1.5 miles with the dog. I was a slug.
Wed: 5.22 miles with the dog, albeit mostly walking. But it was so hot! like 25C and humid and sunny. It was a fun outing, though. We stopped to sit on the grass a couple of times. I also did a bunch of yardwork and housework.
Then, evening, tempo run. I think we did just over 8K. In ??. Not sure because my Garmin was somehow nudged off its recharging dock so it ran out of juice. But that was ok because I was feeling sluggish and it's that time of the month but a week early for some reason, so, man, I'm a bit drained. And whingy about the heat. LOL. Numbers would have been a distraction. Instead I had a really nice run. I got into a zone where I was just cranking mindlessly. I think I was starting to fade near the end, but still ever so slightly negative split it even with camping out at the water fountain on the way back. I guess I'm getting into the tempo groove. This is the third week we've done tempo runs, and while they're a bit slower than what I'm used to, they're also longer.
Anyway, tomorrow will be the usual ten-mile thursday, albeit starting before 6 am. WHAAA? Yeah, I'll probably start jogging to Dow's lake around 5:10. Our practice is at 6 am. Then I'll jog home...I'm considering bringing my water/fuel belt so that I can go back the longer way. Or maybe I'll go back the shorter way, then grab the dog for a quick few. And then maybe I'll bus it back from the Civic, or go down to the Parkdale Market again and get more local strawberries and then bus it back. So many options...
At any rate, I might see my husband in a week! WHOA.
Wed: 5.22 miles with the dog, albeit mostly walking. But it was so hot! like 25C and humid and sunny. It was a fun outing, though. We stopped to sit on the grass a couple of times. I also did a bunch of yardwork and housework.
Then, evening, tempo run. I think we did just over 8K. In ??. Not sure because my Garmin was somehow nudged off its recharging dock so it ran out of juice. But that was ok because I was feeling sluggish and it's that time of the month but a week early for some reason, so, man, I'm a bit drained. And whingy about the heat. LOL. Numbers would have been a distraction. Instead I had a really nice run. I got into a zone where I was just cranking mindlessly. I think I was starting to fade near the end, but still ever so slightly negative split it even with camping out at the water fountain on the way back. I guess I'm getting into the tempo groove. This is the third week we've done tempo runs, and while they're a bit slower than what I'm used to, they're also longer.
Anyway, tomorrow will be the usual ten-mile thursday, albeit starting before 6 am. WHAAA? Yeah, I'll probably start jogging to Dow's lake around 5:10. Our practice is at 6 am. Then I'll jog home...I'm considering bringing my water/fuel belt so that I can go back the longer way. Or maybe I'll go back the shorter way, then grab the dog for a quick few. And then maybe I'll bus it back from the Civic, or go down to the Parkdale Market again and get more local strawberries and then bus it back. So many options...
At any rate, I might see my husband in a week! WHOA.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Drained
I didn't sleep well. Seems that I often don't after a tougher workout. There's usually a lot of tossing and turning, and I sometimes get night sweats too. Like last night. I don't think I had a fever, but maybe repairing muscle raises my core temp or something, somehow.
At any rate, I eventually got asleep, and then was woken up by people yelling and smashing things. Garbage cans and so forth were set out for garbage pickup this morning, so these cretins had plenty to play with. They went up and down the street and then apparently settled a block or two away, and then I heard a couple of cars heading over (there was no traffic) and the noises stopped. Hopefully the cops. Of course, I had to stay awake and listen to the whole narrative.
I got up at six and ineffectually dozed for a couple of hours before giving up. I have a dull headache and general tiredness. I will try to do some schoolwork and take the dogs out for a bit, but above all else I will nap before going to work. My last shift is today, thank goodness!! I am so done with this job. I don't mind the smells and sights, but I've come to resent that my workload has increased so much since I've started working there; I have less and less time for each individual, and meanwhile they need more and more. Lately, it seems that a new person is added to my list every few weeks...there's still just one of me, and meanwhile the patients I already have are deteriorating and becoming more dependent. It's gotten to the point where I feel I can't keep them safe. One of the new ones is a wanderer! We don't have a locked ward! Anyway, they asked me when I gave notice if I would go on leave rather than quit. I told them politely that I could go on indefinite leave then; I couldn't commit to returning. LOL
Funnily enough, my last job was like that when I gave notice, too. They wanted to know if I just wanted to go on leave.
So, I guess today's total will be about 2ish miles with the dogs, and 1.5 to work.
At any rate, I eventually got asleep, and then was woken up by people yelling and smashing things. Garbage cans and so forth were set out for garbage pickup this morning, so these cretins had plenty to play with. They went up and down the street and then apparently settled a block or two away, and then I heard a couple of cars heading over (there was no traffic) and the noises stopped. Hopefully the cops. Of course, I had to stay awake and listen to the whole narrative.
I got up at six and ineffectually dozed for a couple of hours before giving up. I have a dull headache and general tiredness. I will try to do some schoolwork and take the dogs out for a bit, but above all else I will nap before going to work. My last shift is today, thank goodness!! I am so done with this job. I don't mind the smells and sights, but I've come to resent that my workload has increased so much since I've started working there; I have less and less time for each individual, and meanwhile they need more and more. Lately, it seems that a new person is added to my list every few weeks...there's still just one of me, and meanwhile the patients I already have are deteriorating and becoming more dependent. It's gotten to the point where I feel I can't keep them safe. One of the new ones is a wanderer! We don't have a locked ward! Anyway, they asked me when I gave notice if I would go on leave rather than quit. I told them politely that I could go on indefinite leave then; I couldn't commit to returning. LOL
Funnily enough, my last job was like that when I gave notice, too. They wanted to know if I just wanted to go on leave.
So, I guess today's total will be about 2ish miles with the dogs, and 1.5 to work.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
SUNday
Man, someone turned that thing on early today. Things were nicely cooking and steaming by the time I headed out, just a few minutes too late for run club. This is an improvement. I had debated just sleeping in--I'm still not 100%--but it was nice and sunny so I got up.
And it was humid and muggy.
I didn't quite catch up to run club, and they went around a corner and they were gone. Gone!
I guessed at the turn they took, chose poorly, so ended up just jogging on my own and feeling my head bake. After a mile or so, I passed a fast men's running group heading the opposite way across a bridge. I continued along the river and then turned back to hit the water fountain and hill up the Canal and they passed me. I then passed them. Then they passed me. Then I passed some of them, and then they passed me when I stopped at another water fountain. One guy asked if it was on yet--oh, yeah! This one was broken but they got it fixed eventually. So I tried to keep up but I didn't want to be hot and miserable AND breathing heavily...I looked at my Garmin and it said 7:23/mile. lol. I sort of hung on for a bit longer and then had to drift back. Got a couple or so faster miles out of it, though, which was a nice change. I ran on, then back again to another water fountain.
Yep, it was all about water fountains this day! I drank and drenched my hat.
On the way back, I met a clot of Walmart walkers--Walmart was having a Walk for/of/? Miracles. Fortunately, there was a lower path I could take.
I looked at my Garmin and saw almost ten miles at just under 1:30. Hey, I could do ten in 1:30. Just over, in 1:31. LOL This was eleven miles total (though not in 1:31), actually, because I'd started it about a mile into my run. I finished off another mile jogging back to the coffee shop. Had a bit of a break there, then a mile home.
Not bad for a steamy steamy day. It was only 23C by the time I was finished, though. I'm gonna fry this summer!!!!
And it was humid and muggy.
I didn't quite catch up to run club, and they went around a corner and they were gone. Gone!
I guessed at the turn they took, chose poorly, so ended up just jogging on my own and feeling my head bake. After a mile or so, I passed a fast men's running group heading the opposite way across a bridge. I continued along the river and then turned back to hit the water fountain and hill up the Canal and they passed me. I then passed them. Then they passed me. Then I passed some of them, and then they passed me when I stopped at another water fountain. One guy asked if it was on yet--oh, yeah! This one was broken but they got it fixed eventually. So I tried to keep up but I didn't want to be hot and miserable AND breathing heavily...I looked at my Garmin and it said 7:23/mile. lol. I sort of hung on for a bit longer and then had to drift back. Got a couple or so faster miles out of it, though, which was a nice change. I ran on, then back again to another water fountain.
Yep, it was all about water fountains this day! I drank and drenched my hat.
On the way back, I met a clot of Walmart walkers--Walmart was having a Walk for/of/? Miracles. Fortunately, there was a lower path I could take.
I looked at my Garmin and saw almost ten miles at just under 1:30. Hey, I could do ten in 1:30. Just over, in 1:31. LOL This was eleven miles total (though not in 1:31), actually, because I'd started it about a mile into my run. I finished off another mile jogging back to the coffee shop. Had a bit of a break there, then a mile home.
Not bad for a steamy steamy day. It was only 23C by the time I was finished, though. I'm gonna fry this summer!!!!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday
I've still got this cold/dog flu. I was coughing yesterday evening and I considered calling in sick, but the coughing went away. They have masks at work, anyway.
At any rate, I woke up feeling muscularly tired. Everything was kind of mildly sore. I'm not sure if it was because of the cold, or because I had a good run on Friday, or because of dragonboating and all those miles on Thursday....at any rate, I did 1.5ish miles with the dog, and then jogged to work. Just 3 miles total.
I had hoped to get over 60 miles this week with a longer run today, but it didn't happen. I felt too tired, and ended up napping nearly two hours before going to work.
I should cut back a bit next week, in preparation for Emilie's Run. I feel so flat so my expectations are pretty low, but it would be good to have a few light days before the race.
Meanwhile, a weird side effect of my sickness is smelling what I think is myself. I should explain, my sinuses were majorly blocked earlier in the week. And then they cleared and my olfactory sensors too, and I started smelling this certain smell wherever I go. I've had this happen before, after getting over a blocked nose, but just in Korea. The smell is somewhat similar to their red pepper paste, and Korea does tend to uniformly smell like this, at least my old neighbourhoods did. When I first moved, I smelled it in the air, on bread, on clothes, etc, and then I stopped noticing until after I got rid of nasal blockage. I'd get a cold, get rid of a cold, and then smell this red pepper smell again for a couple of days and then it would go away. I forget what this mechanism is called, adapting to a certain scent and not noticing it anymore.
It's been happening again; however, it's been more than a couple of days and the smell I'm smelling STILL smells like Korea. It's a faint red pepper/paprika smell. It's got to be me and not Korea after all. I don't eat much red pepper paste or paprika anymore, so I'm rather mistified. I hope it's not an offensive smell. I've been showering enough--the past few days, twice a day at least because of multiple workouts. Yet I am still smelling this Korea smell on me. I left Korea in 2005. It's really quite odd. Unless I was smelling myself and not Korea all along. Another cause could be my choice of soap smell: pine. I was using a lot of that in Korea, but it's been only recently that I've found pine soap here. Maybe pine soap, once it hits my sweat glands or whatever, turns into Korea.
What's even more odd is that I didn't smell it at all at work. I guess that means that there are plenty of competing scents. I could go into much more detail. My stomach actually did a small flip today at one point. That's no mean feat.
And, as for work, or at least that particular job, today was my 2nd last shift. My husband's on his way home! Yeah, I miscalculated a bit when giving my notice several weeks ago and so my last day is a bit early, ah, well! I liked the job at first, but the work keeps piling on, the residents/patients keep deteriorating, and so forth, and so I'm really anxious to leave before something bad happens on my shift. Fingers crossed nothing bad happens on Monday.
At any rate, I woke up feeling muscularly tired. Everything was kind of mildly sore. I'm not sure if it was because of the cold, or because I had a good run on Friday, or because of dragonboating and all those miles on Thursday....at any rate, I did 1.5ish miles with the dog, and then jogged to work. Just 3 miles total.
I had hoped to get over 60 miles this week with a longer run today, but it didn't happen. I felt too tired, and ended up napping nearly two hours before going to work.
I should cut back a bit next week, in preparation for Emilie's Run. I feel so flat so my expectations are pretty low, but it would be good to have a few light days before the race.
Meanwhile, a weird side effect of my sickness is smelling what I think is myself. I should explain, my sinuses were majorly blocked earlier in the week. And then they cleared and my olfactory sensors too, and I started smelling this certain smell wherever I go. I've had this happen before, after getting over a blocked nose, but just in Korea. The smell is somewhat similar to their red pepper paste, and Korea does tend to uniformly smell like this, at least my old neighbourhoods did. When I first moved, I smelled it in the air, on bread, on clothes, etc, and then I stopped noticing until after I got rid of nasal blockage. I'd get a cold, get rid of a cold, and then smell this red pepper smell again for a couple of days and then it would go away. I forget what this mechanism is called, adapting to a certain scent and not noticing it anymore.
It's been happening again; however, it's been more than a couple of days and the smell I'm smelling STILL smells like Korea. It's a faint red pepper/paprika smell. It's got to be me and not Korea after all. I don't eat much red pepper paste or paprika anymore, so I'm rather mistified. I hope it's not an offensive smell. I've been showering enough--the past few days, twice a day at least because of multiple workouts. Yet I am still smelling this Korea smell on me. I left Korea in 2005. It's really quite odd. Unless I was smelling myself and not Korea all along. Another cause could be my choice of soap smell: pine. I was using a lot of that in Korea, but it's been only recently that I've found pine soap here. Maybe pine soap, once it hits my sweat glands or whatever, turns into Korea.
What's even more odd is that I didn't smell it at all at work. I guess that means that there are plenty of competing scents. I could go into much more detail. My stomach actually did a small flip today at one point. That's no mean feat.
And, as for work, or at least that particular job, today was my 2nd last shift. My husband's on his way home! Yeah, I miscalculated a bit when giving my notice several weeks ago and so my last day is a bit early, ah, well! I liked the job at first, but the work keeps piling on, the residents/patients keep deteriorating, and so forth, and so I'm really anxious to leave before something bad happens on my shift. Fingers crossed nothing bad happens on Monday.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thurs-Fri-and another dog-related rant
Thurs, recovery day, bunch of little runs/jogs/walks. 2ish miles to volunteer job, mostly jogging (was late), then 2ish miles back, then 3ish miles jogging to dragonboating and 3ish miles jogging back. Total 10.89 miles. Plus dragonboating, which was a lot of fun! My legs were a little dead, but I still had a bit of a cold so I wasn't too concerned. It was good to get an artificial fever jacked up.
Fri, 2.5 miles in the morning, 8.44 in the evening. Amazing how crappy I felt in the morning and how much differently, how much better I felt in the evening.
Except at one point. We ran by the Arboretum (not really through, just on the bike path beside the Canal) and, yep, someone's unleashed dog ran up to mine growling. I realize that mine probably stares down most other dogs, but he stays by my side and doesn't go up to them and/or growl. I tugged him ahead as the other dog went behind him for whatever reason, and then I stuck my leg between it and I/my dog and told it to "Go!" Meanwhile, the owners were pathetically mewing 'come, come, come'. It stayed away. The owners said 'sorry about that' as they went to collect it. I was too annoyed to meet their gaze, just said 'ok' and ran on.
Yeah, some dogs just run up to others growling and will simmer down. Whatever.
But this was on a REC/RUNNING/BIKE PATH!! There is plenty of space for ill-trained dogs to run off leash, why right on the path? morons.
I wished I had the guts to say 'oh, you dropped a chromosome.'
However, that wouldn't be constructive, nor within the limited reach of my impaired wit at times like these, when the curtain of red descends and I have a split second to mutter 'ok' and get out of there before I get all too nasty.
I talked with my mom about this, and she thinks that I might have a good idea: carry copies of a dog trainer's business card and hand them out whenever someone's dog is being a butt. I had a trainer come over once to help with my dog and she really helped; unfortunately, I've run out of the cards she left behind but maybe I can get her to send me more.
At any rate, it took me a few miles to cool down and then the endorphins kicked in and I was in the zone. So it ended up being a nice run after all. Then we walked for a bit and my dog had a nice sniff with another dog whose owner held it back at first. It was yipping and standing on its hind feet. I talked with the owner a bit as she calmed it down and then we let the dogs sniff each other. That's how it should be.
Fri, 2.5 miles in the morning, 8.44 in the evening. Amazing how crappy I felt in the morning and how much differently, how much better I felt in the evening.
Except at one point. We ran by the Arboretum (not really through, just on the bike path beside the Canal) and, yep, someone's unleashed dog ran up to mine growling. I realize that mine probably stares down most other dogs, but he stays by my side and doesn't go up to them and/or growl. I tugged him ahead as the other dog went behind him for whatever reason, and then I stuck my leg between it and I/my dog and told it to "Go!" Meanwhile, the owners were pathetically mewing 'come, come, come'. It stayed away. The owners said 'sorry about that' as they went to collect it. I was too annoyed to meet their gaze, just said 'ok' and ran on.
Yeah, some dogs just run up to others growling and will simmer down. Whatever.
But this was on a REC/RUNNING/BIKE PATH!! There is plenty of space for ill-trained dogs to run off leash, why right on the path? morons.
I wished I had the guts to say 'oh, you dropped a chromosome.'
However, that wouldn't be constructive, nor within the limited reach of my impaired wit at times like these, when the curtain of red descends and I have a split second to mutter 'ok' and get out of there before I get all too nasty.
I talked with my mom about this, and she thinks that I might have a good idea: carry copies of a dog trainer's business card and hand them out whenever someone's dog is being a butt. I had a trainer come over once to help with my dog and she really helped; unfortunately, I've run out of the cards she left behind but maybe I can get her to send me more.
At any rate, it took me a few miles to cool down and then the endorphins kicked in and I was in the zone. So it ended up being a nice run after all. Then we walked for a bit and my dog had a nice sniff with another dog whose owner held it back at first. It was yipping and standing on its hind feet. I talked with the owner a bit as she calmed it down and then we let the dogs sniff each other. That's how it should be.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Mon-Tues-Wed
Just an update to Monday's entry: I thought my head would explode. I was miserable at work. 3 miles total that day.
Tues, I slept in, and jogged with the dog for 8.45 miles, very slowly. My legs were a bit stiff, but it felt good to sweat out the bug a bit, and once I warmed up a bit, it was pleasant to keep going. The pressure headaches were gone, too. Thank goodness. It felt almost as bad as that time I fell asleep in a non-pressurized prop plane and didn't wake up until it was landing. The most memorable part of this run was the groundhog that ran just a bit ahead of us. My dog remained heeling, but he was royally whining. He knows to ignore squirrels and is getting better at ignoring rabbits and chipmucks (he apparently can tell rodent species apart, or at least slot them into two categories: "things I've gotten yelled at for chasing" and "things I have not...yet". Although, admittedly, we dealt with the rabbit and baby rabbit issue two years ago, but since we haven't seen much of either since the move, they've become exciting again.) At any rate, all this pales besides the lumbering round bulk of a groundhog. So plump, so catchable! And this thing didn't slog off out of sight, but kept jiggling ahead of us. It wouldn't go away! Finally, I turned around to give it some time to waddle off.
Wed, I slept in less, and jogged with the dog for 5.85 miles. Then, in the evening, I ran 8.34, including a 7k tempo with the group, at about 5:01/km. This is maybe a bit slow for a tempo pace for me, but long for a tempo run for me and I'm pretty flat and sick, so it was very suitable now. For various reasons/excuses, I did no tempo runs in the spring. Since they are my weakness, I should do them, and this is a good way to get back into them.
I should do resistance exercises but I have dragonboating tomorrow and that will be a workout enough. I'm trying to recover from this cold, but I would like to keep my mileage up. Will see if that works!
Oh, my 'new'* 'speedwork'** shoes are featured in an article on a website: http://running.competitor.com/shoes-and-gear/girl-gear-saucony-grid-type-a2_2170
* Not really new anymore
**Not really exclusively for speedwork: also wore them for my last marathon, which was very much divorced from 'speed'. LOL
The website, at any rate, is new and very interesting: www.running.competitor.com
Tues, I slept in, and jogged with the dog for 8.45 miles, very slowly. My legs were a bit stiff, but it felt good to sweat out the bug a bit, and once I warmed up a bit, it was pleasant to keep going. The pressure headaches were gone, too. Thank goodness. It felt almost as bad as that time I fell asleep in a non-pressurized prop plane and didn't wake up until it was landing. The most memorable part of this run was the groundhog that ran just a bit ahead of us. My dog remained heeling, but he was royally whining. He knows to ignore squirrels and is getting better at ignoring rabbits and chipmucks (he apparently can tell rodent species apart, or at least slot them into two categories: "things I've gotten yelled at for chasing" and "things I have not...yet". Although, admittedly, we dealt with the rabbit and baby rabbit issue two years ago, but since we haven't seen much of either since the move, they've become exciting again.) At any rate, all this pales besides the lumbering round bulk of a groundhog. So plump, so catchable! And this thing didn't slog off out of sight, but kept jiggling ahead of us. It wouldn't go away! Finally, I turned around to give it some time to waddle off.
Wed, I slept in less, and jogged with the dog for 5.85 miles. Then, in the evening, I ran 8.34, including a 7k tempo with the group, at about 5:01/km. This is maybe a bit slow for a tempo pace for me, but long for a tempo run for me and I'm pretty flat and sick, so it was very suitable now. For various reasons/excuses, I did no tempo runs in the spring. Since they are my weakness, I should do them, and this is a good way to get back into them.
I should do resistance exercises but I have dragonboating tomorrow and that will be a workout enough. I'm trying to recover from this cold, but I would like to keep my mileage up. Will see if that works!
Oh, my 'new'* 'speedwork'** shoes are featured in an article on a website: http://running.competitor.com/shoes-and-gear/girl-gear-saucony-grid-type-a2_2170
* Not really new anymore
**Not really exclusively for speedwork: also wore them for my last marathon, which was very much divorced from 'speed'. LOL
The website, at any rate, is new and very interesting: www.running.competitor.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
I have dog flu, H1N1E
Maybe...he has sneezed in my face a few times.
At any rate, he was in my face in general last night, so I took him out for a couple of miles. I don't think he's going to get an outing today, though. I slept for nearly 11 hrs, and will sleep again for a bunch, then try to get through work. I'm hoping I can leave early.
At any rate, I won't be working there much longer. It's been a slice, but it's time to go.
No idea when my husband will be back, but I might, just might, get to see him this month!
At any rate, he was in my face in general last night, so I took him out for a couple of miles. I don't think he's going to get an outing today, though. I slept for nearly 11 hrs, and will sleep again for a bunch, then try to get through work. I'm hoping I can leave early.
At any rate, I won't be working there much longer. It's been a slice, but it's time to go.
No idea when my husband will be back, but I might, just might, get to see him this month!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
waxing and waning
Saturday: the dog and I headed out. So much for sticking to one route and getting into a rhythm, though I'll probably do this during the week. Somehow, though, I didn't feel like doing this yesterday. I just wanted to head out and go wherever.
A good thing too: there were a few challenges thrown in our path.
I decided to head to the Ottawa river; going through the underpasses around Wellington/Portage, I noticed that there were more walkers than usual. A few minutes later, I noticed that some of them wore coordinated outfits. A moment or two later, I noticed the COWBELL. It was really nice to hear that I was doing great, but I was distracted by wondering what was going on. We passed tents and portapotties across the street from the War Museum, and I figured, hey, that's where they're stopping. No, there were more walkers up ahead, but spread out. We jogged by and I decided that I was going to spread good vibes by encouraging them, good job, good work, good luck, etc...I think it was the 60 km weekend to Cure Breast Cancer. They were going to be out for a while both days.
We ran alongside them for a few miles and then we came to the Champlain bridge, which looked to be their turnaround point. I wasn't sure, though. I was considering going on to Westboro or beyond, but I didn't want to trouble them on the way back.
Instead, we took a water break and a detour, across the bridge. This was a fortunate choice: the path on that side is shadier. I let my dog stand in the river a couple of times to cool his feet, and he drank a little, poor thing, and then we headed back across Booth and behind the Hill where it was shady too, another water break, and then up past the locks and through the mass of tourists recently disgorged by Capital Cruises.
I hate to be crabby about tourists, but it's a habit dating from a childhood growing up a spit away from Parliament Hill and so forth. I'm in recovery, but suffice to say that I wish there was a larger window between turning the water fountains on and the summer tourist crunch. I forget when they turned on that water fountain where the Canal meets the river, but it seems that they finally get it going and suddenly there's a throng of camera-wielding drifters blocking the beeline. NCC: "Well, here's the water, but you're going to have to work for it." But I exaggerate, I'm sure.
We went under the bridge and then noticed, wow, the fence was gone.
Another irksome thing: all of last summer, we had to go up and along the NAC drive because they had the path blocked by the Canal. This was strangely annoying. Finally they finished and the fences went down, but then the snow came--admittedly, the chronology has been muddled, but there wasn't a heck of a lot of time between enjoying the clear path and finding another fence. Yeah, they were now going to dick around with another 20M stretch by the Canal, necessitating the same annoying detour up through the NAC...
However, yesterday, I saw that the fence was pushed aside. We could pass! We went over the new concrete past the NAC cafe, and then got under the bridge, and there was a generator or something with a truck hitch blocking our way. I went over and the dog went under, and then we got to more fencing, so had to step up into the bushes on the side....still, it was less annoying than going up next to the NAC. (I still don't know why I dislike going that way...yeah, some people drive like they're on fire on the way to the parking, and there are occasionally meandering herds to rival those by the locks...).
We went on, and I decided that we'd go through Patterson/Central Park, or whatever it's called. But there was a fair going on so we stuck to pavement and got home.
Still, it was a good outing. 12.63 miles.
And then, later that evening, my throat started getting scratchy. I gargled with salt water, which works 90% of the time, but this thing had dug itself deep. Phlegm kept me awake for much of the night.
I woke up this morning in time for run club, but rather thickly. I wasn't going anywhere. Dozed for another ten minutes then decided to give run club a stab anyway, or at least get out--seemed better to get an artificial fever jacked up and then nap in the afternoon than sleep in. And, sometimes, I have good runs when I'm sick. Today wasn't one of them. I made it out too late for run club--met one person who was late, too, but decided to pack it in after that. Didn't meet anyone else. 6.16 miles, and now I'm eating loads of fruit and will be getting to that nap shortly.
A good thing too: there were a few challenges thrown in our path.
I decided to head to the Ottawa river; going through the underpasses around Wellington/Portage, I noticed that there were more walkers than usual. A few minutes later, I noticed that some of them wore coordinated outfits. A moment or two later, I noticed the COWBELL. It was really nice to hear that I was doing great, but I was distracted by wondering what was going on. We passed tents and portapotties across the street from the War Museum, and I figured, hey, that's where they're stopping. No, there were more walkers up ahead, but spread out. We jogged by and I decided that I was going to spread good vibes by encouraging them, good job, good work, good luck, etc...I think it was the 60 km weekend to Cure Breast Cancer. They were going to be out for a while both days.
We ran alongside them for a few miles and then we came to the Champlain bridge, which looked to be their turnaround point. I wasn't sure, though. I was considering going on to Westboro or beyond, but I didn't want to trouble them on the way back.
Instead, we took a water break and a detour, across the bridge. This was a fortunate choice: the path on that side is shadier. I let my dog stand in the river a couple of times to cool his feet, and he drank a little, poor thing, and then we headed back across Booth and behind the Hill where it was shady too, another water break, and then up past the locks and through the mass of tourists recently disgorged by Capital Cruises.
I hate to be crabby about tourists, but it's a habit dating from a childhood growing up a spit away from Parliament Hill and so forth. I'm in recovery, but suffice to say that I wish there was a larger window between turning the water fountains on and the summer tourist crunch. I forget when they turned on that water fountain where the Canal meets the river, but it seems that they finally get it going and suddenly there's a throng of camera-wielding drifters blocking the beeline. NCC: "Well, here's the water, but you're going to have to work for it." But I exaggerate, I'm sure.
We went under the bridge and then noticed, wow, the fence was gone.
Another irksome thing: all of last summer, we had to go up and along the NAC drive because they had the path blocked by the Canal. This was strangely annoying. Finally they finished and the fences went down, but then the snow came--admittedly, the chronology has been muddled, but there wasn't a heck of a lot of time between enjoying the clear path and finding another fence. Yeah, they were now going to dick around with another 20M stretch by the Canal, necessitating the same annoying detour up through the NAC...
However, yesterday, I saw that the fence was pushed aside. We could pass! We went over the new concrete past the NAC cafe, and then got under the bridge, and there was a generator or something with a truck hitch blocking our way. I went over and the dog went under, and then we got to more fencing, so had to step up into the bushes on the side....still, it was less annoying than going up next to the NAC. (I still don't know why I dislike going that way...yeah, some people drive like they're on fire on the way to the parking, and there are occasionally meandering herds to rival those by the locks...).
We went on, and I decided that we'd go through Patterson/Central Park, or whatever it's called. But there was a fair going on so we stuck to pavement and got home.
Still, it was a good outing. 12.63 miles.
And then, later that evening, my throat started getting scratchy. I gargled with salt water, which works 90% of the time, but this thing had dug itself deep. Phlegm kept me awake for much of the night.
I woke up this morning in time for run club, but rather thickly. I wasn't going anywhere. Dozed for another ten minutes then decided to give run club a stab anyway, or at least get out--seemed better to get an artificial fever jacked up and then nap in the afternoon than sleep in. And, sometimes, I have good runs when I'm sick. Today wasn't one of them. I made it out too late for run club--met one person who was late, too, but decided to pack it in after that. Didn't meet anyone else. 6.16 miles, and now I'm eating loads of fruit and will be getting to that nap shortly.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thurs commute
I had this matcha iced latte yesterday evening and it was totally wrong for me. I couldn't get to sleep for a while.
And I got up feeling like crud.
Did 2ish miles with the dogs, then 2 to the hospital (I'm volunteering there) and 2 back. These four miles included a fair bit of walking--I didn't want to sweat too much. Then 3ish to dragonboating. I was planning to jog back home, but by then I was pretty tired and more than happy to accept a lift.
The dragonboating was fun. I was a bit worried...I did it for about three years in Montreal, but that was a while ago. But I think it's mostly come back. And I hadn't realized how much I missed paddling. I remember thinking, as the sun went down on the river, how right it was to be there.
And I got up feeling like crud.
Did 2ish miles with the dogs, then 2 to the hospital (I'm volunteering there) and 2 back. These four miles included a fair bit of walking--I didn't want to sweat too much. Then 3ish to dragonboating. I was planning to jog back home, but by then I was pretty tired and more than happy to accept a lift.
The dragonboating was fun. I was a bit worried...I did it for about three years in Montreal, but that was a while ago. But I think it's mostly come back. And I hadn't realized how much I missed paddling. I remember thinking, as the sun went down on the river, how right it was to be there.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Mon-Tues, GREAT Wed
Mon: 3 miles, no resistance exercises because I had to work--I was going to do them after work, but it turned out to be a heavy shift lifting-wise. So I guess I got a good workout in anyway, but not the same range of muscles that I usually tackle.
Tues: 1.5 miles Such an easy, lazy day!
Wed: 15.16 miles.
This has been one of the best days I've had recently. I didn't have to work, but I woke up at about 6:22 am. Way too early. I fell asleep and woke up again at 6:38. Way too early, but it was almost as if there was a voice in my head saying that I should get up and out, it would be worth it, and I'd regret missing it. Whatever it was. So, I pulled on some running clothes and grabbed the dog and headed out.
I don't usually get out that early; I'd assumed that it would be crowded with pre-work runners, but it was surprisingly clear. And lovely. I don't know what the temp was, but it was comfortable and there was plenty of shade. The dog and I just loped along for a while. We got to the point where I would have turned, for an easy loop, but I wanted to go further. It was so invigorating.
On our way home, I considered stopping by at a dog park--I don't usually take my dog to these things, but he was good and tired and if there's just one or two other nice dogs, he enjoys it. However, as we walked by the fence, a big dog came up growling. At first, I thought to hustle my dog along because I don't want him to think he has to handle that, but the growling didn't seem too aggressive (some dogs just don't know better) and my dog was calm with the fence between them, and so we just stood there and listened to this dog growl and so forth, with the pathetic 'come' cries of the jerk owner sitting on her butt on the other side of the park. LOL. And then my dog peed in the direction of the other dog. He sometimes does this (or tries to do) when confronted with some other dog trying to be dominant. I guess it's a dominant issue. Usually I don't allow it, but this dog really asked for it. It shut the other dog up and they sniffed each other through the fence for a bit and then its owner's cries got through and it loped back.
Well, I met another dog owner on her way to the park, and I told her about that dog. She knew it and said that the owner can't control it. Meanwhile, our dogs were going through the greetings and they decided they wanted to play, and, dang it, if that dumb dog/owner hadn't been in there, they could have had a nice session tearing around the yard. I wish I could have taken my dog in there. He likes playing, but he doesn't appreciate pushy dogs, either, and unfortunately, most people bring their dogs to the dog park way too wound up. So we rarely go.
But, still, it was a really nice outing. And I had loads of energy the rest of the day--I'd forgotten how invigorating an early-morning run can be. I did a bunch of yardwork and school work, plus errands, and it seemed that I was working faster than usual. I'd look at my watch, expecting a 1/2 hour or whatever later, and it was only ten minutes or whatever later.
This also meant that I was totally fried by five, so I had a nap, and slept a bit too late for run club. Fortunately, there are only so many good routes, so I headed straight for the Canal and joined up with them there. Someone mentioned that they were warming up...this month is supposed to be easy, so I was surprised. Turned out they were planning a 30-min tempo at 5:00-5:15, so that seemed manageable. It's not quite tempo pace for me, but considering my lack of speed training these days, plus the hot weather, maybe it is! And it was hot, but the run went well. We picked it up a bit near the end. I am so used to going faster at the end of runs, especially when they're out and backs, so I just let it out the last 1/2 mile--not pushing, just opening up. It's kind of a reward :) I hope nobody minded.
And, THEN, resistance exercises.
Now I'm feeling worn out, but in a good way!
Tomorrow will be an easy day running-wise, although another double, probably 3 and 3 miles. I'm going to a dragonboating practice too. Should be fun!
Tues: 1.5 miles Such an easy, lazy day!
Wed: 15.16 miles.
This has been one of the best days I've had recently. I didn't have to work, but I woke up at about 6:22 am. Way too early. I fell asleep and woke up again at 6:38. Way too early, but it was almost as if there was a voice in my head saying that I should get up and out, it would be worth it, and I'd regret missing it. Whatever it was. So, I pulled on some running clothes and grabbed the dog and headed out.
I don't usually get out that early; I'd assumed that it would be crowded with pre-work runners, but it was surprisingly clear. And lovely. I don't know what the temp was, but it was comfortable and there was plenty of shade. The dog and I just loped along for a while. We got to the point where I would have turned, for an easy loop, but I wanted to go further. It was so invigorating.
On our way home, I considered stopping by at a dog park--I don't usually take my dog to these things, but he was good and tired and if there's just one or two other nice dogs, he enjoys it. However, as we walked by the fence, a big dog came up growling. At first, I thought to hustle my dog along because I don't want him to think he has to handle that, but the growling didn't seem too aggressive (some dogs just don't know better) and my dog was calm with the fence between them, and so we just stood there and listened to this dog growl and so forth, with the pathetic 'come' cries of the jerk owner sitting on her butt on the other side of the park. LOL. And then my dog peed in the direction of the other dog. He sometimes does this (or tries to do) when confronted with some other dog trying to be dominant. I guess it's a dominant issue. Usually I don't allow it, but this dog really asked for it. It shut the other dog up and they sniffed each other through the fence for a bit and then its owner's cries got through and it loped back.
Well, I met another dog owner on her way to the park, and I told her about that dog. She knew it and said that the owner can't control it. Meanwhile, our dogs were going through the greetings and they decided they wanted to play, and, dang it, if that dumb dog/owner hadn't been in there, they could have had a nice session tearing around the yard. I wish I could have taken my dog in there. He likes playing, but he doesn't appreciate pushy dogs, either, and unfortunately, most people bring their dogs to the dog park way too wound up. So we rarely go.
But, still, it was a really nice outing. And I had loads of energy the rest of the day--I'd forgotten how invigorating an early-morning run can be. I did a bunch of yardwork and school work, plus errands, and it seemed that I was working faster than usual. I'd look at my watch, expecting a 1/2 hour or whatever later, and it was only ten minutes or whatever later.
This also meant that I was totally fried by five, so I had a nap, and slept a bit too late for run club. Fortunately, there are only so many good routes, so I headed straight for the Canal and joined up with them there. Someone mentioned that they were warming up...this month is supposed to be easy, so I was surprised. Turned out they were planning a 30-min tempo at 5:00-5:15, so that seemed manageable. It's not quite tempo pace for me, but considering my lack of speed training these days, plus the hot weather, maybe it is! And it was hot, but the run went well. We picked it up a bit near the end. I am so used to going faster at the end of runs, especially when they're out and backs, so I just let it out the last 1/2 mile--not pushing, just opening up. It's kind of a reward :) I hope nobody minded.
And, THEN, resistance exercises.
Now I'm feeling worn out, but in a good way!
Tomorrow will be an easy day running-wise, although another double, probably 3 and 3 miles. I'm going to a dragonboating practice too. Should be fun!
Monday, June 1, 2009
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