Monday, August 29, 2011

When the Party's Over

One of my old work friends described yesterday's storm this way, "The city looks like it had a tree confetti party that everyone was invited but nobody wanted." That's a good description of what I noted this morning doing the same run [(w5+r3)2+w5] I did yesterday.

Things I noted:

- without running into head winds, I managed to add a full tenth of a mile to my timed distance
- it may have been more if I wasn't dodging branches of all shapes and sizes on the roads and sidewalks
- the air was cool, crisp and clean
- DPW crews were out busily trying to clean up after yesterday's party Mother Nature threw for us
- there was a lot more traffic, as in there actually was traffic

To make it fair, I ran to the same sound track, Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown.

It's time to start progressing to earlier morning runs as school is back in session next week. That means 7:30 am around here is a crowded mess of traffic of people trying to get to all the different schools in my neighborhood. Not such a bad thing as lately I've been giving into the luxury of sleeping in a bit more and more.

Well it's off to a full day, including registering for class and picking up my textbooks. Time to peel off the running gear and get to daily running. So goodnight Irene, I'll see you in my dreams after I get through cleaning up confetti in my driveway left by yesterday's party.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I feel like such a bad ass right now


With the way the local news media folks are wringing their hands and speaking in dangerous but giddy tones, it can only mean one thing: the French Toast Alert level is elevated or higher. This time for Hurricane Irene.

At 6 am, I got up to pill the cat and there was nothing. The sun was peeking through, it was a bit windy and nothing. OK, so I turn on the news and I'm seeing images from yesterday, cut to news people telling everyone to stay home, images of an empty Times Square, more news people standing in storm winds and such on Long Island, back to the studio for more predictions of gloom and doom before the news people outside in Boston and on the Cape trying to pretend it's much worse than what's outside my window.

Seriously folks?

Through all the weather model maps showing tracking no one tells me what I need to know right now. So I tweet to @DavidWade: Where's the storm now? Can I get a 2 mile run in?

Nothing. Radio silence baby.

So I make the call as I recall a line from Zaphod Beeblebrox: "I get weirder things than you in my breakfast cereal."

I suit up and the rain comes. Seriously folks?! After hemming and hawing for a moment, after all, it's only a 21 minute walk/run scheduled today, I decide to go for it. I felt bad ass out there in my safety yellow BAA jacket and iphone enclosed in a baggie. It was rainy and windy with no one on the road. None of the usual Sunday morning runners, no traffic, nothing. Just me trotting along Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" getting wet. I hit a head wind as I came around the back of the high school by the football field but for the most part, it was a rainy day run like most rainy day runs.

Except I feel bad ass because I can now officially say, "I ran through the leading edge of Hurricane Irene."

Now, when I'm hiding under the bed when the worst of the winds and rains come through at noon time with no baseball to distract, I may not feel so bold and brave. But at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning, I feel like bring it on baby!

I did 1.5 miles of (w5+r3)2+w5 in the leading edge of a hurricane and lived to tell the tale.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

it's on... again

For the past year running and I have been in an on again/off again relationship. Today it is officially on again. I'm in week 2 of a walk to run program and I wasn't fully committed to week one to be honest so I wasn't sure how this would go. Then I made it out the door this morning in spite of my best efforts to stall.

Today was a (w5+r3)2+w5 day and I managed to get outside by 7 am. What shocked me was how easily three minutes came. No huffing and puffing and straining, just a good workout. It was a reminder of why I do this, early in the morning with the sun shining and the streets relatively empty (except the landscapers ogling my butt at one point as they drove past). It ended with the dust mop dog charging up the block for me to give him a belly rub and toss his little mini tennis ball a few times.

Yes, today running and I are a couple again. Hopefully this time it's for life.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Slow down

The Reel Big Fish song "Take it Easy" is stuck in my head right now. One of the reasons my ankle barked and told me to die a slow, miserable painful death on the fourth of July was because I got bored. Why take 12 weeks to do a walk to run when I'm ready to run NOW!

Yeah... I see how well that worked.

So here I am, happy the ankle is happy and taking it nice and slow. I'm in week two of the walk to run and spent a half hour on the treadmill this morning doing my (w15+r1)2+w5 nice and easy. I may not be able to run a half this year, but February isn't that far away and Hyannis may be a good one half to choose.

In the meantime, I'm going to listen to Reel Big Fish.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Just a reminder

I'm about to lace up my shoes for a short run but this morning, I remembered why I do this and thought I'd share about why I do this even though running can be a bit a high maintenance:







So go run already will ya... I am. :)