Eleven Easy Steps and Chet Stedman

Using music as a motivational playlist for your life is nothing new.  When I drive into Harvard or out to Brookline, I keep my iPod on shuffle to see what tone I need to set for myself.  Today's inspiration came from Trout Fishing in America.

Umm.... Trout Fishing in America?  That odd book by Richard Brautigan that inspired hippies everywhere back in the day?  Nope, the band from Texas that do acid folk and kids music that adults can listen to without wanting to stab their eyes out with a fork.  (Screw Raffi and the Wiggles, my kids grew up listening to Trout and They Might Be Giants... before they started doing kids' music along with good old rock and roll.)  Trout keep getting nominated for grammy awards and lose to Elmo.  When they lost to They Might Be Giants, it was all cool because that's kind of like Judy Dench losing the Oscar to Meryl Streep, it was a call that was more of coin flip than because someone was better than the other.

But I digress.  Trout set the tone today with their song "Eleven Easy Steps" and the declaration, "I know imagination is the only thing that can stop me."

If you have never done a stadium step run when you have a touch of acrophobia which leads to a sense of vertigo, then you know that your fears are in your imagination.  That image of your broken body after it's rolled down 30+ concrete steps to lie broken at the bottom of the wall is your imagination.  It is that "can't do" instead of your "have to." (For those of you unfamiliar with the "have to" speech, rent a copy of "Rookie of the Year" and it's that fabulous moment where even Gary Bussey realizes how incoherent he really sounds.)

Banishing the image from my imagination, I started up the stairs today with a new goal for August: how far can I get in 35 minutes?  This is important because come September, I have to be at school at 8 am, showered and ready to herd cats... I mean elementary students.  Thirty five minutes gives me a good work out and enough time to get home, shower and head into school ready to face the day.

Taking a deep breath, I let my good imagination kick in.  The one that saw me in a pair of jeans a size smaller before the school year starts.  The one that saw me getting stronger, faster and ready to rock.  Up the stairs, down the stairs and do it again.  Less breaks for shorter times, section by section I pushed and climbed and clambered down.


In the end I managed to cover 16 sections in 35 minutes, a new PR for myself.  Not bad given my hip flexors were flipping me off the whole time.  Had I let myself go to where I finished last week, it would have been in less time than I finished last week... either way, it works.  I went to the "have to" and my imagination didn't stop me.

My own pace

When Pikagirls run
They always go their own pace
and run their own race

#haiku #amrunning

Today we ran hill repeats and this week the goal was to beat last week's time.  My ambitious goal was to run a 4th hill repeat - unfortunately the flesh was willing but the spirit was weak as I still have "The Blithedale Romance" running through my head and the looming 12 page (minimum) cultural criticism in reference to Utopian communes and how that helps the reader understand the book.

Yeah... that's what I do to earn my teaching certification so I can continue to warp little minds at the elementary school.

As a result I had to fall back on beating last week's time which, according to my Nike+, I did by 30 seconds so take that Nathaniel Hawthorne!

Add this to beating my time for 11 sections on Wednesday by a minute and this week was a success.  My August goals will be to push myself to go a little faster and a little further.  Come Wednesday morning I'll be at Harvard Stadium ready to start pushing to a full tour by the end of the month and 5 hill repeats in Brookline.  Once I can do a full tour and 5 repeats, I'll be able to start pushing my pace.

For now, I'll throw myself into Hawthorne the way I threw myself at the hill this morning and the stadium the other day and plan to run another day.

Halfway Point - 18 sections done, 18 section to go

View from the top after
17 sections

 There are 37 sections at Harvard Stadium and there are about 31 steps in each section.  On  July 3rd I was able to make it up and down three sections and spent several days wishing I could sit down without wincing.  I ate a lot of ibuprofen, drank a lot of water and prayed for the pain to stop.

The prayers worked... well, time worked and by the time the next work out rolled around I was ready to try again.  I made it up and down 5 sections and the next day I could sit without thinking about it and without ibuprofen.  Last week I made it through 11 sections and today, the goal was 15 sections.

When I got there, Brogan challenged me.  He asked my goal and then said, "Not to pressure you but we talk about half tours and full tours, shoot for a half tour."

Ummmm...right.  Fifteen maybe, but 18 sections?

I got to 11 and took a deep breath.  I knew I could push past this point and kept going.  Stopping at the top of each section, for a minute or so to assess and evaluate where I was: 15 sections and my goal.  Then slowly I ascended a 16th section, paused and came down before looking at the 17th section.  I started up and the steps again: left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.  I got to the top and smiled.  I did it, I was going to meet the 1/2 tour challenge when I went the rest of the way around and climbed to the top of section one.

As always, my fellow November Project members kept me going when my mind wanted to quit.  Between high 5's as I dragged myself up the stairs and the shouts of encouragement.

I made it all the way to the top of section one and yelled, "SHIT YEAH THAT MAKES 18!!!" and the response was cheers and applause from the folks who had finished before me.


For those who think that workouts are for losing weight or maybe about strengthening the body, but it's more than that.  It's about changing a perspective.

The feeling of invigoration after making a half tour was really amazing.  On the way home, I needed to pick up some half and half for my morning coffee and some OJ.  As I stood in the supermarket aisle, I noticed the yogurt and thought, "I haven't made a smoothie in a while and I think I still have some frozen berries in the fridge....."

Next thing I know, a container of Greek yogurt was in the basket and it wasn't long before I home and whipping up an old favorite: a cup of OJ, a container of yogurt and a cup of frozen berries.

Not that long ago a workout in the morning would have been justification to hit the drive through for an  egg and cheese sandwich and count it as healthy.  It's not that it's not healthy, it's just not the healthiest choice (particularly when you add some bacon... because an eggamuffin without bacon is just boring) or subbing that bland English Muffin for a tasty biscuit.  Maybe it would be the justification for a donut (hey I just did half a tour of Harvard Stadium, I can have a donut) or some other crazy thing.  It was easy to pass the drive through today, something that wasn't so easy my first time through when I stopped to get coffee and that oreo donut looked pretty good.

My work may not always show at the scale, but it certainly is showing in being able to push a bit harder along with little changes that will add up to a healthier life style overall.

uphill, downhill, lather, rinse, repeat

A haiku for the day:

What would be our sign?
Crazy runners in the road!
(we make this look good)

The hill we do repeats on Friday mornings rises 317 feet over the course of about 1/3 of a mile.  It's a steep grade and making it up the hill can be tough.

This week the goal was 3 hill repeats and it looked doubtful at first.  I went to the Warped Tour yesterday and wore flip-flops most of the day.  My left instep hates me and my calves aren't happy.  I wasn't sure if I'd make it this morning but pushed myself out the door.

I got to the hill and told myself: "I'll walk up the hill and run down it and see what happens."  At the bottom of the hill after the first round, I thought, "I can match last week's 2 up & backs."  One step at a time: right foot, left foot; I made it to the top and ran down.  I wasn't sure if I had a 3rd in me, but I told myself that I could make it to a set of traffic cones half way up.  Then it was making it to the summit, which was in sight.... which was in sight.... which was - hey, why does the summit keep moving?  Oh wait, there it is!

I averaged around a 15 minute mile, finishing the 3 repeats in around 36 minutes.

My instep felt much better with the support of my shoes.  Looking at my 5 workouts with November Project so far:

wk 1: stairs 3 full sections, a bunch of half sections in 27 minutes
wk 2: stairs 5 full sections in 25 minutes; 2 hill repeats in 25:33
wk 3: stairs 11 full sections in 29 minutes; 3 hill repeats in 37 minutes

What will week 4 bring?  It's hard to say, but I do feel my legs getting stronger and my breathing getting easier.

But the real highlight for me today was the older man who lives in the neighborhood struggling in his walk up the hill.  I passed him at one point and on my way down, we made eye contact.  I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me a big smile.  That and poetry are always a good way to start the day.

Don't be a quitter

Today I pushed myself on the stairs at Harvard. Two weeks ago I made it up 3 full flights, last week it was 5 and today the goal was 7-10. I managed to make it up 11 flights.  My level of soreness also has shifted.  After that first day, I hurt for 3 days and could barely move. Last week my legs were all wobbly for a while, but the soreness wasn't there.  Today just feels good.


But I didn't do it alone.

Here's the cool thing about this group, we help each other. I was struggling a bit up part of the way through when someone high-dived me and said, "You can do it!"  With a renewed smiled, I pushed on.  As I sat at the bottom after 10, I figured I was done. Someone sat down next to me and we chatted as she took a break. She told me I had one more in me. She convinced me that I had one more in me and I figured, "Why not try?"

I pushed myself slowly up, one step at a time, until I reached the top. There I was, facing the end zone and the word CRIMSON in big white letters. I had done it. Eleven flights, 100 yards, 330 or so steps.

Today I fell back on one of my music standards to drive me on. Flatfoot 56 is a Celtic punk band from Chicago. I love the steady rhythm and they have one of the best pipers out there. (I love Spicy McHaggis from the Dropkicks, but Flatfoot's piper is better.) The other thing about Flatfoot is they have inspirational lyrics. Being a Christian band, sometimes the message can get a bit heavy handed but then you hear something like, "Be a man, don't be a quitter," when you're thinking you can't move another step and suddenly you feel the right foot step up, then the left until I was standing at the top.

Next week the goal is 15 sections. Friday I'm pushing for 3 hill repeats.that will make 5 workouts with November Project this month. I hope to get back to yoga soon and swimming next week when my schedule lightens up a bit. In the meantime, I'll use the insanity of these work outs to keep myself sane.

Out of my control

Sometimes I figure I need to let other things control a run. Today I took that challenge.

First I set my Nike+ to 30 minutes instead of a distance. That way it was as far as I could run in that time span. Next I set my music for shuffle and started off.

The music was everything from Bach's Brandenburg concertos to ZZ Top to Beck to whatever. It was an odd eclectic mix as I ran 2.5 miles in the humid morning. Sometimes it's good to let go like that and just see what happens.

Let your colors burst

'Cause baby you're a firework

come on and show them what you're worth

make 'em go "Oh oh oh"

as you shoot across the sky-sky-sky

There are days when music can really inspire a run.  Today was one of those days where the music and the run all synced up nicely and one of the songs that did it was Katy Perry's song "Firework."

We all have days when self-esteem is at a low and the "I can't do this" starts to kick in.  Recently, as I struggle to finish up classes (and everything else on my plate), I sometimes find myself overwhelmed.  I will sit for a period of time playing puzzle games: solitaire, tetris, word puzzles, mancala... you name it; as I sort through the checklists in my mind.  Those are the days when I need a run more than ever but finding the motivation to get dressed and get out there.  I am that plastic bag drifting in the wind on those days - which seem to be more frequent as some of the the assignments feel more and more pointless.

Recently I've used the motivation of the November Project to keep myself in motion.  Last week and this week I showed up to run the stairs at Harvard Stadium.  Today I made it to Summ.it Road in Brookline to do hill repeats.  It's a steep, steep hill and my goal was to get one good up and down in.

Then Katy Perry broke through.  Like all songs, there is that one line that jumps out in those moments, in this time it was "you just gotta ignite the light and let it shine."

That little line was enough to make me ring the pole at the bottom and shoot back up to the top.  Running 30 seconds, walking 60, running 30, walking 60... until I got to the top and then run back down again.  Two up and backs.  Boom, boom, boom.

Next Friday the goal will be 3 up and backs.  Today was a reminder to myself that I can do this and I'm stronger than I sometimes feel.  Between now and Wednesday I'll get another run in because I'm strong enough to keep this going.

It gets easier

I went back to run Harvard Stadium this morning. This time I made it 5 full sections and 10 half sections. Instead of stiffening up like last week, my legs felt a hair wobbly for a few minutes and then they felt fine. I went swimming at lunch time and felt strong.

I'm planning on the Friday morning hill repeats with November Project. I'm going back to Harvard next Wednesday and I'm setting a goal of 7-10 full sections and continuing on with half sections from there. I'm also continuing on with yoga. After all, the reasons I run? I'm strong and amazing... And pretty bad ass.

We should all look this good

Yesterday the soreness from Tuesday had let up quite a bit so I went swimming.  I was excited that the senior center water aerobics ladies are back.  These women are funny, social women with a wonderful sense of snarkiness that never fails to make me smile.  There are also a couple of senior gentlemen that come with the group and they do laps while the women pretend to do some aerobics with the life guards.

One of the men is an older Asian man with a fascinating background.  Every time he's there, the women squeal and hug him.  They are always asking why he wasn't at dinner.... does he want to join them for dinner.... the bus is going, do you want to join us....  This guy gets more action than a lot of college kids at a party school!

While chatting with him and one of the women doing laps, I discovered he will be 100 in a month or so!  You could have knocked me over with a feather, he is so active and doesn't look that old.  He only learned to swim a few years back and he is lean and fit.

This morning on the news was a report that, according to a Canadian study, lack of exercise is more dangerous to our health than smoking or other well known risk factors.  I think about the seniors at the pool and how young all of them feel - in spite of quadruple bypasses, strokes and other things that come with aging.  There is a lesson here and may we all look, and feel, this good when we're their age.

Vertigo or The Real Stair Master

These are the stairs around Harvard Stadium, 37 sections of them. It seemed like a good idea joining The November Project when I woke up this morning, now I'm glad I joined them but I am totally questioning why I thought I could do this.

For 35 minutes we ran up the "big" stairs (the wide platforms for seating) and walked down the "small" stairs (the stairs you normally use to go up and down to your seats), section by section.  It doesn't sound like much - running up and down stairs - but there's a reason this is what athletes do to condition.  It's hard work.

Then there was a problem I didn't anticipate: vertigo from the top of the bowl when you're going down.  I got to the top of that first section and turned around and it was like a zoom lens was going back and forth as I looked at the bottom, looked at where I was and looked at the bottom again.  Gingerly I stepped back down one step at a time and tried the second section only to have it happen again.  By the 3rd section, I knew this was going to be all of the "official" workout I'd be able to do.  I then proceeded to only walk up the small stairs, grabbing handrails when possible, turn around and shield my eyes so I could only see my feet as I walked back down.

After 5 sections I knew this was all I would be able to do today.  I then started walking up about 1/3 of the way and back down again until my legs were like jelly.  I walked about a third of the way around the bowl to keep doing the 1/3's, maybe pushing it to the top of the entry tunnels if I felt braver.  I finished the bowl in 27 minutes by doing it that way and felt a bit like a wuss.

When all was said and done, I began talking to folks and learned I was not alone.  The down piece bothers a lot of people when they first start out and eventually you get used to it.  I'll see how I do next Wednesday morning.

Things I learned: this is wicked hard. I learned I have vertigo. I learned my legs hate me now. I learned my limit and pushed it a bit beyond which truly makes me somewhat bad assed.

Swimming with the fishes

On my 3rd day of a yoga/swim combo work, I asked my husband if he wanted to join me when I went to the pool.  He's not a big pool guy, he prefers the local public lake.  I figured it was better to have him come with me and go to the lake if it meant getting him out of the house for a bit.

So to the lake it was.

I don't like lakes.  If I'm going to swim in a natural body of water, I'm an east-coast ocean girl.  Yet I found myself sitting on the new docks at the lake.  Gone was the splintery wood from the past, now replaced with smooth recycled plastic timbers.  Also gone was the raft and oddly configured swim space.  Everything was now laid out geometrically.  Unfortunately what remained were the screaming, splashing kids that I avoid when I go for the "adult swim time" at the local pool.  Even though they are contained behind a floating line, their voices are not and hearing an excited child utter, "Mommy I went poo!" is not my ideal swim experience.

But sitting on the end of the dock, where the kids aren't allowed, with my husband was nice.  Our toes dragging in the chilly water as the sun warmed our backs, I was reminded of when we were first together and would often steal these kinds of moments while the kids safely played and swam in that contained area.

However, I was there to swim too.  I like swimming with my husband.  He used to be a diver and he a fluid motion when he swims, that efficient stroke and kick that divers develop to propel themselves and conserve energy at the same time.  I jumped in and swam to the far line of the delineated swimming area and called out, "What time is it?"  I wanted to time how long I was in for but my ironman watch is now taking in water, so I can only wear it as a watch or running until I have it fixed or replace it.

"I'm not going in," he called back, "I'm going to take a nap over on the grass."

Fabulous.  I gave up cycling and my comfortable swim zone for him and now he was going to sleep instead of swim.  It came out as, "What time is it?  I need to time how long I'm swimming."

"Quarter after..."

I then began the long swim, alone.  He watched for a while before he headed off to rest in the shade.

Reaching the far end of the delineated area, I felt something nip my foot.  Startled I kicked and splashed for a moment and then remembered why I dislike the lake: they stock it with fish who are sometimes aggressive with swimmers.  After 20 minutes of swimming (and fish fighting), I swam in to my chest height (still in the "adult" area) and did my resistance exercises.  While I held onto the edge of the dock for balance as I did my leg lifts and such, I noticed a fish under the dock.  It was just hanging there, suspended in the water watching me.  Soon it was joined by a couple of more fish buddies, all of them watching me watching them.  

It was a bit surreal.

I finished my exercises and did my achilles work before climbing out and heading in to rouse my husband.

Three full days of workouts and I feel stronger, but today I think I'll head to the pool on my own where I can see the floor of the pool, the clock on the wall and don't have to contend with fish or children.

Insanity Workouts

Today I had a good workout.  It was crazy but it was good and I feel strong.

It started with a 90 minute Flow Foundation yoga class.  I was sweating like a sinner in church during a heatwave.  I could see sweat dripping off my nose and feel it running down my back.  It was hard to find my center when I was mentally taking notes like: wear a tank top under my shirt in the future... noting where to place blocks and wondering if I looked as dorky and awkward as I felt compared to the experienced folks in the class.

Then I rode my bike from the yoga studio to the pool.  I locked my stuff up and went for a 30 minute run.  The first 7 or 8 minutes were fine and then my legs got my brain's attention.  I think the conversation went something like this:

Legs: "Hey, jerkweed."
Brain: "Are you talking to me?"
Legs: "Damn tootin' sweetheart.  What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Brain: "I think I'm running.  Why?"
Legs: "After 90 freakin' minutes of yoga?"
Brain: "Is that a problem?"
Legs: "It doesn't take Obviousman to know that we're feeling a bit tired here."
Brain: {thinking}
Brain: "Did you want me to slow things down?"
Legs: "Um... YEAH."
Brain: "For how long?"
Legs: {caught off guard} "Um... a couple of minutes?"
Brain: "Cool.  All you had to do was ask."

After a couple of minutes, I picked up the pace and about 7 minutes later, my legs requested another slow down.  I made it through 30 minutes and spent almost 1/2 a minute struggling with the new Nike+ interface (human design my left big toe).  Done with that, I was standing outside the pool and ready to just relax.

I like water workouts, they're essentially weightless.  Ten lazy laps, some hip strengthening exercises in the water (where the resistance is futile or felt) and a few minutes of floating, I dried myself off and pedaled home.

Who needs a bootcamp when you have insanity?

One Misty Moisty Morning

It took everything in me to go out this morning.  I hate this feeling of running in a cloud where everything is little droplets that cling to you like barbs leaving you damp.  Not wet but damp like a dish rag on the sink.  Add a bit of clamminess to that and it's a good morning to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot coffee, a warm kitty and trashy TV.

No such luck for me.

The kitties are still skittish since they're new to the house (although Odin did a great job dusting the front end of the treadmill for me, no one made coffee and the closest to trash TV this time of the day is Fox News or MSNBC trashing their opponents.

After Sunday's race, I realized my Saucony Omni 9's were just flat out dying.  I love those shoes and I hated the feel of the 10's so I figured it was time to make a trip to Marathon Sports to look at the Hurricanes.  To my surprise, they had the Omni 11's and they fit like a glove.  All springy and happy and comfy, they hugged my feet the way my 9's used to.  While I'm a little sad they no longer come in alien green and now have blue shoes, I was sold and this morning they were truly my incentive for braving the cloud sitting over Boston right now.

This is perhaps the best run I've had since... well, I can't remember when.  For the most part, it was because I ran.  No run/walk (with the exception of a minute of walking about 7 minutes in), it was a 2 mile run.  Nice and steady up a hill, down a hill, back up a hill and back down until I made it home.  My legs were strong, my breathing was strong and my feet were smiling.

So the streak continues (even with a lame ass attempt on Saturday and another yesterday) and I feel just a little more badass than I have in a long time.

Smuttynose 5k

The name of this race is "Will Run For Beer," it even says so on the shirt. :)

Looking at the weather, I was a bit nervous as it looked like cold and rainy. If I hadn't arranged to go to the race with a friend, I might have blown it off. Instead, Tom pulled up and off we went to the wilds of Hampton, NH.

The race director had sent out a few emails telling people to show up early or you'd have to park a 1/2 mile from the finish line. What he didn't say was the finish line was almost a mile away from the start line. So before the race even started, you logged over a mile!

We got there at 9:30 for an 11:00 race and ended up in the far parking lot.. Fortunately, another friend got there early enough that she was parked near the finish line so we could sit in her warm car until it was time to walk to the start.

And walk we did. It was close to a 20 minute walk to the start and the crowd was huge. It took a minute and a half before I crossed the start line and fortunately people were running almost as soon as you crossed the start line. The first stretch was uphill and all I could see were a group of dotted colors of the runners. There was a see of safety yellow, bright orange, neon green and other colors all tightly packed up ahead of me.

This was a race over country road that looked like New Hampshire. There was even a covered bridge on the course. The first mile was mostly uphill. The mist that was falling would turn to rain at times and then back to mist. As I turned the corner and saw the first mile marker, I also saw a group of people holding "Go Runners!" signs and ringing cowbells. It made me smile because, while running in the rain can be pleasant, standing in it to cheer on runners is really special.

Running over the covered bridge I came up the hill and saw a couple of black llamas. That's right, a couple of llamas hanging out in a field next to a barn. My delight at the llamas quickly faded when we all caught the smell of the llamas and farm. Yep, there's a reason I live in the city and wet llama makes a wet dog smell good!

Mile 2 came up and I was still under a 13 minute pace. While the time had creeped up from just over 12 minutes/mile, it was still comfortably under 13. Here the course took a downhill turn and began to fold back on itself. It wasn't long before I passed the start gate and knew I was .8 miles from the finish. At this point I was feeling a bit winded. In the distance I saw people turning to the left and knew I was pretty much done. I crossed at the 42:10 mark on the clock but figured about 1:26 off that for the start. My final time was 40:17 for a 13:00 minute even pace.

I met up with my friends and we decided the beer line was too long, so we went out for ice cream instead. :)

Right now I feel pretty badass considering ran 2.1 in the rain and NH roadways.

Streaking 'round town

I didn't think I'd make it this far, but I've run 4 days in a row and I'm planning on a run after I get home today.

Last night it was 2.6 with the running club and I pushed myself a little more.  The push dropped me below the 13 min/mile mark.  That means over the course of May, I managed to shave over 30 seconds/mile off my time.  I'm shooting for a 12 minute mile by July 4 and this is the first time it's felt in reach in a long time.

Mostly I've been shooting to go out for a mile or two in the morning, but I want to try to mix it up a bit as I go into the end of the week here to see what kind of runs work best for me.  The general game plan is to stick to the plan: long run on Sunday, a mile or two daily until I meet up with the running club on Thursday and then a mile or two to end the week.

On Sunday I'll make the decision about a fall half.  Yep, I said it, a fall half.  I'm thinking the Smuttynose half in NH at the end of September.  My niece is doing the full, a bunch of friends are doing the half so it makes sense.  Perhaps I can get my sister to come too, that would be nice. :)

Right now, it's time to get ready for the day. :)

This one's for Bama

A running friend posted she was going for the Runner's World 38 day streak challenge.  The idea is to run at least a mile a day, every day, from Memorial Day until the 4th of July.  No small feat for someone like me.

For some reason, it sounded like a good idea at the time.  I held off on my normal Sunday run and went out for a strong 2 miles Memorial Day morning.

It was a great run, everything felt good about it from the fact that I was taking 1 - 1:30 minute walking breaks after 5 or more minutes of running to the route and pacing to... well, you name it.  It all felt good.  I was pumped and ready to go.

Then I woke up this morning and thought, "Damn, I have to run today?!"  I had nightmares about it (mixed in with scenes from Kung Fu Panda 2 and the Avengers... don't ask) and this morning I looked out on a foggy day and realized there was no way I was getting out of my pjs to go for a 1 mile run.

The powers that be then took aim at me with a cosmic clue by four and smacked me the way Salty smacked that ball Saturday night into the bleachers.  There it was calling from across the room: my treadmill.

Really... a treadmill?  It's almost June and it's unplugged and folded up with my husband's glider behind it now.  Rather than risk another smack from the cosmic clue by four upside the head, I sighed and moved the glider, lowered the treadmill bed and plugged it in.  A mile later I was still cursing the powers that be, but it was done.  Day two is now in the books.  Miss Bama, this one was for you as another OFA participant.

Tomorrow I will dress and go outside because it's just not worth all that work for one mile.  On the other hand, knowing I can do that will deter me from saying it can't be done.

Two down, 36 to go.

Poetry in Motion

I blew off Thursday night's Marsh Post run because I was in a really bad mood.  Like a "you don't want to be anywhere near me..." mood that even inspired my son to take out the trash without being asked and people not saying a word as I watched trash TV all night.

When I woke up Friday, I was still feeling grumpy and made myself go out for the 2.6 miles I normally would have done Thursday night.  I'm glad I did.  In the early morning air, I felt renewed.  I also realized I'm starting to get over the hurdle that goes from "shit this is hard," to "I got this."  It's an important hurdle to cross.

Coming home on Friday, my copy of Writer's Digest arrived and the monthly poetry corner had an article on Quaterns.  Quaterns are 4 quatrains (a four-line stanza) with no particular rhythm beyond 8 syllables a line.  There isn't a rhyme scheme, but the first line of the poem is a refrain through out as the 2nd line in the 2nd stanza, a 3rd line in the 3rd and the 4th line in the 4th stanza.  I scanned the piece and then headed out to the mall to buy a birthday present for my mother.  As we pulled out of the driveway, I saw a runner and immediately thought: I went out running this morning.  Wait that's 8 syllables!  Sure enough, the poem followed:



I went out running this morning


I went out running this morning
the fresh air moved my feet along
the black, buckled asphalt pavement
in the early morning sunlight.

Other runners greeted me as
I went out running this morning
with the promise of summer's kiss
lingering on my sweaty face.

I could hear the sparrows singing
saw puppies pull their masters as
I went out running this morning
at the end of the spring season.

My spirt felt renewed, refreshed
as the squirrels and bunnies played
on manicured suburban lawns.
I went out running this morning.

But first I'll run

It's that time of year where everyone is booked.  Between getting plants in the ground for the summer, cook outs, graduations, you name it, this is rough time of year for down time.

Or is it?

This morning I slept in until 6:30 (yes, that really is sleeping in for me) and looked at the day.  After thinking through everything, I decided one simple thing: but first I'll run.

Four miles, less than an hour out of my day to get a sense of me.  The other 23 can be scooting here and dashing there, but for just under one sole hour, it was me and the road.

Value of consistent workouts

Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's nothing new about consistent workouts making a positive difference but every so often, I have to find a way to remember that fact.

Sunday morning, I was pleasantly surprised when my 3.5 mile run went so smoothly.  I pushed myself for longer running times, took shorter/less frequent walking breaks and had a slightly less than 13:30 time.  Tuesday, I knew that I wasn't quite up for a run, but I was up for a walk so I walked 2 miles at a good pace.  Tonight I ran the Charles River course with my running club.  I shaved a full 15 seconds/mile off my time over last week's run.

Not bad at all.

That's the way it works though, if you're consistent in your training, your body responds consistently.  So now if I can get down to a 13 minute mile for the Smutty Nose 5k in a couple of weeks and a 12 minute mile by the big July race, I'll be able to think about which 10k I want to do this summer.

As always, one step at a time.  Just it's time for the steps to get a little quicker.

Poetry in Motion (Moody St 5k Race Report)

When Jim Walker (@brandnewwatch) sent out a tweet reminding folks that time was running out for signing up for the Moody Street 5K, I figured it was time for another race.  OK so I took a week off from running while I stressed over final projects for school and such and a race seemed like a good idea to get my butt back in motion.

I responded to him in haiku form:

Running Moody Street

5k on a May Sunday

hope the weather's nice

and he replied, "Hopefully we'll see some poetry in motion out there."

Hmmm... Jim, why'd you have to give me ideas? So I ran off to Target and picked up a cheap C9 wicking shirt and, in sharpie, drew a picture of a bear reading a book under some flowering plants and on the back I wrote:

Is there anything

as delightful as a run

in the morning sun?

I also added a couple of hashtags (#haiku #amrunning).  When I got to the race, someone said I should add my twitter name, so I found a sharpie and added @Karlsie.

The day started beautiful.  I left the house and the sun was out.  By the time I got to Waltham it was chilly and clouded over.  My husband was support crew and to show how supportive he was, he ran home and got a black compression shirt for me and drove back in time before the race start.  He now gets why I give myself a bunch of time before a race. ;)  I ran into a friend from the running club, we chatted for a bit before heading our separate ways for race prep.  We met up again just before the line up at the start of the race.  We realized there were a ton of kids from little ones up through high school as this was a race to benefit Waltham schools.  There were also a bunch of walkers, so it was going to be interesting.

We lined up on the bridge on Moody Street that goes over the Charles River, my friend near the front and me in the back.  A cold wind blew but just as the gun went off, the sun came out and the wind died down.  We started up Moody Street, which is a slight uphill.  I quickly fell into running 3 minutes/walking 2 minutes with a goal of a 13:30 mile.  This was my Sunday morning run and I wasn't going to push hard.  I had a goal of 42 minutes or less and the idea was to set a steady pace for myself.  We turned off Moody and down a side street at Mile One to loop around.  I was on track at a 13 minute pace and was relaxing into everything.  The loop was a mile through a side neighborhood with little glimpses of the Charles here and there.  At mile 2, I was still on track and we began the descent past the old Waltham Watch Factory and the DCR walkway along the Charles.  I loved being in the middle of the pack for a change at a race and really enjoyed knowing that there were plenty of folks behind me.

We wrapped down the side of the Charles and made the turn back onto Moody at the 3 mile mark.  Now here's were it got weird.  When I crossed where the start line was, you could hear the beep of the initial timer.  I kept running because the crowd seemed to be up ahead.  I'm glad I did because the finish was a good block or so up from the start line.  Had I slowed down/stopped at the beep, I wouldn't have finished the race.  As I crossed, the guy at the end yelled "41 minutes" - right in my goal range.

Later I checked the race results and saw that I did indeed finish in 41 and change with a 13 and change pace.  More importantly, nothing nagged, hurt or complained the whole time.  It felt good and I'm feeling a little more confident overall.

Another race is in the books and it's time to think about the next set of goals.  In the meantime, perhaps I'll put some of my haiku on the back of running shirts to inspire folks.  After all, poetry in motion is a good thing.