...I've been out of the blogosphere for way too long this time. The last time I wrote a post it was hot and still light outside at 9pm. Now it's getting dark around 7. I smell chimney smoke during my evening runs. It's almost Halloween for crying out loud. I've let a whole season of running posts slip by. Ah well. I'm still here. Sort of. Kind of in a fog this semester: I'm teaching high school part-time so that I can teach a college writing course. And, therefore, not running as much as I should considering........
On Monday when I walked into my high school classroom, the sheriff was there. Someone had broke into my classroom--sort of--over the weekend. It wasn't technically "breaking in" because no breaking was needed. My classroom door was not shut properly after the janitorial staff left on Friday afternoon, so while the classroom door was locked, it was not shut all the way. Therefore, it opened easily when tugged on by some punk-ass teenager at approximately 6pm Friday evening.
He (and I know if was a he from the grainy security cam video) did not destroy my classroom, as you may be expecting me to say. No. He tipped over a few desks. Put one of them on top of another. No big deal there since could have destroyed my posters, computer, CD player, and all the anthologies... But he didn't. Nope. He just urinated all over my desk. And my desk chair.
I don't really know what to say about the situation. There's just so much that can be said. And at the same time, nothing to say.
And so I run. I run. I run. I run.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
AFC
This hasn't been my best running summer ever. In fact, I got hooked on P90X from June-July and unintentionally stopped running for a while. I did a few 3-4 milers here and there, but no long runs which are the staple of a marathoner's diet. Then August rolled around and I made my annual hajj up to Northern California to stay with my family for a couple weeks, to welcome my first niece into the world, and running turned into jogging 2 miles on the treadmill...with a few lunges thrown in about every 1/4 mile. Arduous I tell you.
I drove all day Saturday, got back to San Diego on the 20th at 9pm, went to bed, woke up the Sunday at 4am and was in line to catch the charter bus in Balboa Park by 5:30am. Even as I drove to the busses I debated with myself about turning around and going home or at best parking, taking a sleep in my car until 6:30, and then jogging over to The Hall of Champions for the 5K race instead. But something forced me to walk to the lines at the busses. Maybe the force of habit I don't know. Either way, a ride at the top of the only double decker bus (awesome!) and an hour later, I found myself stretching at the Cabrillo National Monument listening to the cracks and creaks coming from my stiff body that had just spent at total of 13 hours in the car over the last 2 days. My neck wouldn't exactly hold my head straight and my butt still felt like it was asleep. Even when the gun went off and I crossed the start line I was in denial... the race would take me within a mile of my house in the first 4 miles of the run, so if anything I could just ditch out and go back to bed.
I didn't ditch out. I did finish... about 20 minutes slower than my time last year and about 10 minutes slower than my usual "didn't train enough" pace. And despite my snailishness, I paid dearly for the next day and a half: a mostly crippled creature limping and groaning from the couch to the kitchen, couch to the kitchen...
I'm ready now for my first little recovery jog. It's a perfect day for it: cloudy, as it was on the day of the AFC (perfect PR weather, it was). I hope to come back to this post every once in a while as reminder of the importance of not being an idiot.
(On pace at the 10K split... thinking I'll be OK, smiling even.)
(But by mile 10, not feelin' it...or more accurately, feelin' it) bad.
I drove all day Saturday, got back to San Diego on the 20th at 9pm, went to bed, woke up the Sunday at 4am and was in line to catch the charter bus in Balboa Park by 5:30am. Even as I drove to the busses I debated with myself about turning around and going home or at best parking, taking a sleep in my car until 6:30, and then jogging over to The Hall of Champions for the 5K race instead. But something forced me to walk to the lines at the busses. Maybe the force of habit I don't know. Either way, a ride at the top of the only double decker bus (awesome!) and an hour later, I found myself stretching at the Cabrillo National Monument listening to the cracks and creaks coming from my stiff body that had just spent at total of 13 hours in the car over the last 2 days. My neck wouldn't exactly hold my head straight and my butt still felt like it was asleep. Even when the gun went off and I crossed the start line I was in denial... the race would take me within a mile of my house in the first 4 miles of the run, so if anything I could just ditch out and go back to bed.
I didn't ditch out. I did finish... about 20 minutes slower than my time last year and about 10 minutes slower than my usual "didn't train enough" pace. And despite my snailishness, I paid dearly for the next day and a half: a mostly crippled creature limping and groaning from the couch to the kitchen, couch to the kitchen...
I'm ready now for my first little recovery jog. It's a perfect day for it: cloudy, as it was on the day of the AFC (perfect PR weather, it was). I hope to come back to this post every once in a while as reminder of the importance of not being an idiot.
(On pace at the 10K split... thinking I'll be OK, smiling even.)
(But by mile 10, not feelin' it...or more accurately, feelin' it) bad.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Benefits of Running Naked
I was re-inspired today by a running buddy I only know through the blogosphere: Paula (AKA Struggling to be Speedy). And she suggested that I, in order to get out of my running funk, go back to the basics with a little naked running*.
*Naked Running: To perform the action of running with only the necessary gear; to run without electronics.
Today I was reminded of a few reasons why running has stuck with me all these years-- and it's not because I can forget that I'm doing it through a song on my ipod. Let me take you through my run pre and post Pandora Station music:
Pre: Golden Hill to Balboa Park (1 mile)
1. Adele, First Love... Boring... slow. (Change station)
2. Arcada Fire, Sprawl I (Flatland)... Slow song again...eh I'll listen to it...uhk, no it's depressing. (Change Station)
3. Black Eyed Peas, Just Can't Get Enough... I hate Black Eyed Peas, but this is a really good song...Boy I think about it every night and day...I'm addicted and I just can't get enough
4. Jay Sean, Down...Good beat...Dang it's getting hot...Baby are you down, down, down, down, down...
5. Timbaland, Carryout... This is a new one...wow...autotuned like crazy... (Change Station)
6. Pandora won't reload at this point... cuss cuss.
Post Pandora Meltdown: Balboa Park to Point Loma (7 miles)
1. Hear a scream behind me and turn just in time to see a kid fall in the Balboa Park water fountain. Funny.
2. Lady to the right trips off a curb due to texting. Funny cuz she wasn't hurt.
3. Stop at a water fountain and hear a "Caw, Caw" like a crow: See a large man in blue jeans, no t-shirt, standing on the grass cawing at a flock of crows. He then dropped and started doing push ups. Weird. Eventually made me laugh--after I vacated the immediate area.
4. Waiting at the stoplight on Harbor and Laurel: See a man across the street also in blue jeans & no t-shirt, only he's small and bald and doing the grapevine along the running path. What the what?
Had I been listening to my music, I most likely would have missed these observations that got me through the second part of my run and ultimately made me feel better about myself.... It makes me wonder what I missed during the first part of the run.
*Naked Running: To perform the action of running with only the necessary gear; to run without electronics.
Today I was reminded of a few reasons why running has stuck with me all these years-- and it's not because I can forget that I'm doing it through a song on my ipod. Let me take you through my run pre and post Pandora Station music:
Pre: Golden Hill to Balboa Park (1 mile)
1. Adele, First Love... Boring... slow. (Change station)
2. Arcada Fire, Sprawl I (Flatland)... Slow song again...eh I'll listen to it...uhk, no it's depressing. (Change Station)
3. Black Eyed Peas, Just Can't Get Enough... I hate Black Eyed Peas, but this is a really good song...Boy I think about it every night and day...I'm addicted and I just can't get enough
4. Jay Sean, Down...Good beat...Dang it's getting hot...Baby are you down, down, down, down, down...
5. Timbaland, Carryout... This is a new one...wow...autotuned like crazy... (Change Station)
6. Pandora won't reload at this point... cuss cuss.
Post Pandora Meltdown: Balboa Park to Point Loma (7 miles)
1. Hear a scream behind me and turn just in time to see a kid fall in the Balboa Park water fountain. Funny.
2. Lady to the right trips off a curb due to texting. Funny cuz she wasn't hurt.
3. Stop at a water fountain and hear a "Caw, Caw" like a crow: See a large man in blue jeans, no t-shirt, standing on the grass cawing at a flock of crows. He then dropped and started doing push ups. Weird. Eventually made me laugh--after I vacated the immediate area.
4. Waiting at the stoplight on Harbor and Laurel: See a man across the street also in blue jeans & no t-shirt, only he's small and bald and doing the grapevine along the running path. What the what?
Had I been listening to my music, I most likely would have missed these observations that got me through the second part of my run and ultimately made me feel better about myself.... It makes me wonder what I missed during the first part of the run.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Rock Your Body
So I don't usually go for this type of thing, but a friend of mine found this Ukrainian woman named Zuzana on youTube who does short killer workouts. From youTube my friend then discovered the Body Rocks website. So here's the deal: Zuzana (who is apparently a former porn star...I wouldn't know, but I do know that she is very, very toned) posts daily workouts on her website and they kickASS. And the beautiful thing about them is that they are comprised of only 4 moves that take about 12-15 minutes total to complete.
I've only done one of the workouts, and I was sore for 3 days afterward. They are not a joke, and they will rock your body. I sound like an infomercial right now, so I apologize for that, but I love that I was introduced to these workouts because it's a really quick thing to do after a maintenance run or just to build some lean muscle.
Every day she posts new workouts with a short demonstration video (shot by her husband who, as you will see, really likes focusing on her "upper" half, if you catch my drift) and then a workout breakdown with rep information. The one thing you'll want to get is an interval timer: it makes the workouts a lot easier not having to set and reset a stopwatch...and it keeps you more honest during rest times. This is what they look like--I'm sure you can find a cheapy at Sport Chalet or some other such sporty store, or you can click HERE and order one.
So that's all; I just wanted to share it with the three or four of you who read this blog. Use the site or don't.
Here's the Body Rocks website: enjoy being tortured!
I've only done one of the workouts, and I was sore for 3 days afterward. They are not a joke, and they will rock your body. I sound like an infomercial right now, so I apologize for that, but I love that I was introduced to these workouts because it's a really quick thing to do after a maintenance run or just to build some lean muscle.
Every day she posts new workouts with a short demonstration video (shot by her husband who, as you will see, really likes focusing on her "upper" half, if you catch my drift) and then a workout breakdown with rep information. The one thing you'll want to get is an interval timer: it makes the workouts a lot easier not having to set and reset a stopwatch...and it keeps you more honest during rest times. This is what they look like--I'm sure you can find a cheapy at Sport Chalet or some other such sporty store, or you can click HERE and order one.
So that's all; I just wanted to share it with the three or four of you who read this blog. Use the site or don't.
Here's the Body Rocks website: enjoy being tortured!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
30 Hills in 30 Days Update
Well...it's been a long time since my last post. School got the best of me there at the end of the year, but now I am free free freeeeeeeee for the summer. This was my first official week of summer vaycay and I am doing it right. After assessing the serious flub happening from my ass down, I've decided that my workout routine needs a bit more than mileage to get things sorted (though I'm upping mileage too). About a year ago my husband bought the P90X program off eBay for $40. If you don't know anything about the program and are interested in learning about it, click here, cuz I'm just going to talk like you know what it is.
So in addition to my runs happening about every other day (which is a whole lot more than what was happening from April till now) my husband and I are doing the P90X program according to the "Classic Schedule." It's brutal. I'm sore in places I didn't know existed. But it's a really good sore. My new song/mantra is Kanye's "that-that-that-that don' kill me/ Can only make me stronger... do it faster/ makes us stronger." I can't stand Kanye as a person, but as a mantra provider, he's legit. It suits the program and the way it makes us feel every day because I do wonder sometimes if it will in fact kill me.
(*Insert appropriate transition here*)
I vaguely remember making a goal for myself: 30 hills in 30 days. Well... I technically started my "30 days" on May 23rd, which means today is my last day. I didn't really think it through enough, so I slacked and didn't hit 30 hills, but here's what I did. I found some really good hills and revisited some of the classics. If you're in need for some hill repeats or just a long slow hill, here are the bitches I conquered in the last 30 days. (Pics not provided for all hills discussed. Whaaat sometimes I don't run with my camera.)
1. Lake Murray Drive: A long, steady hill totaling .6 mile. Start at the corner of Lake Murray and Wisconsin Ave and head north up Lake Murray Drive to Kiowa Drive. Turn left on Kiowa and take a lap around the lake (6-7 miles). Once at the lake, about 1/2 a mile from the access gate is another paved hill on your right: small, steep as hell and perfect for sprint repeats. (Hill count 2)
2. Hill Street: Long long long. Steep, levels out a bit, then steep again. But the view is totally worth it. A good hill for full or partial repeats because you can pick and choose what grade you prefer. A brutal 1/2 mile. (Hill count 1)
3. Young Hall Hill on PLNU's campus: Now I remember why I used to wait for the shuttle or hitch a ride with someone up this hill. It's steep. It's long, but not as long as Hill St. You can access this hill from the dirt trail at the end of Corning near Sunset Cliffs. (Hill count 1)
4. Random hills in OB and Pt Loma. Head east from anywhere along Sunset Cliffs and you'll get a nice hill in. I don't remember all the names of the good ones I found, but I do remember the name Monaco, because I had a friend in college with that last name, and here's a pretty picture of a purple flowered wall I ran by somewhere up there. (Hill count 3)
5. At the intersection of Rosecrans and Whittier is a really steep hill (less than a 1/4 mile) that leads to 4 sets of stairs. It can do amazing things for your ass if handled correctly... just beware of jr. highers who skateboard here...I came around the bend the other day and caught one of them peeing against the wall. Gross. (Hill count 1)
6. W Laurel St to 6th Ave/Laurel Street Bridge: The steepest part of this 1.5 mile hill is actually the easiest part I've found... now hear me out. The steepest part is so steep it's like going up stairs, whereas the more gradual part is the majority of the hill and just wears down the will. You have to be OK walking part of this hill or it will break you. It will break you so good. (Hill count 1 x the 3 times I did it= 3)
7. 6th to Laurel: (Disclaimer: Yes I am ashamed of the time that appears with this map--and the map is a picture of my RunKeeper app.--But let me just say that the time includes all the waits I had at stoplights because the timer doesn't automatically pause like some of those fancy-schmancy watches out there (Angie)--and I don't take the time to pause and unpause the time myself--and I had to stop at every.single.light on Ash street on route to 6th. And it was hoooot that day. So there.) Let me also just say, 6th Ave is a sneaky 1 mile a-hole, but it's a good one to practice mid to end run because it's part of the final miles of this August's AFC half marathon. (Hill count 1 a-hole)
So my total hill count for the last 30 days is approximately 12. Just gonna have to try for 30 in the next 30 days. Because that-that-that-that don' kill me, can only make me stronger...
So in addition to my runs happening about every other day (which is a whole lot more than what was happening from April till now) my husband and I are doing the P90X program according to the "Classic Schedule." It's brutal. I'm sore in places I didn't know existed. But it's a really good sore. My new song/mantra is Kanye's "that-that-that-that don' kill me/ Can only make me stronger... do it faster/ makes us stronger." I can't stand Kanye as a person, but as a mantra provider, he's legit. It suits the program and the way it makes us feel every day because I do wonder sometimes if it will in fact kill me.
(*Insert appropriate transition here*)
I vaguely remember making a goal for myself: 30 hills in 30 days. Well... I technically started my "30 days" on May 23rd, which means today is my last day. I didn't really think it through enough, so I slacked and didn't hit 30 hills, but here's what I did. I found some really good hills and revisited some of the classics. If you're in need for some hill repeats or just a long slow hill, here are the bitches I conquered in the last 30 days. (Pics not provided for all hills discussed. Whaaat sometimes I don't run with my camera.)
1. Lake Murray Drive: A long, steady hill totaling .6 mile. Start at the corner of Lake Murray and Wisconsin Ave and head north up Lake Murray Drive to Kiowa Drive. Turn left on Kiowa and take a lap around the lake (6-7 miles). Once at the lake, about 1/2 a mile from the access gate is another paved hill on your right: small, steep as hell and perfect for sprint repeats. (Hill count 2)
2. Hill Street: Long long long. Steep, levels out a bit, then steep again. But the view is totally worth it. A good hill for full or partial repeats because you can pick and choose what grade you prefer. A brutal 1/2 mile. (Hill count 1)
3. Young Hall Hill on PLNU's campus: Now I remember why I used to wait for the shuttle or hitch a ride with someone up this hill. It's steep. It's long, but not as long as Hill St. You can access this hill from the dirt trail at the end of Corning near Sunset Cliffs. (Hill count 1)
4. Random hills in OB and Pt Loma. Head east from anywhere along Sunset Cliffs and you'll get a nice hill in. I don't remember all the names of the good ones I found, but I do remember the name Monaco, because I had a friend in college with that last name, and here's a pretty picture of a purple flowered wall I ran by somewhere up there. (Hill count 3)
5. At the intersection of Rosecrans and Whittier is a really steep hill (less than a 1/4 mile) that leads to 4 sets of stairs. It can do amazing things for your ass if handled correctly... just beware of jr. highers who skateboard here...I came around the bend the other day and caught one of them peeing against the wall. Gross. (Hill count 1)
6. W Laurel St to 6th Ave/Laurel Street Bridge: The steepest part of this 1.5 mile hill is actually the easiest part I've found... now hear me out. The steepest part is so steep it's like going up stairs, whereas the more gradual part is the majority of the hill and just wears down the will. You have to be OK walking part of this hill or it will break you. It will break you so good. (Hill count 1 x the 3 times I did it= 3)
7. 6th to Laurel: (Disclaimer: Yes I am ashamed of the time that appears with this map--and the map is a picture of my RunKeeper app.--But let me just say that the time includes all the waits I had at stoplights because the timer doesn't automatically pause like some of those fancy-schmancy watches out there (Angie)--and I don't take the time to pause and unpause the time myself--and I had to stop at every.single.light on Ash street on route to 6th. And it was hoooot that day. So there.) Let me also just say, 6th Ave is a sneaky 1 mile a-hole, but it's a good one to practice mid to end run because it's part of the final miles of this August's AFC half marathon. (Hill count 1 a-hole)
So my total hill count for the last 30 days is approximately 12. Just gonna have to try for 30 in the next 30 days. Because that-that-that-that don' kill me, can only make me stronger...
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