Days 25 and 26: Dec 22 and 23

Two days off in a row!

I really hope I don't fall of the wagon during the holidays.  I HAVE to run a long run tomorrow morning.

Day 24, Monday Dec 20

Daily Run Stats
5.95 miles
Location: Down Bus 35 and Water Street
~50 minutes
8:53 min/mi
Tune Highlights: Love Shack and Tiny Dancer

Running is Cartharsis. 
Running is Pushing---Pain---Pure---Primeval.
When I can no longer run (and I know that day WILL come), I will have to find some new way to exercise my outer and inner daemons*.

*Note the spelling is latinized for the Greek. This word in the Greek references both good and bad spiritual beings.

Getting Up to Date

So, the week after all my big work events shouldn't have been the week when I got behind on my posts, but lo' and behold.  I DIDN'T get behind on my workouts though.

Day 14, Friday Dec 10 - Off
Day 15, Saturday Dec 11 - 10.36 km at 5:46 min/km
Day 16, Sunday Dec 12 - 2.15 mi at 8:53 min/mi  LAME
Day 17, Monday Dec 13 - 5.01 mi at 8:33 min/mi
Day 18, Tuesday Dec 14 - 10.23 km at 5:56 min/km
Day 19, Wednesday Dec 15 - Weight-training and Cycling
Day 20, Thursday Dec 16 - Weight-training and Cycling
Day 21, Friday, Dec 17 - 6.94 mi at 9.02 min/mi
Day 22, Saturday Dec 18 - Off
Day 23, Sunday Dec 19 - 5.09 mi at 8.57 min/mi

Days 12 and 13: Off and On

So I hadn't planned on taking Day 12 off.  Emergency battery replacement needed for my car (great timing) and then an impromptu but wonderfully fun dinner with TAM/THC peeps.

Day 13 ON in Lamar
Daily Run Log
5.58 miles
48 minutes
Average Pace: 8.53 min per mile
Tunes: Cake...again

Getting FASTER...

Days 10 and 11

Day 10: Day OFF

Day 11
Daily Run Log
4.02 Miles
36:58
Average Pace: 9.08 min per mile
Tunes: Cake

Day 9: 7 Miler in the Cold

Daily Run Log
7.03 miles
Time 1:05:12
Average pace 9:16 min/mi
Cinema to Water Street and Back
Cold Wind from the North, Mid-50s
8:40-9:45am
Tunes: Indie Soup Runner "Runner's Rant Mix 2008" Podcast

So, no, the mid-50s isn't really "cold" per say.  But, compared to the 78 degree sweat-fest I ran yesterday, today was a bit chillier.  I realized at my 3.5 mile halfway point that I would be running the last half of my route INTO the 15 mph north wind.  Luckily, I did enjoy full sun for the majority of the run.  On the second leg of my run, an older woman passed me headed in the other direction.  First thought--FANTASTICALLY toned quads!  As a 26 year old that HAS never and WILL never have fantastically toned quads, I made the rather convenient connection: trying to chip away at the jiggle gifted to me by my genetic code is like running into a 15 mph north wind--a whole lotta work for very little and very painful progress.

Day 8: New PR!

Daily Run Log
4.02 miles
~36 minutes
Average pace: 9.08 min per mile
Ipod PR: fastest mile with my Nike +
76 degrees in Lamar
10:02-10:39am

Epiph(run)y of the Day 
On Theatre: I refuse to harbor, for one moment, grand illusions of "making it big" or even "making it."  As I was running today, it occured to me that community theatre is one of the last venues to truly express art in its purest form.  By "pure" I mean that amateur actors contribute 3 months of character development, line memorization, and 4 day-a-week rehearsals---without a dime in return.  I truly can't think of any other artist--performance or visual-- that produces their art for art's sake only.  Wow.  Most people have trouble finding contentment with their lot in life.  Today, I found myself overjoyed. 

Day 7: Off Day

Upper Body Weight-Training
20 minute Cycling Sprint

Day 6: 10K Toughie

Daily Run Log
10.02 kilometers (6.22 miles)
58 minutes and some change
Location: Lamar and Goose Island State Park
70 degrees
Plugged into music shuffle


Already in the first kilometer of my run, my quads were ON FIRE!  I'm glad it was such a beautiful day, but for some reason, this run was one of those toughies from the very beginning. You know it's going to be a rough run, when half way through, you begin contemplating your funeral--who would be there--who would bother to cry.  Good thing I had Journey there at the end to bring me home.

Day 5: Unplugged in Lamar

Daily Running Log

39 minutes
~3.9 miles
Location Change to Lamar, Big Tree and Beyond
3:42pm-4:21pm
68ish degrees

Well, having a wonderful boss helps out when you sleep late and can't squeeze your morning run in before work.  Hence the afternoon run.  I left work early and decided to try out a new route.  The Lamar/Goose Island area is beautiful, and today the water was particularly sparkly.  It was absolutely wonderful NOT to huff vehicle exhaust along my route---this is unfortunately unavoidable while running on the sidewalks through Rockport.  The only potential problems with running the new route: I was completely unfamiliar with the area, I didn't have my IPOD gps, and I was on a time crunch.  Since I underestimated the distance back to my car, I ended up running 10 minutes over my initial goal.  Luckily, I made it back in plenty of time for my work meeting.  Oh, and though the pictures don't reflect it, I was pretty disturbed by the high number of roosting vultures/buzzards at one of the intersections.  I counted around 10!  So, while the wildlife is prolific, the deadlife is apparently, equally prevalent.  Quite the Hitchcock-ian experience.

Not "Big Tree" but mushroomingly beautiful.

Day 4: Waiting for the Cold Front

Daily Running Log
Unplugged
~3 miles
6:32-7:02am
63 degrees under threat of impending cold front

Run cut rather short this morning due to empty threat of swift-moving front.  In Texas, the temperature can drop 20 degrees in a matter of minutes.  I was preoccupied with this thought throughout the entire three miles.  I think it did motivate me to run harder, and my time would've been much more reflective of that if the wind hadn't been blowing back at me 15 mph faster than I was running.

Off Day

Having started on the weekend, my schedule is a tad mixed up.  Long runs will be on either Saturday or Sunday--hence yesterday's 8 miler.  The day immediately after will be an off day.  Though, I did do quite a bit of running up and down the Mansion's steps decorating for Christmas.  Early to bed/Early to rise.  Looking forward to the cold front which should arrive before my morning run.

Day 2: Running Unplugged

My usual stompin' grounds--Water St.

Daily Run Log
78 minutes

No music/No GPS

Estimated Mileage: 7.75 miles

Beautiful Mid-60s

9:12am-10:30
Early twinge in right knee; Ache developed in ball of left foot

Without IPOD company, 82 minutes is quite enough time to grapple with ALL the world's problems.  Think of it as 82 meditative, soul-searching, potentially epiphanic minutes.  Today, I set myself a specific topic upon which to ruminate.  As a runner, I'm pretty slow (as you can see from my stats).  It's never been important to me how fast I run but rather how far or how long.  And, truth be told, you burn just as many calories running a slow mile as a fast one--it's just going to take up more of your time to accomplish it.  Thinking on this point, I began to wonder about the other things in life that are equally beneficial or more beneficial when undertaken at a slow pace (besides my Sunday morning 8 miler).  Here's my list--surely it is by no means complete.

Splendidly Slow Activities
Sipping the First Cup of Morning Coffee
Meditation and Prayer
Barbecuing
Driving or Walking on Icy Surfaces
Yoga
Stilt-Walking
Sunset Walks on the Beach
Ageing Wine
Glass Blowing
Love Making
Bread Kneading and Rising
Water Aerobics (due more to physics than the desire to move slowly and/or due to age of participants)
Family Hugs

Day 1 of the Quest toward the Half-Marathon

Daily Run Log
5.07 miles
51 minutes
519 calories
Temperature in the High 40s/Low 50s
7:09am-8:00
Current Listening Pleasure: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Audiobook


So, I've been running consistently (or maybe inconsistently to some) since I was in high school. Back then, cross country was a "forced" sport for most of us--off-season training for baseketball or softball. I only ever aspired to finishing my measly 2 miler without stopping to walk. So, now when I finish my Saturday morning 5 miles (and I feel like I could do another 5 if I had the time), I don't feel 10 years older. I feel 10 years healthier!

This blog is more for my own fitness accountability than for anyone else--but if you enjoy the daily blood, sweat, and laughter-to-tears, feel free to read on. I am endeavoring through this run-blog to train more consistently for a Half-Marathon run in the spring.