self talk, randomized

so...I talk to myself. kind of a lot. mostly in my head...mostly. ;) when I'm running, this sometimes translates into a blog post. yesterday's run was full of random so I'm just gonna go bullet-point style!

• when am I going to remember to wear a hat? [the head/cross-wind was crazy, and had my hair blowing into my face at every turn. this is what comes of being a treadmill runner -- I never really had to deal with wind before!]
• I seem bound and determined to prove that I inherited my dad's iron stomach. I DO NOT HAVE AN IRON STOMACH! [I need to stop eating crap then immediately trying to run it off. either eat crap and don't run, or eat good foods then run. or, run hungry then eat crap. heh.]
• wow, that is the first time ever that my knee hurt on a run. please please make it go away. [it was a weird hurt, too! lateral pain on the outside, felt like my knee was just going to give way every time I put weight on my left foot. I was hoping it was sympathy pain -- the Handyman is experiencing the exact same pains from hyperextending his knee last week. or perhaps I need all of my blogger friends to be healthy so I don't sympathy-pain off of them...I kid, I kid. I did KT Tape it last night and it seems to be all better today YAY.]
• puppies! [one guy was throwing a stick for his dog...and was still at it when I came back 45 min later on my out-and-back. wowsers.]
• my feet look ridiculous in two different-colored shoes. I'm glad I don't watch my feet while running, I'd get dizzy. why do the pink Vibrams look so much bigger?? [still debating over which shoes to wear for Sunday's Cherry Blossom 10M...for this run I wore one pink and one black Vibram, got hot spots + a blister on my big toes. next in the lineup is to have both feet in the pink but with Injinji socks...black or purple-stripes though??]

• man I really do not understand how to run down steep downhills in my Vibrams. weird. should probably figure that one out before Sunday. have I not ever run a hilly race before? ah -- not in Vibrams...yikes!
• OMG I FOUND A SECRET PASSAGEWAY! [so excited about this, because I can use it for my bike-commute. which, first time I did it, involved rolling over a dead animal, ew. but there's no shoulder on that particular road and it was either roll over roadkill or...be roadkill. Maryland drivers are mean!]

most ridiculous "injuries" ever

my wrists & arms are sore from waving my silly pom-poms, and my throat hurts from yelling my fool head off, while volunteering at the National Marathon yesterday.

did you see me?? I was around mile 11.5ish, where you turned off of H street and onto 13th. I had purple-and-white pom-poms and, near the end, some cowbells that an awesome cyclist brought us -- he had a backpack full of them! Several people joined me in cheering on the runners, most of whom were just passerbys and not there for any particular runner. Random and awesome! There were also two small girls who joined me late in the game, one of whom was blowing bubbles ("bubbles!!!" ala Nemo), and the other borrowed my pom-poms to do some very professional-looking cheerleading.

fun times, and 'grats to all the finishers! Now to prep for the Cherry Blossom 10M on Sunday...oy I'm so not ready. The Handyman worked his schedule so he could come cheer me on though, he's the bestest!! I'm also on the lookout for a spring half-marathon of my own, suggestions welcome!! Am thinking of the Alexandria Half, since the timing more-or-less works out...

a fresh start

I love a fresh start. I love making New Year's Resolutions. Love the start of a new month, a new season. I think that one of the reasons I've pursued a career in academia is due in no small part to my love of a fresh new semester.

Today's fresh start is brought to you by my fiance the Handyman, who arrived in Maryland last night with our dog and two cats, having battled through hurricane-force winds, tornado watches, thunderstorms, and multiple mountain ranges in his 4-day drive from Oregon. I'm super happy to have our little family back together again after 6 months apart, and I shall commence inundating this blog with animal pictures immediately:

I know it'll take some adjustment and frustrations to get used to living all together again, but I also have this ridiculous idea that now that we're in a new place, perhaps this can be my chance to better train the animals...

Maybe I can train the kitten not to jump up onto the counters. Maybe I can finally get the puppy to understand "come" (this is the thing that keeps me from letting him off-leash when we're out & about, and worries me about dog parks...ok, that and "no, do not hump that lady, I don't care if you're bigger than she is!"...though the Handyman says the puppy has been much better about that since we got him fixed last summer). Maybe I will resist hand-feeding the puppy even when he does his "but look Mom, I'm sitting so good! see, I'll do it again!" ::raises butt up, sits again, wags tail:: (It's so cute. How can I resist that darn face??)

I'm also looking forward to getting back into the habit of going to the gym with the Handyman (and perhaps sticking to a training schedule??), getting up earlier, and of course walking the dog.

unrelated

I have poison ivy. or a very bad reaction to a few spider bites. it's systemic. and I really can't think beyond the itching.

that is all.

compare, contrast, and learn

my run today = best run ever. Probably because my last run, on Friday = worst run ever. Let's compare.

Friday's run:

• new route, a slightly-longer 4.2mi run
• in my Sauconys, because my calves have been giving me major grief when I run in the Vibrams
• DDR playlist, because I think it makes me fast
• too many layers, had the top shirt's sleeves pushed up for 3/4 of the run, and thought for a long while about just taking off the heavy shirt
• possible headwind for the middle half
• slow, slow, slow. I nearly cried when I saw the final averaged pace. did cry later that evening and the next day, but chalked it up to being a stressed out girl.

Today's run:

• same route
• in my Vibrams, because holy God my hip started acting up immediately on Friday, and dang it's debilitating when it does that; I've been uncomfortable and trying to un-tweak it ever since
• T's playlist, with ruthless skipping around to the faster songs
• in yoga pants + a short sleeve tech top, perfect for the cloudy-but-warm afternoon
• fast. dropped almost a minute off of Friday's per-mile pace.

Yeah, really, I think it's just the speed that sold it for me. I spend a fair amount of time wishing I were fast, and being jealous of people who are, and wondering if I really have any right to call myself a runner when I am such a turtle. So earlier this year I drew up a training plan with speed workouts...but quickly determined that other than intervals on the treadmill, I hate speed work. To the point that those workouts nearly turned me off of running entirely. So I backed off, and am back to happily running blithely along. I will probably have to address the speed thing again at some point. But for now, I'm happy to put in some miles, and let the speed come as it may. (Of course, I say that, and then I'm all sad when I have a slow run, and ridiculously excited when I get a fast one.)

I am still not sure, though, what made the difference between Friday and today, and that's driving me a little batty. Let's see what I learned though:

• don't run in worn out shoes. for heaven's sake, even T knew it was time to retire the Sauconys the instant I mentioned that my hip was acting up again. get new shoes (like the fancy minimalist ones at REI today??), or run solely in the Vibrams.
• if it looks like it's going to rain, wear a hat. seriously, when are you going to learn this one? while it's true that you no longer live in the second-rainiest city in the US, dark clouds on the horizon, rain in the forecast, and a twitter feed full of rainy runs = hat. jeez.
• trim T's playlist to just the faster songs. if you're digging a particular song, keep it on repeat. don't get mindlessly sucked into dragging your feet to a too-slow song. make a playlist for the St Paddy's 8k.

Oh yeah. I'm running an 8k in DC next weekend. I will be wearing pink Vibrams. And possibly this:

(actually since I'm trying to PR this race and am not sure I can run with a shamrock face, I might just wear this pre- and post-race)