I’m going to retreat from the Internet for a bit.
I’ve just come up to one of those scary bumps in life.
I won’t blog about it, but also don’t feel right ignoring it and continuing to blog about running, so I’ll just not blog for the time being.
I realize this may sound like Aaron got really hurt on his trip or that something is wrong between us, but don’t worry; he is fine and we are fine.
Everything will be fine.
And I will be back when life feels a bit closer to normal again.
This morning, I ran three miles.
There was nothing particularly special about this run except for the fact that it marked three consecutive weeks that I’ve completed every workout on my training plan. I’m moved workouts around to due to travel and rain, but I still did them all!
As I patted myself on the back this morning, I thought about two things:
1. ROUTINE IS KING.
Why is it that I was unable to start running regularly again when I was unemployed and had tons of free time in July, August, and September, but I’ve managed to get back into running while working a full-time job in December and January — the darkest, coldest, shittiest-weather months?
Routine. It does wonders. I work from 9-6, I run from 6:30-whenever, I eat, I sleep. I clearly operate best on a schedule, since too much free time presents me with too many options, which then leads to decision-paralysis, which then leads to me doing nothing.
Everyone operates differently, but it’s crucial for me to have a good routine.
2. EXERCISE IS NOT EXTRA CREDIT.
I also thrive when I have a training plan, even if I’m not technically training for anything. It reminds me that exercise is not something that’s nice to do when I have some free time; I have to make the time to exercise, and it is not optional. It is too important to me — for my mind, my body, and my health — to treat it as extra credit.
If you make it optional, you just give yourself a big ol’ excuse to bail.
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Abrupt subject change: If you are not following Aaron on Instagram, you are missing out on gems such as these:
He’s always wanted a sweet bike-shorts tan line. Dreams are coming true before our eyes, people!
Today, he rode up to the summit of Haleakala, a massive volcano, and back down. NO BIG DEAL.
From the Garmin live-stalker on his way down:
The elevation gain is ridiculous. I’m actually going to marry a crazy person.
I’m so proud.
It’s a rainy, dreary day in Seattle, but I still got out there to meet the Green Lake running group for my long run!
I ran a little over a mile to the meeting point. Totally stole this pic from Facebook.
Apparently there is a huuuuge (like 100-person) group that meets at 7 a.m. every Saturday, but Andy (guy in the middle) recently started an 8:30 meetup for those of us who like to sleep in a bit.
I chatted with a few people briefly, but we took off pretty quickly, so there wasn’t much time for introductions. Andy had said in the online forum that he was planning on running around 9:15 pace, so I decided to stick with his group of about five people…
…for about a mile. The group was running at a sub-9:00 pace! I could keep up with that for a few miles, but not for an 8.5-mile long run. I said my goodbyes after a mile (two miles, for me), and split off to finish the run at my own pace.
It was a rainy slog — we’re talking completely soaked shoes and socks — but I got it done before 10 a.m., which was awesome.
From my very brief experience with the running group people, all I can say is that they seem like nice, fun folks who are cut from the same crazy running cloth as me! At the very least, the group motivated me to go out in the rain for an early run, and I’m thankful for that. Maybe I’ll go again next Saturday and see if I can find someone closer to my pace.
Now, I’ve got a bit of cleaning to do before some friends come over for a girls’ night. When Aaron’s away, the girls will play*!
*Drink wine and watch chick flicks.
Speaking of Aaron, based on his Garmin live tracker it looks like he’s having fun in Maui. I think he’s mayyyyybe halfway through this ride?
Good thing I got him a massage at the Maui Westin spa for Christmas! Homeboy is gonna need it.
Rest days are usually boring, meaning I have nothing to post about, but today I have lots to share!
1. I officially registered for the Lake Sammamish Half-Marathon on March 9. It’s a “flat and fast” course that is “perfect for a personal best,” so I’ll aim for sub-1:59!
Fun fact: The race directors are a married couple named Roger and Yumay, and they also organize a bunch of mountain bike races that Aaron competes in! I hung out with Yumay and helped out with finish-line stuff a few times last summer while Aaron was racing. It’ll be fun to be the one competing at one of their races instead of spectating.
2. I joined a local running group. I was Googling for a discount code for the race and stumbled upon a Green Lake running group. The members meet up on Saturday mornings for long runs of various distances, plus track workouts, casual runs, and more throughout the week. A bunch of them are currently training for the Lake Sammamish Half!
I signed up and RSVP’d to tomorrow’s long run (and also used their discount code for the race… heh). It looks like a few other people have 8 miles to do (I have 8.5, but I have some distance to run to the meeting point), so I’ll check it out and see if I can make some new running buddies!
3. There is a TRACK right next to Green Lake. OMFG. Mind = blown.
According to Seattle Parks & Recreation, it’s a verified 400 m synthetic track. Ummm…. what have I been doing with my life?? Running around the goddamn lake for speed workouts, that’s what!
4. I got new Under Armour running tights! Thank you, Aaron, for another belated Christmas gift! : )
(Apparently my mirror is really dirty…) I got my current running tights in Dec. 2010 and they’ve been worn and washed to the point of ill-fitting saggy-ness. Not cute.
I ordered these Under Armour tights off the Interwebs without trying them on in a store first, and the medium fits perfectly! (I am 5’6" and 144 lbs, for reference.) They are sooo soft and comfortable; I can see myself just wearing these around the house! Can’t wait to test them out tomorrow.
5. Is that it? I think that’s it. Now, I kick back with a beer and get my weekend on!
I totally wimped out on my run tonight because:
a) It’s raining like cray.
b) Aaron is on a plane to Maui right now and I’m all sad-like that he’ll be gone for the next five days. Lonely times ahead.
I swapped my easy three-mile run for the 50 minutes of cross-training I had planned for Sunday, and still lifted weights, too. I’ll run three on Sunday in the glorious dayyyytiiiime. (Why don’t I make this swap more often??)
Bike:
Weights — two sets:
The 15# weights are starting to feel too light. Next time I’ll try 20#.
Not much else to report, other than that I pored through a big bridal magazine during my flight home last weekend and got even more excited to try on wedding dresses for the first time (whenever that may be). I’ve been creeping all over this lovely bridal website; which dress would you choose?
I absolutely looove one of the dresses that shows up on the first page. Can you guess which one??
So… maybe… this.
March 9. A small-ish race. Flat and fast. We know the race organizers. My half training could pay off with a PR.
EXCITE!!!
THE GOAL:
THE RESULT:
THE STATS:
WHAT IN THE WHAT. I have no idea where I pulled this speed workout from. (Maybe from nine weeks of consistent speed training? Nah.)
I set my Garmin for distance/time intervals (sprint for a half-mile/recover for 3:55) in order to do proper Yasso 800s. I usually take less time to recover between sprints, so 3:55 felt like for-ev-er, but I definitely needed that time to be able to run strong for all five of these intervals. You can see those recovery paces got slowww near the end.
Like I said, I aimed to run each half-mile in 3:55, and I couldn’t believe it every time I came in under 3:55, which was… every time. Talk about a confidence boost, and likely an adjustment in my Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon goal time.
Bart Yasso says you need to work up to running 10 sprints in the same number of minutes as your marathon goal time, so… we’ll see! DREAM BIG!!!
Here’s a belated GPOYW from this morning:
I have an entire section of my closet that can be described as “bright, horizontally striped shirts from J. Crew.”
Yes, it’s right next to the “solid v-necks from Old Navy” section.
(I used to wear those v-neck tees so much that Liz told Matt that I would probably be wearing one when I first met up with them in Melbourne. Little did she know, I showed up wearing a solid tank top from Old Navy instead. That is called BRANCHING OUT.)
OK, first you have to look at this impressive post by Chris for the following photos to make sense.
Did you look?
Good. Good show, Chris! You’re a beast.
Aaron wanted me to post a photo of his quad to show what a cyclist’s “leg guns” look like:
So there’s that. It is much scarier in person, I assure you. (The tattoo is a Greg LeMond quote: “It never get easier, you just go faster.”)
This photo led, naturally, to… a calf-off.
Aaron’s cyclist calves, complete with grandpa socks:
My runner calves, complete with gruesome bike-accident scar:
I think he wins. It’s sort of hard to compete with this.
Is it weird that this isn’t even the first time that we’ve had a calf-off? (Yes.)
July 2011:
I totes won that one!
Anyway. I actually worked on my ARM muscles tonight with this workout once again. I also threw in some sit-ups for good measure.
It feels great to be able to rest my legs before tomorrow’s killer speed intervals! Until then… sleep tight.
Describes Aaron and me perfectly!
I’m behind on posting yesterday’s run because once I was done, Aaron and I immediately watched a movie, then The Bachelor, and then went straight to bed. I didn’t even shower. Gross.
I decided to run yesterday’s 5 miles on the outer loop of Green Lake because:
The key phrase in that last point is I THOUGHT.
It certainly was a change, but I wouldn’t call it nice. It was tough. I could feel tiny, seldom-used muscles in my legs just firing away. I don’t want to compare it to trail running because I’m sure that is MUCH harder, but dang, you trail runners are nuts.
Behold, a slightly slower-than-usual run that undoubtedly helped my legs get stronger. I’ll take it! Buuuuut I won’t be revisiting the outer loop for a while.
Today is a good day. I just have strength-training on tap for tonight, and my FAVORITE lunch was served at work:
SUSHI! Not even slightly ashamed of how high I piled my plate. I would go back for more, but I’m sure it’s all gone now. Everyone loves sushi day.
I normally try to partake of our catered lunches in a semi-healthy way, sticking to salad, veggies, and protein when possible. If it’s pizza day, I skip the buffet completely and make a big salad from the communal fridge. But on sushi day… I go nuts! And it comes around so rarely that I don’t feel bad about it.
What kind of food is a “worth-it” splurge for you every now and then? Aaron’s will always be pizza, followed closely by Reese’s anything. Other than sushi, my top indulgence is a chocolate milkshake. : )
Dev on Running 