back ... better than ever?

Went out of town, now I'm back. I did not run consistently when I was out of town. Sigh. I have a hard time sticking to projects like this for long.

But I'm determined not to let it all go to ruin. That sub-four this summer is looking less and less likely, but there's always the second marathon in November. Besides, I get credit for effort, remember? So I'm not going to quit running. I fell off the wagon, but it happens. On we go.

p.s. Those running books and magazines talk about getting so hooked on running that you won't want to stop. I can understand that happening to some people, but it's hard to imagine it happening to me. My mother gets fidgety when she doesn't get to go for a walk after a while (kinda like the dog), but running is more work than walking.

Out of town

Been out of town for a couple weeks. Still out, but I'm up late, procrastinating sleep, and thought I'd let you all know. And by "you all" I mean the persons reading this blog, by which I mean "all two of you."

Not that I want lots of people staring at me, but a little attention was sort of the point.

Definitely need to find some running buddies when I get home. I wish I knew some good places to start looking (other than approaching random people in places where runners congregate).

Horrible, lame-ass day.

So I took a walk down to the stadium yesterday, and found the entrance to the track. It's way in the back, of course. I did a lot of walking yesterday, probably added up to 3 miles at least, but that's not an official workout, just exercise.

Then today I walked down there again, and timed myself on the track. After jogging one lap to warm up, I managed a faster circuit in about 2:15. As far as I know, it is an official quarter-mile track, so that would add up to a 9-minute mile pace, if I could actually keep it up for a whole mile. Unfortunately, I couldn't. I went around a couple more times, occasionally sprinting to catch a soccer ball kicked by one of the handsome Husky soccer guys practicing on the field. I got a stitch in my side and a nasty dip in blood sugar (which eating an orange did not cure, and eating a banana before I left the house did not prevent), and walked back home.

I am feeling very depressed. Partly because I am a slow, unfit runner, but mostly because I'm unemployed and I have a lot of bills due soon which I cannot pay. This may have been a factor in my shitty workout. It is hard to run fast (or, let's face it, run at all) when you're depressed.

I try to remind myself that lots of people (especially in Haiti at this moment) would be very grateful indeed to be in my shoes. I have all my body parts attached and in reasonably good condition, and I have lots of earning potential and a family that loves me. I just don't have a job ... or a greyhound body. Such is life.

Rain sends my train swiftly down the dwayne... er, drain.

So the weather has been absolutely horrible (pouring rain virtually nonstop) for the last several days. I haven't gone running since Monday. Blah. I feel really bad about it. Those running shoes of mine, by the way, are very nice and breathable, which around here also means they suck up water like big sponges.

This evening, it finally occurred to me that I have an alternative to getting soaked. Thanks to a recent investigation of the YMCA (for purposes of employment and/or gym), I have a visitor's pass which is good for three free visits!

So off I hie me to the Y. Only to find, when I arrive, that they close at 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Because they have classes in the evenings those days.

What the f. Seriously. I realize they're a busy nonprofit and they have many things to do for the community in a fairly limited building space, but what the hell kind of gym closes at 5 pm two days a week? The whole POINT of a gym is so you can work out when it's dark or otherwise inhospitable outside. Give me a freaking break. They don't even have a swimming pool, so at this rate, the only thing that would attract me to join is if I got to work there and it was free.

So that killed THAT plan pretty fast. I went to the bookstore and browsed around a while, then went to the grocery store and filled up a basket with fruits and veggies.

The total bill was less than I feared; skipping nuts, hothouse-grown produce, and cheese (and cookies) definitely saves money. Not that I want to live without cheese, or without nuts for that matter, but I have a good stock of cheese at the moment since my parents recently started a new diet and gave me all the cheeses in their fridge, and until I get a job, I must regretfully forgo expensive whole nuts in favor of peanut butter. One thing my mother never really taught me was how useful a freezer is in managing one's food. At their house, stuff tends to sit in the fridge until it gets eaten or (more frequently) spoils and has to be thrown away. But I'm learning to use a freezer now, and it's a good thing. Frozen produce can actually be superior to fresh this time of year, and it's cheaper and doesn't rot.

week 3, workout ... um, 3?

Went to the park and back. I really should be adding more mileage, but I just had to know if I'd gotten any faster.

I experimented with pacing, switching around which muscles dominated my stride. As usual, I think I went out too fast, because by the last half mile, I was completely wiped out. I could barely stagger up the hill to my apartment. Not sore, not out of breath, no low blood sugar, just ... tired.

Actually, I don't know why my leg muscles were so worn out after those 3 little miles. I'm not normally this tired afterward. I did walk 3.5 or 4 miles, largely uphill, on Saturday ... but that was two days ago, I didn't feel tired yesterday, and I walk all the time anyway. I don't know what happened. I even went for a walk this evening and didn't feel recovered. I suppose I should eat some more dark leafy greens and lift some weights. Or something.

Time to park: 15 minutes.
Total time: under 35 minutes. Call it 34:45.

Yes, this is faster than before. It's still way too slow, but there is progress. Progress so incre-freaking-mental I could scream. I'm still not down even to 11-minute miles yet. What makes it worse is I know there will be days in the future with no progress at all, days when I will be going slower for reasons of training or exhaustion.

I am having doubts that I can speed this along to consistent 9-minute miles by June. 26 miles is a long way to go. Even 3 miles today was a struggle. But there's only one way to find out if I can do it -- keep going and see what happens. I'll know I've made real progress if I can do the run in 30 minutes, but we're not even close to that now. And even that's a long way from what I'm aiming at.

Total running distance so far: about 18 miles.

Making up running slogans

The runner's brain at work...

I paid a visit to my parents (who live on the other side of town, a two-hour journey for me since I don't have a car and must rely on public transit) this weekend. I intended to borrow their rowing machine, but all I ended up doing was leaving some of my not-too-abundant workout gear at their house by mistake. Oops. I'll retrieve it in a week or so, probably.

So I was surfing the Runner's World website and reading motivational articles. I was kind of waiting for the rain to stop, but it's probably not going to, so guess what Liz gets to do: live up to the name of her month-old blog, and betake her butt out in a typical Seattle rain.

But I wanted to write down a couple of the best sayings I thought up and/or found, so maybe someday I can get a t-shirt with one or more of them. If I find somebody who prints actual quality running shirts. Ones I made up are marked with an asterisk. Here we are ...

- Instant Swimmer - Just Add Water (okay, not a running slogan, but this cracked me up)
- Instant triathlete - just add water, wheels, and shoes * (would be great with graphics)
- I run like a girl. Try to keep up.
- May the course be with you
- Busting mine so I can kick yours
- Happiness is pushing your limits and watching them back down (yay, shoe ads)
- Life is a gift. Run like you stole it. * (modified)
- I run, therefore I breathe *
- REST: Run, Eat, Sleep, Triumph * (modified from one that ends "repeat")
- Bring me that horizon (okay, it's from "Pirates of the Caribbean," but I never saw it on a running shirt)
- The mountain awaits you. Say hello. *
- Movement is mandatory, speed is optional * (hooray for us slowpokes)

And now it appears the rain is easing, so I think I better seize the break while the getting is good.

Them thar hills: week 3, workout 2

I'm getting impatient with my lack of speed. Also, I like variety (read: bore easily), so I decided to try something different today.

I rode my bike to the park and ran up a steep hill 10 times, then rode the bike back home. (Uphill.) Even on the switchbacks, it was definitely an incline, and the path is kind of uneven. Even if I'd been able to run faster, I couldn't really go too fast because I didn't want to fall and twist an ankle.

I forgot my watch, so I have no idea how long that took. Maybe 45 minutes. I didn't go very fast, but I made it. As I bicycled home, at least two runners passed me. On foot. I hope they feel smug, because I sure don't. I mean, I'm pleased that I finished the workout, but I'm still annoyed at how slow my body insists on being. I hope that it gets better soon, because at this rate I'll never manage a 4-hour marathon.

waaah. Whine. I want to be a graceful greyhound, not a lumbering clod. Seriously. There is no good reason why I ought to be this slow. I'm not old, I'm not overweight, I'm not broken. I know I'll get faster gradually, but I want to get more faster now. plzkthx.