Run Away with Jamie

Proud

I am very proud of myself today. Before I tell the story I should mention yesterday. For someone who has been, well, pretty much bored for the past 6 months, the past couple of days have been a bit hectic. I also have seen the return of some anxiety issues I have and haven’t slept so well this week. Oh and I think I mentioned before I was having just an awful week. I got in an easy 5 miler early yesterday morning which while slow felt good because it was the first time in a while I felt like running wasn’t a struggle and perhaps just maybe I felt like I was becoming a runner again. Then I had a busy day running around and by the time I got home around 4 my sleep deprivation had me practically collapsing. My recumbent bike was supposed to be delivered yesterday by UPS Ground (makes me so mad) and I was happy to see it wasn’t sitting on the stoop. But I had a bunch of things to get done around the house and a couple phone calls to return. While returning one of the calls however the UPS man showed up. I have to say he really went above and beyond. He tried to leave it on the stoop but when I opened the door and tried to look all cute (hard considering I chopped my hair) and helpless (always easy) he actually agreed to help me take it into the garage. You see the exercise room is a floor down from our front door and the package was 150 pounds and there was no way I was getting it down there myself, or even with my husband for that matter since we are sans dolly. Anyways at first he made me try to help him which resulted in him swearing quite a bit about how it was heavier than the limit (150 pounds) but he also decided it might just be easier to move it himself on the dolly. Unfortunately, as a result of trying to help I threw out my back yet again (and unfortunately for the guy I was cashless so no tip for his effort). I am starting to think I might have a done something really bad one of these times because not only does my back hurt but my stomach hurts. I know, I need some core training. So I now have a recumbent bike (and my awesome husband even assembled it last night) but I also have a really painful bike.

This morning I wanted to get in a 12 mile run. Unfortunately, I took a nap yesterday evening waiting for my husband to get home from his business trip and then I couldn’t fall asleep last night and didn’t get up as early as usual. Mr. DoubleU and I decided that we would go to Percy Warner and that way he could get in a bike ride and I could run and we both could take advantage of the shade. Fortunately, it was also quite a bit cooler than it has been today and actually almost completely overcast. Ever since we moved here I have wanted to do the 11.2 mile run at Percy Warner but have not gotten up the courage. Ordinarily this morning would have been the perfect opportunity, but my back was really aching and I was having an aversion to food since last night and felt low on energy. Nonetheless, I got to the top of the big hill around mile 3 and decided hey no better day than today and I really need these miles in the training bank. So I did it. And actually it wasn’t nearly as bad as I anticipated. That mile 3 hill is the worst and the rest kinda feels like my old Boston training runs in the Stanford hills and Portola Valley. There is nothing flat about the run, lots of rolling hills which after a while takes a toll on your body and your time, but this all keeps the run interesting. I am not a huge fan of flat-flat running anyways. The run today even felt better than the 10 mile run earlier this week but then the lower humidity, shade, and slower pace probably helped. I finished around 1:45 and didn’t walk at all which is impressive considering when I do the 5.8 miler I usually walk for a minute at the top of the big hill to get my heartrate down. A little bummed I won’t be doing the Providian/Saturn relay this Fall (in part because they moved it to the Spring) because I feel almost ready to take on one of the Skyline legs.

We went to Pei Wei for brunch/lunch on the way back. I don’t like Chinese food but I humor the husband sometimes… especially when I am craving salt. The highlight was killing a beetle by dousing him/her in soy sauce…a little inhumane? I spent the rest of the day running around the house doing various long overdue tasks like deep cleaning and sealing the granite in the kitchen (and just generally cleaning the kitchen), a ton of laundry, cleaning out the craft room because we just aren’t working on our “projects” so I might as well pack them up and get them out of view (including all my running medals).

Time for a bike "ride"… this week’s Economist is the best in a while (in case anyone cares!)

posted by JamieW @ 8:30 PM