I am currently planted on my friend L's futon in her UES apartment watching football and recovering from not just yesterday's festivities, but my entire crazy week. I'll recap:
1. Last weekend, I had an amazing time running the Reach the Beach relay with my awesome online running friends. We distance runners are usually so focused on our individual races that it's a real treat to be a part of a team. Even though there is so much camaraderie to be had at normal races, with the pre- and post-run get-togethers, there's such a different feeling to being part of a team. You don't want to be the member who doesn't match the effort and speed of your teammates - dropping sub-MP paces the entire 32 miles was possible only because all of my awesome teammates were doing the same.
2. We had zero idea of "how" to run this relay - no one had ever done an ultra version before, and we all basically assumed we'd be around MP due to the number of miles we all had to run - between 28 to 40. The two guys on the team happened to lead us off with some killer legs, and the ladies couldn't let them down. As each of us continued to run faster than what we thought, I think all of us were kind of waiting for the wall to come past which our sleep-deprived bodies would slow us down. And of course we did slow a bit, but not nearly as much as I was expecting. Not even close. I'm so impressed and proud of us!
3. Our final time was 23:32:33, a pace of 7:21 min/mile - 38th overall and 1st mixed ultra team! The win was truly icing on the cake - we didn't even think about it as we were running so it was a fun perk to add to our excitement after the race.
4. After the race, I stayed with my friend V and her family in lower Manhattan. It was great to hang out with her, as always, and get to know her 2-year-old son. Yes, it's possible to get to know a 2-year-old, although we're not quite up to having hear-to-hearts yet :)
5. As I was on the bus on the way to Boston for the relay, I made a phone call to one of the companies I had had a phone interview with for a west coast-based position. The company is based in Boston, so I had emailed saying I would be out East if it would be possible to arrange a face-to-face interview. I had been unsure about making the call, because I'm trying to walk the line of being assertive but not desperate, but I finally decided it couldn't hurt. I'm definitely glad I did - even though it meant having to bus back to Boston for a quick 24-hour trip. Special thanks to Sully and his roomie for letting me crash on their couch so as to avoid 2 bus trips in one calendar day.
6. Obviously I can't say much about the interview, but I think it went well. It was almost anti-climactic due to all the traveling around I had to do for it because it was pretty relaxed. They're trying to fill the position fast so hopefully I'll hear something this week!
7. Yesterday, two of my grad-school friends got married. I had such a great time celebrating this awesome couple - a couple I have known since the beginning of their relationship. The wedding was at 10:30 am, which no one had experienced before. It was a bit strange to be drinking and dancing in broad daylight, but we quickly got over it ;-) It was a great time, and a bit of a grad school reunion. In the interest of full disclosure, I invoked the "special occasion" clause of my no-sugar diet and had some wedding cake. And I don't feel guilty at all, not even a little bit.
8. The wedding and reception were in the Bronx, but the wedding hotel was in Rye, NY. Putting a bunch of Manhattanites on a party bus to Rye and then congregating them all in the hotel bar is a pretty funny scenario. Of course, it wasn't so much about the "where" as it was about the "who," so we had ourselves a good ol' time. The "where" only became important when we realized we had to, um, get home somehow. Putting a bunch of Manhattanites in Rye without first calculating the cost of car service to get back is also quite the picture.
9. In between all this traveling and partying, I have been running. This week was kind of screwed up because of the relay; I wanted to keep the miles up but I also knew I'd have to really listen to my body to give it whatever recovery it would want after the race. That meant cutting a few miles off each run in the beginning of the week, especially because my right hamstring was a bit crabby. My runs were all slowwww and, to be honest, kind of torturous. I didn't feel good, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before I'd get my legs back, and that by taking it easy and running everything at recovery pace would only shorten that time.
10. I moved my long run to Friday because of the early wedding. The chance to run in Central Park is always a motivator for me, although as I started, the 90% humidity really made it hard for me to wrap my mind around doing 20 miles. I started out slow and slogging, once again resigning myself to the fact that I wasn't totally recovered. But then, it started raining. The second half of the run was in the torrential downpour, and I loved every second of it. My legs did, too, and I was able to drop the paces into my proper MLR zone and feel great doing it. My hamstring didn't talk, and I finished soaked and renewed.
11. My Garmin cradle is being fussy and I think I have to send it in for a new one. This means I can't upload and I can't charge. I'm dreading what this means: Timex.
12. I ran 6.5 this morning. I'm supposed to get out for another 4. The couch is super comfortable though....
13. This is kind of a boring post. I guess I'm not feeling very deep or humorous today. I blame the Vikings - I was super motivated to write a blog but got about halfway through and decided to give up.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Crazy going slowly am I
19 for yesterday's 19 in 2:41.25
1. There's been a lot of chatter on my FB wall about dreading long runs. I honestly LOVE them. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of hitting that groove where you feel like you can just run forever - and actually keep on running for (almost) ever. I was on such a high after this run - that's the high I miss when I'm not marathon training. It's a high that is different than that I get after a hard workout or a shorter, faster run. I think it's a high that just makes me feel like me.
2. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity, but it all turned out to be for the best, I think:
3. A group of my RWOL buddies are running the Reach the Beach relay next weekend. At the time they were planning, I was still abroad and couldn't commit, but it definitely made me want to run one of these relays someday. This particular relay runs 200 miles across the state of New Hampshire, taking 24+ hours to complete, and you hang out with your teammates in passenger vans in your hungry, smelly, sleep-deprived awesomeness. There are teams of 12, running 3 legs and ~15 miles total, or teams of 6, running 6 legs and ~33 miles total. In a sad twist of fate (see #4), one of my friends was no longer able to make it, and the 6-person team was down a player. I was debating flying back East, anyway, for a wedding of 2 grad school friends in NYC the following weekend, so after some deliberation and hemming and hawing, I signed up!
4. The friend whose place I'm taking cannot make it because her husband was in a terrible sky-diving accident. He's undergone several surgeries and is improving, but please keep them in your thoughts and hearts.
5. So, now I had a weekend of relay racing madness, a week "off," and then a weekend of NYC wedding madness. I'm still waiting if that week "off" will include a couple interviews, but that remains to be seen.
6. So, minor detail: from where do I fly for this trip? Do I drive to Tucson, back to my parents, and continue the job search from there after my trip? Do I fly in and out of San Fran, leave my car with my cousin, and then drive back to Tucson? Do I buy a one-way trip because I don't know when/where to return? The logistics began to give me a headache.
7. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really want to be stable for a while, at least long enough to make the job search my main focus. I have really loved being able to travel and visit people, which obviously I can continue to do, but it's not helping me focus.
8. Furthermore, job searching from Tucson makes no sense. There are exactly zero jobs I would take there. However, there are tons of jobs in the Bay Area. I can't hang out with my cousin and her family forever; I'm not willing to commit to a lease on a place on the chance that an opportunity arises outside of the area. But I want to put myself here because it is at least a place where there is a chance I end up, unlike Tucson.
9. To Craigslist I went, with the search terms "sublet/temporary rentals." I promptly found about a bazillion ads that went something like this:
Hi! I am [traveling for an internship/moving in with my bf/pissed off my roommates and got thrown out] and you can have my awesome room near [UCSF/the projects/the middle of nowhere] for [an extravagant amount of money, but it's ok because it's furnished/almost no money, what do you mean San Jose isn't in San Francisco?]. The room is great, here is a grainy, wide-lens angled photo. There is a shared EVERYTHING, but it's ok because my 12 roommates are awesome and laid-back and clean and there isn't any drama ever even though they're all 22-yo students I SWEAR. okthxbai xoxo.
10. Um, no. I am too old for the crazy-Craigslist-roomie thing.
11. But THEN I saw it - the post of my dreams - and it was love at first sight. A 1-br located 7 blocks from the beach and 2 from Golden Gate Park, being sublet for a month while its owner was traveling. Its SOLE owner.
12. After a few email conversations with said owner, we agreed I would come to see the place the following day. I left the address with my cousin and on FB, visions of the 9-o'clock news headlines dancing in my head, and drove to the apartment. The resident is the sweetest middle-aged French-Algerian woman, and we hit it off right away. Half the rent later, I was in! I have a home for October! She leaves for her trip the same day I come back from mine; she wanted a non-student, someone quiet who won't be hosting raves; she said she got "good vibes" from my email and from our meeting. She was as excited as I was. It feels SO GOOD to have a place to call "home" for a month, feel stable, and plan the next step in peace and without any time pressure.
13. The location is awesome for running. I'm especially excited about that, as it will be the month pre-NYCM, and I'll be doing that. A lot.
14. Nothing new on the job-front. I'm feeling my way around the protocol for how much follow-up is too much. Following a phone interview, if I am told they are interested in a face-to-face and they'll be in touch soon, what does "soon" mean? I sent the obligatory thank-you email and sent emails to 2 that have east coast-based offices to notify them that I'll be out there. Is no response bad? Does soon mean weeks? I have no idea.
15. Running-wise, I'm feeling great. My legs have finally awakened from their summer hibernation. I'm sure the side-effects of unemployment have helped: ample time for sleep, no days of hectic running around, not having to get up early to get the miles in, etc. Don't hate me too much, I'd much prefer being employed and stressed AND running, but I'm trying to at least look on the bright side here.
16. I am really excited to be going to NYC. Today of all days, I feel the New Yorker in me very strongly. If I didn't have this trip coming up, I'd feel almost homesick for the city. I wasn't even in NYC yet on 9/11 - I was still in college - but I still feel the solidarity of this day in that city. <3
17. I have been all kinds of excited about football this weekend. After living abroad for 2 seasons, I'm wondering how I survived. I love this game. I had to search out the Vikings game this afternoon, found myself alone at a sports bar surrounded by annoying 49er and Charger fans, and was just so giddy to be able to watch FOUR games at ONE TIME! On screens that weren't my laptop displaying whatever crappy pirated streaming broadcast I could find.
18. Tomorrow is the first day of registration for the Boston marathon. I don't know if I want that to be my goal spring race, I don't know if I can afford it, but I know I'll regret it if I can't go. What a dilemma.
19. I have had more than a couple beers and am trying to make myself run at midnight sporting my new headlamp, red blinkies, and reflective vest in order to have at least one attempt at some semblance of training for RTB. Oof.
1. There's been a lot of chatter on my FB wall about dreading long runs. I honestly LOVE them. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of hitting that groove where you feel like you can just run forever - and actually keep on running for (almost) ever. I was on such a high after this run - that's the high I miss when I'm not marathon training. It's a high that is different than that I get after a hard workout or a shorter, faster run. I think it's a high that just makes me feel like me.
2. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity, but it all turned out to be for the best, I think:
3. A group of my RWOL buddies are running the Reach the Beach relay next weekend. At the time they were planning, I was still abroad and couldn't commit, but it definitely made me want to run one of these relays someday. This particular relay runs 200 miles across the state of New Hampshire, taking 24+ hours to complete, and you hang out with your teammates in passenger vans in your hungry, smelly, sleep-deprived awesomeness. There are teams of 12, running 3 legs and ~15 miles total, or teams of 6, running 6 legs and ~33 miles total. In a sad twist of fate (see #4), one of my friends was no longer able to make it, and the 6-person team was down a player. I was debating flying back East, anyway, for a wedding of 2 grad school friends in NYC the following weekend, so after some deliberation and hemming and hawing, I signed up!
4. The friend whose place I'm taking cannot make it because her husband was in a terrible sky-diving accident. He's undergone several surgeries and is improving, but please keep them in your thoughts and hearts.
5. So, now I had a weekend of relay racing madness, a week "off," and then a weekend of NYC wedding madness. I'm still waiting if that week "off" will include a couple interviews, but that remains to be seen.
6. So, minor detail: from where do I fly for this trip? Do I drive to Tucson, back to my parents, and continue the job search from there after my trip? Do I fly in and out of San Fran, leave my car with my cousin, and then drive back to Tucson? Do I buy a one-way trip because I don't know when/where to return? The logistics began to give me a headache.
7. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really want to be stable for a while, at least long enough to make the job search my main focus. I have really loved being able to travel and visit people, which obviously I can continue to do, but it's not helping me focus.
8. Furthermore, job searching from Tucson makes no sense. There are exactly zero jobs I would take there. However, there are tons of jobs in the Bay Area. I can't hang out with my cousin and her family forever; I'm not willing to commit to a lease on a place on the chance that an opportunity arises outside of the area. But I want to put myself here because it is at least a place where there is a chance I end up, unlike Tucson.
9. To Craigslist I went, with the search terms "sublet/temporary rentals." I promptly found about a bazillion ads that went something like this:
Hi! I am [traveling for an internship/moving in with my bf/pissed off my roommates and got thrown out] and you can have my awesome room near [UCSF/the projects/the middle of nowhere] for [an extravagant amount of money, but it's ok because it's furnished/almost no money, what do you mean San Jose isn't in San Francisco?]. The room is great, here is a grainy, wide-lens angled photo. There is a shared EVERYTHING, but it's ok because my 12 roommates are awesome and laid-back and clean and there isn't any drama ever even though they're all 22-yo students I SWEAR. okthxbai xoxo.
10. Um, no. I am too old for the crazy-Craigslist-roomie thing.
11. But THEN I saw it - the post of my dreams - and it was love at first sight. A 1-br located 7 blocks from the beach and 2 from Golden Gate Park, being sublet for a month while its owner was traveling. Its SOLE owner.
12. After a few email conversations with said owner, we agreed I would come to see the place the following day. I left the address with my cousin and on FB, visions of the 9-o'clock news headlines dancing in my head, and drove to the apartment. The resident is the sweetest middle-aged French-Algerian woman, and we hit it off right away. Half the rent later, I was in! I have a home for October! She leaves for her trip the same day I come back from mine; she wanted a non-student, someone quiet who won't be hosting raves; she said she got "good vibes" from my email and from our meeting. She was as excited as I was. It feels SO GOOD to have a place to call "home" for a month, feel stable, and plan the next step in peace and without any time pressure.
13. The location is awesome for running. I'm especially excited about that, as it will be the month pre-NYCM, and I'll be doing that. A lot.
14. Nothing new on the job-front. I'm feeling my way around the protocol for how much follow-up is too much. Following a phone interview, if I am told they are interested in a face-to-face and they'll be in touch soon, what does "soon" mean? I sent the obligatory thank-you email and sent emails to 2 that have east coast-based offices to notify them that I'll be out there. Is no response bad? Does soon mean weeks? I have no idea.
15. Running-wise, I'm feeling great. My legs have finally awakened from their summer hibernation. I'm sure the side-effects of unemployment have helped: ample time for sleep, no days of hectic running around, not having to get up early to get the miles in, etc. Don't hate me too much, I'd much prefer being employed and stressed AND running, but I'm trying to at least look on the bright side here.
16. I am really excited to be going to NYC. Today of all days, I feel the New Yorker in me very strongly. If I didn't have this trip coming up, I'd feel almost homesick for the city. I wasn't even in NYC yet on 9/11 - I was still in college - but I still feel the solidarity of this day in that city. <3
17. I have been all kinds of excited about football this weekend. After living abroad for 2 seasons, I'm wondering how I survived. I love this game. I had to search out the Vikings game this afternoon, found myself alone at a sports bar surrounded by annoying 49er and Charger fans, and was just so giddy to be able to watch FOUR games at ONE TIME! On screens that weren't my laptop displaying whatever crappy pirated streaming broadcast I could find.
18. Tomorrow is the first day of registration for the Boston marathon. I don't know if I want that to be my goal spring race, I don't know if I can afford it, but I know I'll regret it if I can't go. What a dilemma.
19. I have had more than a couple beers and am trying to make myself run at midnight sporting my new headlamp, red blinkies, and reflective vest in order to have at least one attempt at some semblance of training for RTB. Oof.
Monday, September 5, 2011
The times, they are a-changin'
I normally don't channel Bob Dylan - not exactly my style (even though he is from MN!) - but that line popped into my head as I sat down to write. It goes along with the following quote I rediscovered on my FB profile:
It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
~Alan Cohen
With all the change going on in my life, I've been thinking a lot about what it is, exactly, that I want. So, in honor of this weekend's 19-miler, a list of 19 things that I want. Some of these are things I want, like, yesterday; some are more long-term. I know "getting what you want" isn't the be-all-end-all of happiness, so I guess they can be considered general life goals - ideas of where I'd like to go in life with the understanding that things can change in a heartbeat and nothing is guaranteed. But, for me right now, these are the most tangible things I can hang onto while everything else spins around me.
19 miles in 2:35.09; 4 up, 10 @ 7:33 (~MP), 5 down
1. I'll start with the running-related stuff. The most immediate goal: sub-3:15 at NYCM in November.
2. Secret running goal? 3:0x. It would be a lot to ask for November, but it's close enough that I want it. I never thought I'd be this fast - ever. I still remember when I thought running a BQ 3:40 was like lightening speed for me. If I can do 3:15 in NYC, I'd love to focus on a 3:10 for spring.
3. On that note, I really feel my mental game is off right now, running-wise. I still don't have the confidence to be running near-7 paces for a half. I look at those times and think they're for a different runner. Not for me. I don't know if it's my emotional winter/spring, my slow summer miles, or what, but I need to switch my focus on running and be less passive about its role in my life. I always want it to be fun and a positive part of my life but not just something that I do halfway.
4. On THAT note, I've been giving a lot of thought about my diet and nutrition, and want to get things under control there. I hesitate even bringing this up, because I know I don't have to lose weight and that I already eat quite healthfully. For me, it's less about a number on a scale and more the mindless eating and sweet tooth that gets out of control that has always been something I want to control and always been something I haven't because it's hard and I no longer always want it to be there. Of course, the added benefit of being speedier by dropping a few pounds isn't a bad perk. It's two months 'till race day. I'm saying it here, out loud: bye-bye desserts (although I do reserve the right for a bite of yours here and there). In one month, I may add alcohol to the list (at least more than one of them at a time and on weekdays). Like I said, I know I don't have to do this. But, part of me feels like I need to right now. I'm not going on some crazy diet, I'm not going to cut calories to the point I can't train well - that is, after all, the number one priority - but I just need to get things under control. So, please no "you're crazy/be careful/why would you do that" comments. If you know me, you know I'm nowhere disorder-land.
5. I want to find a job. No secret there :)
6. I want to point my career in the direction I want it to go. My post-doc was something I did because I know it wouldn't hurt me - it gave me more lab experience and publications, so it did, in fact, help me - and because it got me to the place I wanted to be at the time. I don't regret it, but it makes me realize how much I want the next job decision to be about what is best for me. That includes location, but more so in the vein of putting myself in a good place for job AND life opportunities. I can't be in a place with only one biotech company in a 200-mile radius. Both career-wise and socially, I need to be in a vibrant place with lots of choices and places to potentially be. Having been in a place where I had nearly zero options other than what I was doing at the time was exhausting, and trying to switch paths in such an environment would be nearly impossible.
7. I want to be able to be passionate about what I do, but also not have it control my life and dictate the kind of lifestyle I want. That is, "work to live" rather than "live to work."
8. I don't want to settle just because I'm impatient about finding a job.
9. I want to be financially secure. I have been poor for-ev-er. I have amazing parents who will make sure I am never in trouble, but it is tiring to have to worry about it. I am looking at my ever-diminishing savings and hate that it may dictate when I have to drive myself to Tucson to stay with them. I am probably even less fiscally responsible than I should be, but traveling will always be a weakness of mine. I'm not buying shoes or purses or designer jeans; I don't even dream about a fancy car or a huge house. Just let me travel. And eat well along the way.
10. I want to surround myself with people I love. I can very easily pull into myself and pretend I'm ok not reaching out and being a hermit. But this traveling and constant presence of friends and family reminded me that my soul needs those relationships. I want to be in a place where those relationships exist and can be nurtured. And I never want to take them for granted.
11. Speaking of relationships. I have been lucky enough to have spent each and every one of my visits with amazing couples at different stages of their relationships. Couples who love each other and have amazing dynamics; who have been through the best and the worst together and look at each other like no one else exists. It is heartwarming to witness this. Yeah, I want this. I am ready for this.
12. I want to be better at telling the people in my life that I love and cherish them. This is probably a function of that same "pulling into myself" characteristic - the "opening up and being vulnerable" thing has never been a strong point of mine and certainly didn't help in my last relationship. I will start now: to everyone reading this, you have touched my life in a way that I am eternally grateful for, be it big or small, and I love you for that.
13. I want to find a better balance in my life between living for the moment and dreaming about the future. Between instant and delayed gratification. I usually find myself wanting the things I want RIGHT NOW, instead of enjoying and learning from the journey that brings me to them. Maybe I want things to be too easy.
14. I want to always remember what I said before: that things can change in a heartbeat and nothing is guaranteed. It was a shock to learn this the hard way.
15-19. I'm not sure I can do 5 more on this list, after all. They would be sort of inane things, anyway, like cutting down computer time (ha!) and reading more for fun (which I could do with less computer time) and blogging more (trying!).
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The 13 reasons I have apparently failed at blogging lately, which are 13 of the reasons I should have been writing all along.
For today’s 13 in 1:48.54. I will resume with humor in the next post :)
1. I have been homeless since August 3rd and travelling as follows: MN-MKE-CHI-MAD-SD-COL-UT-NV-CA.
2. All that time on the road leaves little time for blogging, although plenty of time to confront each and every one of my thoughts from every angle. I thought I would journal and write about my trip more, but the self-therapy by just meditating on the open road seems to have taken the place of pen-to-paper (or fingers-to-keyboard).
3. Every time I sit at the computer, it’s to edit or to job search. These are basically never-ending tasks, so the blogging gets put aside because there are so many other things I could be doing that are seemingly more productive.
4. When I have had spare time, I have really tried to be focused on the people and places around me, rather than blogging about it. I have reconnected with so many people, friends and family alike, and I’ve cherished the quality face-time I’ve had with people all along my travels.
5. I have finally embraced this opportunity to travel and visit so many people. It’s hard for me, being such a planner, to not know when the end-point is, when I’ll get a job and exit this limbo stage, but I am appreciating it. The hardest thing about my mobility has been realizing how much I want to be still. It’s hard moving through other peoples’ lives when I don’t have a home base.
6. I’ve been thinking about what I would want in an ideal world, and there are so many contradictory answers to that question. There are so many people and opportunities in so many different places that I can’t have everything I want. It’s hard to know what the most important pieces are sometimes.
7. I sometimes wish that I didn’t have such a blank slate when it comes to my future. It’s almost as if I need someone to narrow it down for me, and then I’d be able to make a decision. Like “you will move back to NYC” or “you will try to live out West” or something. I think I get overwhelmed even knowing where to start.
8. I had an epiphany somewhere in between Bumblefuck and Nowhere, Nevada. I forgive Ron, and the moment I realized that, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, a weight I didn’t even know was there. I could actually physically feel it.
9. Is it possible to want to be with someone and not know how?
10. The list of people I miss is growing ever-longer. Above all, I think that is the hardest part of this journey and the part that I want to change by finding a place to be.
11. Has anyone actually ever enjoyed a job-searching process? It is consuming my time and energy, and it is just so hard. Not that I expected it to be fun and easy, but I just feel like I’m treading water while someone who thinks they’re drowning is trying to climb on me and pull me under.
12. On to the subject at hand: running at sea level in perfectly perfect temperatures is heavenly compared to the heat and humidity of the Midwest and the elevation of the Colorado mountains. Not that I acclimated to the altitude by any means, but dropping back down made me remember what it feels like to actually run instead of slog. I am easily running a minute per mile faster here at the same effort level.
13. I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life, and I have been touched at so many points along this journey by this fact. It has truly made me not crumble to pieces and become overwhelmed to the point of insanity. Even people I don’t talk to often or haven’t seen along the way. I am lucky.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
This is not a list
This is an addendum. On my second run today, all 3.2 miles of it, I was thinking about what I had written about wanting to get rid of the question marks in my life and how they are taunting me. I remembered something I have tried to teach myself the last 6 months: that everything is a question mark. Even when you don't see any, and you think you have your entire life planned and all your ducks in a row, there is always at least one. And it only takes one to throw your entire life upside down. So, what's better? To not see any coming and have to deal with the shock when it does or to have so many visible ones lined up it makes you want to just scream? I've lived through the first, am living through the second, and from where I'm standing, it's kind of a toss-up.
Where did that week go?
1. I had big plans to do an "80 for 80" post to celebrate my 80-mile week last week. Then, my Saturday post-run got all crazy-like and I didn't get around to it. It actually wasn't going to be as epic as it sounds - item 1 would have been "I ran 81 miles this week and feel great," items 2-40 would have been "I'm tired" and items 41-80 would have been "I'm hungry."
2. So, now it's another week. I am running a half marathon on Saturday in Red Wing. I really want to race it, but the weather might have other plans. I am, however, giving myself a chance and doing a major cut-back week this week. I'll maybe hit 55 miles, including the race, if I'm lucky. But, except for the recovery week post-Grandma's, I've hit 60+ every week since the end of May. Time for a 2-week lull before jumping into the training plan for NYCM.
3. In t-minus 8 days (who's counting? This girl. I'm always counting) I will be a nomad. My oh-so-concrete plan looks something like: MN-Milwaukee-Chicago (Lolla!!) - ?? - Colorado??? - ?? - San Francisco?? - Arizona??? So, um, yeah - my friends in Colorado and Cali will be getting FB messages about my upcoming Western tour (look for a '92 Camry near you). I'm not sure I'll be able to get rid of those question marks, even though they are taunting me. I am trying to embrace the freedom. It is admittedly not easy.
4. I am working with recruiters to find a job. I am to the point where I'm just kind of waiting for emails and phone calls and I'm going crazy. I've been doing some searching on my own, but I can't just send out resumes willy-nilly if I also want to work with recruiters. So, even if I find something on my own, I still have to wait for a recruiter because I have to contact them to make sure they don't have any contacts at the company with the job posting, then wait for them to respond, yada yada yada. I like being proactive, so yet another thing taunting me right now. But, I know that in the long run, it will be faster and easier to work with them, so I suppose I will be patient.
5. Oh yeah, I ran today. 6.25 in 58:27. Nice and easy, recovery-style. I'll do another 3-4 this evening. I absolutely adore double recovery days. I wasn't sure I would, but I am head-over-heels in love with them. Two runs to flush out soreness and tightness, plus sneaking in a 10-mile day without having to run 10 miles? Awesome.
6. I went with one of my dear hs friends to see U2 on Saturday. We stood for 8 hours, it poured rain, we had to deal with miserable public transportation afterward (seriously, Metro Transit, two words: bus lane. Another few words: an empty train should not depart the station when a bus-full of very tired, wet, crabby riders, who have been standing on said bus for over an hour, arrives. If it does depart, it should be because there is one immediately - not over a half hour - behind it to transport the hundreds of people waiting), but it was still one of the most awesome things I have ever experienced.
6.25. Does anyone want to pack up all my shit for me in the next 8 days?
2. So, now it's another week. I am running a half marathon on Saturday in Red Wing. I really want to race it, but the weather might have other plans. I am, however, giving myself a chance and doing a major cut-back week this week. I'll maybe hit 55 miles, including the race, if I'm lucky. But, except for the recovery week post-Grandma's, I've hit 60+ every week since the end of May. Time for a 2-week lull before jumping into the training plan for NYCM.
3. In t-minus 8 days (who's counting? This girl. I'm always counting) I will be a nomad. My oh-so-concrete plan looks something like: MN-Milwaukee-Chicago (Lolla!!) - ?? - Colorado??? - ?? - San Francisco?? - Arizona??? So, um, yeah - my friends in Colorado and Cali will be getting FB messages about my upcoming Western tour (look for a '92 Camry near you). I'm not sure I'll be able to get rid of those question marks, even though they are taunting me. I am trying to embrace the freedom. It is admittedly not easy.
4. I am working with recruiters to find a job. I am to the point where I'm just kind of waiting for emails and phone calls and I'm going crazy. I've been doing some searching on my own, but I can't just send out resumes willy-nilly if I also want to work with recruiters. So, even if I find something on my own, I still have to wait for a recruiter because I have to contact them to make sure they don't have any contacts at the company with the job posting, then wait for them to respond, yada yada yada. I like being proactive, so yet another thing taunting me right now. But, I know that in the long run, it will be faster and easier to work with them, so I suppose I will be patient.
5. Oh yeah, I ran today. 6.25 in 58:27. Nice and easy, recovery-style. I'll do another 3-4 this evening. I absolutely adore double recovery days. I wasn't sure I would, but I am head-over-heels in love with them. Two runs to flush out soreness and tightness, plus sneaking in a 10-mile day without having to run 10 miles? Awesome.
6. I went with one of my dear hs friends to see U2 on Saturday. We stood for 8 hours, it poured rain, we had to deal with miserable public transportation afterward (seriously, Metro Transit, two words: bus lane. Another few words: an empty train should not depart the station when a bus-full of very tired, wet, crabby riders, who have been standing on said bus for over an hour, arrives. If it does depart, it should be because there is one immediately - not over a half hour - behind it to transport the hundreds of people waiting), but it was still one of the most awesome things I have ever experienced.
6.25. Does anyone want to pack up all my shit for me in the next 8 days?
Monday, July 18, 2011
The equator has moved.
1. Today's (tonight's) run: 11.1 miles in 1:45.10. I was all depressed at how slow this was (but I had a good reason, see #2) before I logged it and saw a similar run on the 7th done at the exact same pace, only 2 bpm slower, in much much MUCH better conditions. Hooray for not sucking (even though it was still hella slow).
2. The temperature was 88* with a dew point of 81* at the start. I mean really, is this a rain forest? I thought monkeys were going to jump out at me from the trees when I was running through a wooded section of the bike path.
3. It's fun to wring out ~8 oz. of sweat from my singlet. Also fun? Being covered in tiny, disgusting gnats. The joys of running after the sun goes down: I can't avoid those cloudy swarms that hover over the path.
4. It's a good thing I love running so much because putting up with this weather crap wouldn't otherwise be worth it. I mean, I really did like the running part of my run. My legs felt good, I was trying to be cognizant of my posture and form, and I do like running at night when the fireflies are out. But seriously, MN weather is trying to kill me.
5. Running at night is fun, but it's a vicious cycle that prevents the hope of me ever running in the am. If I get done with a run at 10, that gives me only 7-8 hours before I'd have to wake up to be early enough to beat the heat. And, I have to shower, eat, and get the endorphins down before I have any chance of sleep. Last night that took until after 12. Thank god for melatonin.
6. I have to run in the morning tomorrow because I also have to run in the evening. Thankfully, it's my only double of the week.
7. I worked out this morning at the gym of the college down the street. There is NO A/C!!! I think it's corporeal punishment. Also, if I get annoyed in gyms with normal air circulation about people wiping down the machines after they use them, you can imagine how thrilled I am when there is a 20-min-old sweat angel on the mats because it doesn't just evaporate when it's this humid. Seriously, people, gross.
8. A plea to all of you: if you don't know how to use a machine in the gym, ASK someone how to use it. There was a girl there today using the cable machines while I was on the elliptical, and I swear she is going to kill herself one day by the crazy maneuvers she was attempting with the thing. Unless I'm just completely clueless and she wants to one day be in Cirque du Soleil.
9. Apparently I'm whiny tonight. Umm... something positive... I'm trying to hit a mileage PR this week: the big 8-0 (and I'm currently restraining myself from saying something how it's just my dumb luck that this would happen the same week it's so effing hot here. FML).
10. Wanda made her road trip debut last weekend and brought me to and from Madison without so much as a hiccup. Her locks are all wonky, though: there are 2 keys, one for the locks and one for the ignition (I guess one is called a valet key, but why wouldn't the valet need to both lock AND start a car?). I cannot open the trunk or the passenger side door with the key, nor can I lock the car with the key - I have to use the inside button to lock all doors and the trunk release. And, the glove compartment won't open but I don't have the key for it. I don't know what to make of that and could imagine this is the kind of repair that would cost a stupid amount of money for something that probably could be done super easily if I knew WTF I was doing.
11. I think I'm getting sleepy.
11.1. Good night you crazy kids.
2. The temperature was 88* with a dew point of 81* at the start. I mean really, is this a rain forest? I thought monkeys were going to jump out at me from the trees when I was running through a wooded section of the bike path.
3. It's fun to wring out ~8 oz. of sweat from my singlet. Also fun? Being covered in tiny, disgusting gnats. The joys of running after the sun goes down: I can't avoid those cloudy swarms that hover over the path.
4. It's a good thing I love running so much because putting up with this weather crap wouldn't otherwise be worth it. I mean, I really did like the running part of my run. My legs felt good, I was trying to be cognizant of my posture and form, and I do like running at night when the fireflies are out. But seriously, MN weather is trying to kill me.
5. Running at night is fun, but it's a vicious cycle that prevents the hope of me ever running in the am. If I get done with a run at 10, that gives me only 7-8 hours before I'd have to wake up to be early enough to beat the heat. And, I have to shower, eat, and get the endorphins down before I have any chance of sleep. Last night that took until after 12. Thank god for melatonin.
6. I have to run in the morning tomorrow because I also have to run in the evening. Thankfully, it's my only double of the week.
7. I worked out this morning at the gym of the college down the street. There is NO A/C!!! I think it's corporeal punishment. Also, if I get annoyed in gyms with normal air circulation about people wiping down the machines after they use them, you can imagine how thrilled I am when there is a 20-min-old sweat angel on the mats because it doesn't just evaporate when it's this humid. Seriously, people, gross.
8. A plea to all of you: if you don't know how to use a machine in the gym, ASK someone how to use it. There was a girl there today using the cable machines while I was on the elliptical, and I swear she is going to kill herself one day by the crazy maneuvers she was attempting with the thing. Unless I'm just completely clueless and she wants to one day be in Cirque du Soleil.
9. Apparently I'm whiny tonight. Umm... something positive... I'm trying to hit a mileage PR this week: the big 8-0 (and I'm currently restraining myself from saying something how it's just my dumb luck that this would happen the same week it's so effing hot here. FML).
10. Wanda made her road trip debut last weekend and brought me to and from Madison without so much as a hiccup. Her locks are all wonky, though: there are 2 keys, one for the locks and one for the ignition (I guess one is called a valet key, but why wouldn't the valet need to both lock AND start a car?). I cannot open the trunk or the passenger side door with the key, nor can I lock the car with the key - I have to use the inside button to lock all doors and the trunk release. And, the glove compartment won't open but I don't have the key for it. I don't know what to make of that and could imagine this is the kind of repair that would cost a stupid amount of money for something that probably could be done super easily if I knew WTF I was doing.
11. I think I'm getting sleepy.
11.1. Good night you crazy kids.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Long run list
1. I ran 16.17 miles in 2:30.12 today.
2. I felt like horseshit the first 5 miles. Creaky and like I wasn't physically capable of running fast enough to get my heart rate past 143 bpm. That's slow, btw.
3. I finally felt good at almost an hour into the run. I love it when that switch happens.
4. Then it started to rain, and I ran in a steady downpour for the last half of the run. I cursed it when it started, but then remembered that I would much much MUCH rather run in rain than I would the crappy humid pea soup sauna that has been MN weather of late.
5. I don't know if I'll get through all 16 of my list items... because....
6. My dad is currently going over my resume and some documents I have to send a recruiter...
7. And then I have to incorporate his comments into said documents and send them to said recruiter... before...
8. We drive to Owatonna to pick up Wanda.... who is....
9. My very first title-and-insurance-is-in-my-name car!
10. She's a '92 Camry with 130,000 miles on her. Watch out, I'm mobile.
11. I'm then driving directly to the Cities for a friend's bday celebration tonight.
12. Then, it's off to Madison for the weekend.
13. By Sunday night, I will have run nearly 30 miles. That's a big list. No promises ;)
14. Maybe I'll make it! My dad just sent me his comments!
15. Job, here I come! Car, here I come!
16. Cue Mary Tyler Moore theme music (if I had more time, there would definitely be a You Tube video here.
16.17. Onward!
2. I felt like horseshit the first 5 miles. Creaky and like I wasn't physically capable of running fast enough to get my heart rate past 143 bpm. That's slow, btw.
3. I finally felt good at almost an hour into the run. I love it when that switch happens.
4. Then it started to rain, and I ran in a steady downpour for the last half of the run. I cursed it when it started, but then remembered that I would much much MUCH rather run in rain than I would the crappy humid pea soup sauna that has been MN weather of late.
5. I don't know if I'll get through all 16 of my list items... because....
6. My dad is currently going over my resume and some documents I have to send a recruiter...
7. And then I have to incorporate his comments into said documents and send them to said recruiter... before...
8. We drive to Owatonna to pick up Wanda.... who is....
9. My very first title-and-insurance-is-in-my-name car!
10. She's a '92 Camry with 130,000 miles on her. Watch out, I'm mobile.
11. I'm then driving directly to the Cities for a friend's bday celebration tonight.
12. Then, it's off to Madison for the weekend.
13. By Sunday night, I will have run nearly 30 miles. That's a big list. No promises ;)
14. Maybe I'll make it! My dad just sent me his comments!
15. Job, here I come! Car, here I come!
16. Cue Mary Tyler Moore theme music (if I had more time, there would definitely be a You Tube video here.
16.17. Onward!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Things that are better than 60* and sun:
1. Not a whole hell of a lot. Good thing this is a short list today.
2. Running 6.36 in 1:00.12 in said weather. Especially when that's a 20+ degree difference from the past few weeks. Omg get me out of the Midwest!
3. Having a date with my dad tonight! My mom is hosting her book group, and while there are few things as exciting as witnessing a bunch of women discussing literature and eating boxed key lime bars, especially when said women haven't seen me in ages and would "absolutely love to see [me]," according to my mom, I prefer to avoid being swarmed and instead eat Italian food with my dad.
4. I witnessed typical MN 4-way-stop behavior on my run today: both people waving frantically at each other, wanting the other person to go ahead. Seriously, I approached the intersection, ran through it, and they were still sitting there. People, it is not rocket science. There are just a few simple rules to a 4-way stop 1-the person who arrives first gets to go first. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting others go first. 2-if there is a tie, the person on the right gets to go first. If you have to put your thumb and forefinger at a right angle to help you with this, so be it. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting the person on your left go first. 3-The person going straight has the right-of-way to the person turning left from the opposite direction. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting them turn in front of you. And so ends my list-within-a-list.
5. It is Wednesday. I have not worn anything except running clothes or pajamas since Sunday morning. I don't know if that's awesome or sad.
6. Blogger is doing this funky thing where it thinks the cursor is 2 inches to the right of where it actually is. It's not annoying at all.
6.36. Off for today's adventure! Later!
2. Running 6.36 in 1:00.12 in said weather. Especially when that's a 20+ degree difference from the past few weeks. Omg get me out of the Midwest!
3. Having a date with my dad tonight! My mom is hosting her book group, and while there are few things as exciting as witnessing a bunch of women discussing literature and eating boxed key lime bars, especially when said women haven't seen me in ages and would "absolutely love to see [me]," according to my mom, I prefer to avoid being swarmed and instead eat Italian food with my dad.
4. I witnessed typical MN 4-way-stop behavior on my run today: both people waving frantically at each other, wanting the other person to go ahead. Seriously, I approached the intersection, ran through it, and they were still sitting there. People, it is not rocket science. There are just a few simple rules to a 4-way stop 1-the person who arrives first gets to go first. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting others go first. 2-if there is a tie, the person on the right gets to go first. If you have to put your thumb and forefinger at a right angle to help you with this, so be it. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting the person on your left go first. 3-The person going straight has the right-of-way to the person turning left from the opposite direction. Do NOT fuck things up by "being nice" and letting them turn in front of you. And so ends my list-within-a-list.
5. It is Wednesday. I have not worn anything except running clothes or pajamas since Sunday morning. I don't know if that's awesome or sad.
6. Blogger is doing this funky thing where it thinks the cursor is 2 inches to the right of where it actually is. It's not annoying at all.
6.36. Off for today's adventure! Later!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A new attempt.
1. I've been thinking lately about how to be more regular with my blog. I figure I should a-link it to something I do without thinking about and b-make it easy for me to write.
2. a-I run (almost) every day without thinking and b-I am a pro at making lists (and I had a lot of fun with my RR for Grandma's). So, today starts my new format: 1 list item for every mile run.
3. Today's run schedule: 90' @ 150 bpm; actual: 9.25 miles in 1:30.04, AHR 150.
4. I am feeling much faster at the lower heart rates (as in, I no longer am running 10 min+ miles), but the heat has made it hard to judge how I'm improving at pulses above 150 bpm.
5. Running today in 70*, clouds, and a bit of rain made me realize how much I hate the heat and humidity.
6. I may soon get rid of the humidity and replace it with more heat. My parents sold their MN place and are moving to AZ in time to move out of their old place and into a new place down there. Yeah, I'm confused, too. Believe me. I am trying not to play the victim about the whole thing, but it's hard because I'm ready not to be dragged along to wherever I have a free place to stay while I look for jobs. I. Want. My. Own. Place.
7. I am serious about that not-playing-the-victim thing. Realizing that's no way to live snapped me out of my post-Israel funk (or helped in a big way, anyway). It's a work-in-progress - I almost wrote above "I. Want. My. Own. Life." This IS my own life. I am CHOOSING this. I can choose something else - I am. I'm working on it.
8. I am officially done with my Israeli postdoc. It's kind of anticlimactic, and I don't know why.
9. Time really does heal all wounds. That's actually not the toughest part. Turns out, the real hard part is trusting that those wounds are healing stronger than what was there in the first place. Dealing with the scars, in the meantime, is also tough as hell. Sometimes they heal without a problem, or you can cover them up, forget them, or maybe occasionally get a glimpse of them and remember the initial insult that brought them, but you can move on and not linger there. But sometimes those scars itch and throb and demand attention, sometimes when you least expect it. But scratching them only opens them back up again, making the chance of a complete recovery impossible.
9.25. Tomorrow is a new adventure :)
2. a-I run (almost) every day without thinking and b-I am a pro at making lists (and I had a lot of fun with my RR for Grandma's). So, today starts my new format: 1 list item for every mile run.
3. Today's run schedule: 90' @ 150 bpm; actual: 9.25 miles in 1:30.04, AHR 150.
4. I am feeling much faster at the lower heart rates (as in, I no longer am running 10 min+ miles), but the heat has made it hard to judge how I'm improving at pulses above 150 bpm.
5. Running today in 70*, clouds, and a bit of rain made me realize how much I hate the heat and humidity.
6. I may soon get rid of the humidity and replace it with more heat. My parents sold their MN place and are moving to AZ in time to move out of their old place and into a new place down there. Yeah, I'm confused, too. Believe me. I am trying not to play the victim about the whole thing, but it's hard because I'm ready not to be dragged along to wherever I have a free place to stay while I look for jobs. I. Want. My. Own. Place.
7. I am serious about that not-playing-the-victim thing. Realizing that's no way to live snapped me out of my post-Israel funk (or helped in a big way, anyway). It's a work-in-progress - I almost wrote above "I. Want. My. Own. Life." This IS my own life. I am CHOOSING this. I can choose something else - I am. I'm working on it.
8. I am officially done with my Israeli postdoc. It's kind of anticlimactic, and I don't know why.
9. Time really does heal all wounds. That's actually not the toughest part. Turns out, the real hard part is trusting that those wounds are healing stronger than what was there in the first place. Dealing with the scars, in the meantime, is also tough as hell. Sometimes they heal without a problem, or you can cover them up, forget them, or maybe occasionally get a glimpse of them and remember the initial insult that brought them, but you can move on and not linger there. But sometimes those scars itch and throb and demand attention, sometimes when you least expect it. But scratching them only opens them back up again, making the chance of a complete recovery impossible.
9.25. Tomorrow is a new adventure :)
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