Category: Run

But a huge moral victory in more ways than I can count.

I blew it this morning – completely didn’t set the alarm in the hotel room correctly, and woke up just in time to make it to class. Then, class runs late, and it’s dark when we get out. Plus, I blew it in arranging the hotel, and got one between Route 9 and the Mass Pike – so running on actual streets isn’t an option.

But, being re-dedicated to the whole life concept of fitness as a life skill, I broke down and headed to the hotel dreadmill for the three miles that were on the schedule.

About a mile into the run, the two instructors for the class walked into the fitness center. We nodded at each other, and they started working out. Of course, I had to take the opportunity to crank up the incline and the speed on the mill, and the run went by. Finished with Lance Armstrong congratulating me on improving my mile time thanks to Nike+iPod.

I walked out of the center without speaking to the instructors, which likely was a mistake. I’m realizing that I’m way too hardwired as an engineer, and need to spend some mental capital on figuring out how to read people and build relationships. Anyway, water under the bridge there. I’ll bring some coffee and donuts to class tomorrow morning.

The workout was completely eradicated this evening by supper at Legal Seafood. Wow. I suppose they’re getting big enough to where I should be cynical of them, but somehow I cannot. Shellfish and a delightful glass of Spanish rioja. Only thing missing was the sparkling eyes and warm body of my lovely wife…

technorati tags:running, rbf, boston

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Wow! Sorry I forgot to post last night, but I did it! Hit all three days on the schedule for the weekdays this week, plus two nights of stretching Pilates – excellent.

Why I forgot to post? Well, mostly ’cause of “My Name is Earl”. It was a ONE HOUR SPECIAL last night. I knew it was going to be good, ’cause Earl (Jason Lee of skateboarding fame) and Randy were heading down to Central America to bring back Catalina, but it was even better than good. If you’re not watching the show – well, zip on down to BestBuy to pick up Season 1 and get caught up.

OK, back?

Anyway, Joy (Jamie Pressley) stole last night’s show. I’m still giggling from the bit she did in her last scene. Distracted me completely from pressing issues.

The other thing throwing me off was pickin’ on the guitar a bit. Missy had bought me a cheap acoustic guitar for Christmas a few years back. I’ve tried to pick it up for about 5 years, two DVD sets, and a half-dozen books, but it hadn’t stuck. Until now, that is. During my last visit to the Groton Public Library, I picked up a “Reader’s Digest (no kidding!) Guide to the Guitar”, and stuff is starting to stick. Though I think that the boys are getting tired of hearing “Bad Moon Rising” throughout their bath. Anyone else got a song to recommend that uses only the A, D, and E chords?

Anyhoo, got out of the office before sunset yesterday, and did the daily 5K at Beavertail. Few things finer in this world than sunset, running in shorts, and gentle sea breezes. There were deer grazing in the grass near the parking lot where I was parked, just outside the area marked with “Open for Bow Hunting” signs. Who knew deer could read?

So, one of the pluses to living a mere tens of miles from the Gulf Stream is that winter’s a constant battle between cold air shipped down from our lovely neighbors to the north and warm, tropical air on its last legs. The classic Nor’easter stems from this phenomena – warm, wet air slams into frigid, arctic air, and I get to go do some XC. Yeah, baby.

Anyway, this evening’s run was a spectacular feat of endurance. There was a tropical air mass moving out of the south, pushing the cold air back up where it belongs. The consequence was that, despite a clear sky and fabulous sunset over Jamestown, there was about a 35 knot wind blowing out of the south during this evening’s 5K.

The first part of the loop wasn’t bad at all – wind was at my back, etc. However, at the turn – man. Y’know those winds that just kind of stand people up? This was one of those. I totally felt like I was trying to run uphill even though the ground was sloping back down towards the bay. There was spray coming off the waves at the seawall – absolutely amazing.

As I write this, I just swung by the car, and the temp is up in the high 40’s, up about 10 degrees from this afternoon’s run, which was up about 15 degrees from this morning’s commute. When I left the office this afternoon, felt the breeze, and saw the waves on the bay – man, that sealed the deal.

Anyway, two days down this week. I feel good!

song and dance keeping you in a trance…

Well, winter blew into New England Sunday night. Went to bed at about 45 degrees, and woke up to snow melting on the driveway Monday morning.

To be honest, the end of last week was a wreck as far as running was concerned. I had the great run on Wednesday, and slacked the rest of the week. But, despite all that, November was my highest mileage month since August.

Last night I headed out fully bundled for winter running – wind pants, softshell, and a couple of reflective bands. What a night! Near full moon, and a sky so clear it felt as if the vaccuum of space was heading down to earth. I headed down the road behind the subdivision, past the town woods, past the century-old barn being dismantled to make way for 10 new homes.

The hill on Yetter was still a cast-iron bear.

But I made it.

Three miles, and the satisfaction of unzipping the softshell and steaming while I put out the trash and pondered the stars.

So.

I’m sitting out on the deck, on what should be a windy, freezing and snowy day here in New England.

Yep, you read that right – I’m sitting out on my deck.

In shorts.

Quite literally steaming after finishing a PH-E-NOMENAL nighttime run.

It’s high fifties and humid, one of those trademark foggy New England nights. I’m halfway expecting some crusty old fisherman-looking guy to come around to the back and offer me a cup of chowda. (Yes, in my mind, there’s itinerant chowder vendors)

I skipped running Tuesday ’cause I couldn’t sleep Monday night. Which is probably the absolute worst. What brought it on, I bet, was a Science Friday podcast about a family with a prion disease where, at age 50 or so, they literally stayed awake until they died. So, I felt like crap all day.

Then today, work was a zoo. A good zoo, like with cool animals, not one where there’s just a bunch of unglutates pooping, but one with monkeys and stuff – great news about my project, plus another new challenge to take on, an amazing lunch with some friends, AND a great session with my mentor. But a zoo, nonetheless.

Then hurrying home for Cub Scouts. Not a lot to be said for it – we’re doing a lot of inside stuff, but I don’t want to step up and take responsibility for the den right now, so I’m not really in a place to speak. But it was good enough.

Got the boys in bed, and realized that part of my sleep problems were probably lack of exercise in the last couple of days. So, strapped ’em on, strapped on the reflectors and the blinky light, grabbed the iPod, and hit the road.

And – Wow. Stuff just clicked. The running was good, the weather was just right, and the release was exactly what I needed. The first half just zipped by, and I decided to stretch the 3 I intended to between 4 and 5, and do a loop instead of an out-n-back (eeeew, out-n-backs…)

The kicker, though, was Shuffle. At about the 2/3rds point, the Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On” from their 1969 live album came on. If you haven’t heard it, let me know and we’ll see if we can work something out.

Let it be good, do what you should, you know it’ll be all right…

There’s a killer hill just as you come up from the interstate to our subdivision. Warren can vouch for it (Hi, Warren!). And heading up that hill, Lou and the band were at the point in the song where they’re just completely riffing off each other, building and building and building… Wow.

Anyway, the endorphins are still bumping around, but I’m starting to get a bit chilly in the fingertips and nose, and the steam’s stopped coming off my shirt (Cotton, for what it’s worth). Time to shower and curl up with Foucault’s Pendulum and my lovely wife.

Technorati Tags: connecticut, Mystic, RBF, running

So, after bragging about being on track, I skipped running Sunday after the camp-in at the Boston Museum of Science.

But, Back on the wagon on Tuesday – 4 miles at an 8:17 pace. Pretty freakin’ cool.

Yeah, baby – back on the road again. Developed a plan yesterday, and executed it today. 3 miles on the way home from work, on Jamestown, in the twilight and gathering rain.

AND, to make things even better, I was back in my Asics, using one of those neoprene pouches for the Nike+iPod sensor. Man, I’ve missed my Asics. The Nike Moire’s are fine, and it’s nice having the built-in sensor, but Asics just feel that much better.

The run itself was not terrible – 5.2K in 27 minutes or so. I walked a third or so of the last mile, so the actual running speed was pretty darn quick. Felt good. Felt strong.

The downside was that it felt phleghmy – got a flu mist this weekend. It hasn’t laid me out like the shot does, but it has left me way, way more congested than usual.