Distance: 11 miles
Time: 1:58:02
Pace: 11:08 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Took a wrong turn, ran a longer route than expected, instead of finishing the run at my front door, had to walk an extra mile in the freezing cold
Most Inspiring Moment: The cheerful bearded runner who high-fived every person he passed (including me!)
Eleven! Miles! Sunday's run brought us into "I have never gone this far before" territory, which makes the idea of lacing up my sneakers and running off for two hours a little daunting. I spent most of Saturday night trying to find a good GPS tracking app that would send my location to Dave in the event I got lost and ended up running six miles in the wrong direction (highly possible).
In the end, though, it wasn't too bad! Once I got over the terrifying idea that I would be exercising for multiple hours, just getting out there and going was pretty easy. I had sunshine and several hours of comedy specials on Spotify, and I was doin' fine.
Sadly, I don't have any pictures from my run, because I didn't want to mess with the fragile state of my phone in case I needed it. Which was a good thing, because when I did try to check my time at the very end of my run, it was like THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE [dies].
So you'll have to take my word for it that it was pretty! I ran along the river to Harvard, then I turned up, ran to my old dorms near Porter Square, and then back down Broadway, over the Longfellow Bridge, and home again. It went great! I finally figured out how to get voice prompts and auto pauses from my running app, so every time I slowed down at a stoplight, a pleasant, robotic female voice would say "ACTIVITY PAUSED." It was great! But a little depressing when she'd say it and I was like, "No, I'm not stopping. This is how fast I run." :(
But! I passed TWO runners! That brings the total count of runners passed up to FOUR. There are at least FOUR other runners in Boston slower than me, which, hey, feels pretty good.
When I got home, I showered (amazing), ate (amazing), and took a two-hour nap (amazing amazing). One thing I've learned about running crazy miles: laziness never felt so good.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
Running in a Winter Wonderland
Distance Run: 6.19 miles
Time: 1:10:59
Pace: 11:28 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Slippy slidey
Most Inspiring Moment: Pretty pretty!
After yesterday's unanticipated day off, I was anxious to get back out there. And with the temperature hovering at a balmy 18 degrees and a blanket of snow falling, running conditions were perfect!
JK it was miserable. But pretty!
I actually don't have any pictures of when I started out, when snow was falling right into my eyeballs and I wondered why I hadn't invested in a pair of goggles. As my phone has made abundantly clear, it does not like the cold, so I kept it tucked in a pocket of one of the two jackets I was wearing (along with two pairs of pants, gloves, and a hat) and only took it out right at the end.
I left the pup at home again, as she is not terribly well-suited to cold temperatures and/or snow. Actually, it's not the snow so much as the salt on the sidewalks. Buy pet-safe salt, people! Otherwise, Abby's paws get burned and then she stops moving and looks up at me whimpering until I carry her home.
I may have been without Abby, but I wasn't alone. There were a good four or five other runners out there today, and every time we passed each other we'd do that wave-smile-nod that said "Oh, so you're also as crazy as I am. Great!"
It was nice to get out again, despite the snow, despite the ice that made me feel like a penguin clinging to the edge of a floe. Did you know today was supposed to be a pace run? Me neither!
Three miles tomorrow, then 11 (!!!!) on Sunday!
And this week, thank you to my brother, Sloan, and brand-new sister-in-law Gah-yee for their donation! I'm telling you, that $6,000 donation goal looks a lot bigger on this side of the new year, so if you're thinking about donating, save me the extra stress and anxiety and take action today!
Time: 1:10:59
Pace: 11:28 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Slippy slidey
Most Inspiring Moment: Pretty pretty!
After yesterday's unanticipated day off, I was anxious to get back out there. And with the temperature hovering at a balmy 18 degrees and a blanket of snow falling, running conditions were perfect!
JK it was miserable. But pretty!
I left the pup at home again, as she is not terribly well-suited to cold temperatures and/or snow. Actually, it's not the snow so much as the salt on the sidewalks. Buy pet-safe salt, people! Otherwise, Abby's paws get burned and then she stops moving and looks up at me whimpering until I carry her home.
 |
| Time to put the snow tires on the dog! Here she is last winter during a play session with Tank the French bulldog, during which she flipped him on his back, pulled off his booties, and chased him around the field with them. We later found them in the spring. |
It was nice to get out again, despite the snow, despite the ice that made me feel like a penguin clinging to the edge of a floe. Did you know today was supposed to be a pace run? Me neither!
Three miles tomorrow, then 11 (!!!!) on Sunday!
And this week, thank you to my brother, Sloan, and brand-new sister-in-law Gah-yee for their donation! I'm telling you, that $6,000 donation goal looks a lot bigger on this side of the new year, so if you're thinking about donating, save me the extra stress and anxiety and take action today!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
It Finally Happens
Well.
After ten straight weeks of not missing a single run or work out, I hit my wall. Specifically, a sneezing, sniffling, headachy, sleepless, negative-twenty-degree wall. I'd already been feeling not great, and then a scheduling problem meant I would have had to get home by 8:10, which would have me out of the house by 6:45, and then the baby (possibly with the same sniffles I have...) kept us up all night, including a one-hour scream fest starting at 4:30.
And, oh yeah, it is cold outside. Like, reeeeally cold.
All this meant when my alarm went off, I looked at Dave and broke down.
"I can't do it! It's too cold! I'm too tired!"
Because he is wonderful, he said to stop stressing about it and get some rest. And then he took the baby so I could sleep for an hour without hearing our little angel wail. Did I mention he's wonderful?
Thankfully, reinforcements will arrive tonight, and not a second too soon. My mom will be staying with us for a week, so I'll move my 6-mile pace run to tomorrow and Friday's 3-mile run to Saturday. The baby will get some grandma time, which means this mama will get some work and/or sleep time (looking mostly like sleep time...).
In the meantime, I am trying to bargain with the kid to get her to take her morning nap. Turns out four-month-olds are terrible negotiators...
After ten straight weeks of not missing a single run or work out, I hit my wall. Specifically, a sneezing, sniffling, headachy, sleepless, negative-twenty-degree wall. I'd already been feeling not great, and then a scheduling problem meant I would have had to get home by 8:10, which would have me out of the house by 6:45, and then the baby (possibly with the same sniffles I have...) kept us up all night, including a one-hour scream fest starting at 4:30.
And, oh yeah, it is cold outside. Like, reeeeally cold.
All this meant when my alarm went off, I looked at Dave and broke down.
"I can't do it! It's too cold! I'm too tired!"
Because he is wonderful, he said to stop stressing about it and get some rest. And then he took the baby so I could sleep for an hour without hearing our little angel wail. Did I mention he's wonderful?
Thankfully, reinforcements will arrive tonight, and not a second too soon. My mom will be staying with us for a week, so I'll move my 6-mile pace run to tomorrow and Friday's 3-mile run to Saturday. The baby will get some grandma time, which means this mama will get some work and/or sleep time (looking mostly like sleep time...).
In the meantime, I am trying to bargain with the kid to get her to take her morning nap. Turns out four-month-olds are terrible negotiators...
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
So. Cold.
Distance: 3 miles
Time: ???
Pace: ???? (before it crapped out, it said 10:26 min/mil, but that can't be right)
Most Challenging Moment: COLD
Most Inspiring Moment: Didn't fall on my butt
I have to admit, I was dreading this run.
See that right there? Feels like 5 degrees? That's about 50 degrees colder than I would like. And let's not forget about the fine layer of snow and ice covering the sidewalks.
But the weather was only the beginning. I'm still sore from Monday's cross training (Cindy Whitmarsh, you chipper devil), and the baby has doubled down on her sleep strike. She's starting to do this thing where, when we put her in the crib, she lets out a noise like a dinosaur. If that sounds adorable, imagine it at chainsaw decibel levels for an hour, and you'll get an idea of what it's like to sleep in our apartment lately. She's lucky she looks like this:
So this morning, when I woke up to my alarm, exhausted, with the baby finally asleep and snuggled in beside me, our freshly-washed flannel sheets cozy and warm, running was the last thing I wanted to do. I hit snooze three times. I tried to imagine a world where I could fall back asleep. And then I threw off the covers and got dressed. Where's my medal?
Today was, theoretically, supposed to be an easy run. Three miles! It was like running through glue, if glue had the temperature of a brisk Arctic wind. Abby did not come with me because she had her first day of puppy school! Here she is, ready to head off and be a good little pup:
The one saving grace was that at least the city looked pretty. The Charles has just started to ice over, so no more crew practice:
But man it was coooold. So cold my iPhone once again called it quits, even though I was trying to be nice to it and not switch around my Spotify playlist while running. I tried to warm it up inside my jacket like it was a delicate baby bird, but no dice. I did, however, manage to snap this picture of Cambridge before it died:
Just like the baby: you get right to the point where you're ready to pull your hair out, and then you take another look at it and fall in love all over again.
Time: ???
Pace: ???? (before it crapped out, it said 10:26 min/mil, but that can't be right)
Most Challenging Moment: COLD
Most Inspiring Moment: Didn't fall on my butt
I have to admit, I was dreading this run.
See that right there? Feels like 5 degrees? That's about 50 degrees colder than I would like. And let's not forget about the fine layer of snow and ice covering the sidewalks.
But the weather was only the beginning. I'm still sore from Monday's cross training (Cindy Whitmarsh, you chipper devil), and the baby has doubled down on her sleep strike. She's starting to do this thing where, when we put her in the crib, she lets out a noise like a dinosaur. If that sounds adorable, imagine it at chainsaw decibel levels for an hour, and you'll get an idea of what it's like to sleep in our apartment lately. She's lucky she looks like this:
So this morning, when I woke up to my alarm, exhausted, with the baby finally asleep and snuggled in beside me, our freshly-washed flannel sheets cozy and warm, running was the last thing I wanted to do. I hit snooze three times. I tried to imagine a world where I could fall back asleep. And then I threw off the covers and got dressed. Where's my medal?
Today was, theoretically, supposed to be an easy run. Three miles! It was like running through glue, if glue had the temperature of a brisk Arctic wind. Abby did not come with me because she had her first day of puppy school! Here she is, ready to head off and be a good little pup:
The one saving grace was that at least the city looked pretty. The Charles has just started to ice over, so no more crew practice:
But man it was coooold. So cold my iPhone once again called it quits, even though I was trying to be nice to it and not switch around my Spotify playlist while running. I tried to warm it up inside my jacket like it was a delicate baby bird, but no dice. I did, however, manage to snap this picture of Cambridge before it died:
Just like the baby: you get right to the point where you're ready to pull your hair out, and then you take another look at it and fall in love all over again.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Friends Come to Visit!
Distance: 6.02 miles
Time: 1:07:12
Pace: 11:09 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Six inch slush puddles that look like solid ground
Most Inspiring Moment: Running buddy!
We're coming off a weekend of all our friends coming to visit, thanks to the big economics conference that landed in Boston for the past few days. It was wonderful! We ate out, went for long walks, Iris managed to snuggle with and/or throw up on all her uncles and aunties, and Abby got hours of devoted head scratches--we were spoiled.
Also spoiled? Me! Because I got to take along a running buddy for my long run yesterday.
It was a slushy, rainy, cold run, and part of me felt like a bad hostess for bringing Soraya (Support Staff: Friend Level) out in the weather, especially since we got soaked from knee to toes in about eight seconds.
I tried to turn it into a tour of Boston, but after running down Comm Ave, crossing the Harvard Bridge, and turning past MIT, my tour highlights were restricted to "Oh I biked across this bridge once..." "No, I don't know where those train tracks go to..." "Yeah, so...that's the river..."
This was also my first time going west along the river, so when we discovered this cool bridge, we stopped to take pictures!
Soraya didn't want to be featured on the blog, despite being my #1 reader, but I told her I had to get a picture of her skeleton running tights.
"I'll take a picture of you!" she said. "Look like you're running!"
(not accurate)
By the time we made it home, the icy rain had picked back up again, which bothered Soraya more than me because she needed to go to the bathroom (I feel okay writing about this on the blog because for the last 20 minutes that's all she could talk about). We stumbled home soaking wet and then spent the rest of the day swaddled in knitwear, steadily eating back all the calories we had burned off (ooooh, which reminds me: there are brownies in my bag...).
I never quite know what to expect with these long runs, but in spite of the foul weather and distance, this was so lovely! Abby is a good running companion but sort of the strong, silent type, so it was a wonderful change to chat it up while we ran.
Our friends are back in Chicago now, and we all already miss them loads. Come back soooooon!
Time: 1:07:12
Pace: 11:09 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Six inch slush puddles that look like solid ground
Most Inspiring Moment: Running buddy!
We're coming off a weekend of all our friends coming to visit, thanks to the big economics conference that landed in Boston for the past few days. It was wonderful! We ate out, went for long walks, Iris managed to snuggle with and/or throw up on all her uncles and aunties, and Abby got hours of devoted head scratches--we were spoiled.
Also spoiled? Me! Because I got to take along a running buddy for my long run yesterday.
It was a slushy, rainy, cold run, and part of me felt like a bad hostess for bringing Soraya (Support Staff: Friend Level) out in the weather, especially since we got soaked from knee to toes in about eight seconds.
I tried to turn it into a tour of Boston, but after running down Comm Ave, crossing the Harvard Bridge, and turning past MIT, my tour highlights were restricted to "Oh I biked across this bridge once..." "No, I don't know where those train tracks go to..." "Yeah, so...that's the river..."
This was also my first time going west along the river, so when we discovered this cool bridge, we stopped to take pictures!
Soraya didn't want to be featured on the blog, despite being my #1 reader, but I told her I had to get a picture of her skeleton running tights.
"I'll take a picture of you!" she said. "Look like you're running!"
(not accurate)
By the time we made it home, the icy rain had picked back up again, which bothered Soraya more than me because she needed to go to the bathroom (I feel okay writing about this on the blog because for the last 20 minutes that's all she could talk about). We stumbled home soaking wet and then spent the rest of the day swaddled in knitwear, steadily eating back all the calories we had burned off (ooooh, which reminds me: there are brownies in my bag...).
I never quite know what to expect with these long runs, but in spite of the foul weather and distance, this was so lovely! Abby is a good running companion but sort of the strong, silent type, so it was a wonderful change to chat it up while we ran.
Our friends are back in Chicago now, and we all already miss them loads. Come back soooooon!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Running Till the World Ends
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 29:37
Pace: 10:01 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Trying to manage my Spotify playlist while running
Most Inspiring Moment: Sunrise o'er the city
I think...I'm getting the hang of this?
When I woke up this morning, I was achy and exhausted but ready to run. Three miles? Psh. No problem. 6:45AM? Yeah, sounds good! 30 degrees? LET'S DO IT.
As much as I grub about running, I'm glad I spent those first few weeks building up a base, because now three miles is, like, my warm up. I know I'll get out, run, and get back in about half an hour. And that ain't bad, especially on days like today:
Hello pretty city.
It was around here that I got that runner's high. After fumbling around with Spotify and accidentally listening to Nicki Minaj's cover of Anaconda (NSFW/NSFL), I went back to my girl Britney and soared across the river to the beats of Till the World Ends. It was one of those moments when everything felt good, Abby was bopping along next to me, the city was lit up with the sunrise, and I was actually happy to be out of bed exercising.
And then LMFAO came on and I dropped my phone and it shut itself off. Here's a picture of it!
Thank you to Monica Cepak for donating to my CrowdRise account! It's a new year, people, and the marathon fundraising deadline looks a lot closer on this side of the calendar. Your support means so much to me and the kids of Codman Academy, so I hope you'll consider donating today!
Time: 29:37
Pace: 10:01 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Trying to manage my Spotify playlist while running
Most Inspiring Moment: Sunrise o'er the city
I think...I'm getting the hang of this?
When I woke up this morning, I was achy and exhausted but ready to run. Three miles? Psh. No problem. 6:45AM? Yeah, sounds good! 30 degrees? LET'S DO IT.
As much as I grub about running, I'm glad I spent those first few weeks building up a base, because now three miles is, like, my warm up. I know I'll get out, run, and get back in about half an hour. And that ain't bad, especially on days like today:
Hello pretty city.
It was around here that I got that runner's high. After fumbling around with Spotify and accidentally listening to Nicki Minaj's cover of Anaconda (NSFW/NSFL), I went back to my girl Britney and soared across the river to the beats of Till the World Ends. It was one of those moments when everything felt good, Abby was bopping along next to me, the city was lit up with the sunrise, and I was actually happy to be out of bed exercising.
And then LMFAO came on and I dropped my phone and it shut itself off. Here's a picture of it!
Thank you to Monica Cepak for donating to my CrowdRise account! It's a new year, people, and the marathon fundraising deadline looks a lot closer on this side of the calendar. Your support means so much to me and the kids of Codman Academy, so I hope you'll consider donating today!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy New Year!
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 51:10
Pace: 10:13
Most Challenging Moment: Needed to make an emergency stop at the park bathroom; closed for the season
Most Inspiring Moment: I trip over the curb (prompting dramatic gasps from onlookers), but just as I'm about to smash my face in, I catch myself and keep running (if you heard that loud "WOOOOOOHHHH!!!" at Bolyston around 2:30 today, that was me)
Happy New Year!
If you're wondering if I stayed up until midnight, let me remind you of this:
Yeah no, we were in bed by 10.
For today's pace run, I decided to leave Abby at home. This was the face I got when she realized she wasn't coming with me:
No offense to Abby, but today's run went great! Without the pup to distract me, I was able to just go, and with Act II of Into the Woods playing in my ears and a beautiful Boston afternoon in front of me, I had one of my fastest runs ever.
I explored a new part of the river run, heading toward the Museum of Science.
Re: my Most Inspiring Moment. I for serious thought I was going to break my face. I had to swerve at the last second to avoid some pedestrians and my toe clipped the top of the curb, sending me flying. Literally six people around me were like [GASP] and probably thought they were going to witness someone getting flattened, but then I caught myself and kept going! I was so pleased to still be alive that I started laughing hysterically, and the brush-with-death adrenaline kept me motoring through the rest of the run.
Time: 51:10
Pace: 10:13
Most Challenging Moment: Needed to make an emergency stop at the park bathroom; closed for the season
Most Inspiring Moment: I trip over the curb (prompting dramatic gasps from onlookers), but just as I'm about to smash my face in, I catch myself and keep running (if you heard that loud "WOOOOOOHHHH!!!" at Bolyston around 2:30 today, that was me)
Happy New Year!
If you're wondering if I stayed up until midnight, let me remind you of this:
Yeah no, we were in bed by 10.
For today's pace run, I decided to leave Abby at home. This was the face I got when she realized she wasn't coming with me:
No offense to Abby, but today's run went great! Without the pup to distract me, I was able to just go, and with Act II of Into the Woods playing in my ears and a beautiful Boston afternoon in front of me, I had one of my fastest runs ever.
I explored a new part of the river run, heading toward the Museum of Science.
Re: my Most Inspiring Moment. I for serious thought I was going to break my face. I had to swerve at the last second to avoid some pedestrians and my toe clipped the top of the curb, sending me flying. Literally six people around me were like [GASP] and probably thought they were going to witness someone getting flattened, but then I caught myself and kept going! I was so pleased to still be alive that I started laughing hysterically, and the brush-with-death adrenaline kept me motoring through the rest of the run.
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