November 2011
42 posts
Happy Halloweeeeeeen!
I finally carved a pumpkin yesterday! Better late than never, right?
I can’t decide if it looks happy or creepy. Maybe both? I think that’s the creepiest type of creepy… when someone looks at you with a smile, and then you slowly realize that it’s not a happy smile, but a creepy smile. Think evil clowns.
ANYWAY. After Saturday’s long run, I took the World’s...
October 2011
35 posts
COMEBACK!
I have NO CLUE how this run went so well. I think it was a combination of grit, determination and just plain stubbornness. Also, the weather was delightful — 50-something degrees and sunny!
18 miles — 2:54:18, 9:41 pace
That’s new personal distance record and very satisfying pace after a week of being sick as a dog!
It called for a little Reluctant Runner-style Blue Steel.
True life: I...
Happy (late) Tumblr-versary to me!
Sickness update: I’m still sick. I have no idea what to do besides rest and drink a ton of fluids so I can get back to marathon training as quickly as possible. 18 miles kinda have to happen this weekend.
Anyway, I totally forgot that October 21 was my one-year Tumblr anniversary! Oh, how far I’ve come since that first post:
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I’ve had pain in my right knee during and after...
Marathon Training: Week 13
This will come as no surprise to those of you who’ve kept track of my rainy runs (two within the last week)…
I’m sick.
I tried to deny it for a while and run in crappy weather anyway, but obviously that didn’t work out. I’d like to blame this on my body and say that my immune system has failed me, but I acknowledge that it has more to do with… user error.
...
Rainy run, Seattle-style
Ben crashed on my couch last night and suggested we go for a run at 8:00 this morning if it wasn’t raining, so I woke up at 7:15 to eat and get my running gear on.
It wasn’t raining.
I got all ready to go and even turned on my Garmin, which for me means there’s no turning back. At 7:50, I woke his ass up and said it’s tiiiiiiime for a ruuuuun!
It wasn’t raining.
...
Magic headlamp
In addition to the magic running tights (these ones), I now have the magic headlamp (this one) to thank for tonight’s kickass run!
This is definitely a PR for 9 miles, as well as the fastest I’ve ever run mile 5 of my Lake Union running route (it has a pretty decent hill). I’m really proud of 9:19 for an uphill mile!
Is it weird that I MUCH prefer running 8 or 9 miles to...
There's always time
Yesterday was a rest day because I spent all evening at a panel discussion thingy. Don’t I sound all intellectual?
Tonight, I went straight from work to home to pick up my car and gym bag, then to an American Cancer Society volunteer committee meeting. From there I went to the gym, where I lifted weights and ran 4 miles (36:47, 9:11 pace) on the treadmill after kindly asking an employee to...
Gear for safe running
I’ve known for a while now that I should get a RoadID wristband with my emergency contact info on it. I’ve read too many stories about people getting hit by cars while cycling, and I’ve had a few close calls while running across crosswalks. And then there’s the random danger of wiping out on a patch of gravel or falling victim to some other freak accident!
God forbid any...
What is the seventh thing?
I just remembered that this video exists. I posted it right before launching a raffle to benefit the American Cancer Society back in May. That raffle raised nearly $1,000, thanks to many of you!
Now I’m doin’ work on the other side of the American Cancer Society DetermiNation team — I’m managing PR and social media as a volunteer for the Seattle chapter leading up to the Rock...
The 16 miles of AWESOME.
REDEMPTION RUN!
Meg and I killed it this morning.
Isn’t her dog cute? I’m gonna steal her. Him? Her.
Anyway, I ran a mile to meet up with Meg in Fremont, and then we did two loops of Lake Union on this chilly Seattle morning. The miles flew by, as seems to always be the case when I run with a brand-new friend, because there was so much to talk about! And Meg was a champ and told...
Friday-night gym and the 16 miles of doom
I hit the gym for a really quick strength-training session because obviously all the cool people go to the gym on Friday night.
No, really, my gym was packed, so alllllllll the cool people were there! I was actually surprised.
Now I’ve got three days of running (total of 17 miles) and two days of strength-training under my belt so far this week. I just have to get through tomorrow....
Running in the dark
Tonight, I had 8 miles on my training plan, and I wasn’t about to do them on the treadmill (yuck). But it was cold out today. It was windy. And it was going to get dark in the middle of my run.
Sounds like it was really gonna suck, right?
But this run. was. AWESOME. It was the type of run that makes all the craptastic runs worthwhile.
I started out a bit fast because I was cold and wanted...
Meg: Pre-Prepping for the big one →
Meg — a fellow Seattleite — has decided not only to run a marathon, but to attempt to qualify for Boston… by finishing 20 minutes under the qualification time, in 3:15. She’s FAST and I believe she can do it!
She’s currently figuring out her training strategy for the 2012 Vancouver Marathon. So, all you people who’ve actually run marathons: Give her some tips?
...
Running around NYC
I’m baaaaaack!
I had a blast in NYC and am putting together a big post about the trip for Answering Oliver, but I thought I’d recap my running adventures here.
I did two runs for a total of 14 miles, plus a TON of walking around the city and doing the tourist thing. It was my first visit, so I had to!
Yes, the solo tourist must take awkward self-photos in Times Square.
(Side...
NYC-bound. And alive.
I’m not that great at packing. Here’s what I have so far.
“I’m Alive” by Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews just came on Pandora, and I’ve always loved it. It’s a good reminder that despite all of life’s troubles, it’s such a gift just to be ALIVE. Steve Jobs knew that.
Have a listen, have a good night and see y’all in NYC.
What is "Benihana"?
The key to running on the treadmill is to find the gym TV that’s showing Jeopardy!
I totally got some answers right while I ran three miles (28:09, 9:22 pace). For example:
What is “ice”?
Who is “Rihanna”?
What is “Benihana”?
Nobody got the Benihana question right. Ummm, clearly the contestants have missed out on an exquisite culinary experience.
...
Flu shot plus 7 miles equals surprise win
My evil plan worked out fantastically.
I lifted weights last night so that when I got my flu shot at work today, the soreness from the shot would blend right in the with the weight-lifting soreness. Luckily neither type of soreness was very noticeable. Sometimes flu shots hurt like hell and then wipe me out for the day, but this one hardly affected me. Win.
After work, I ate a Clif bar and a...
Since my last post...
…I have done all this:
- ate a Larabar
- went to the gym
- did 3 x 8 of the following:
bicep curl 12.5#
chest press 12.5#
hammer curl 12.5#
military press 12.5#
bent-over single-arm rows 15#
lat pull-downs 60#
dead lifts 45#
- went home
- baked chicken breasts for the whole week
- steamed a yam
- unloaded the dishwasher
- loaded the dishwasher
- become much, MUCH happier and...
I am...
I am tired.
I am cranky.
I am hungry.
I am frustrated.
I am going to the gym anyway (after I eat something).
NO. EXCUSES.
15 miles: Personal distance record!
So, today I ran 15 miles.
And I swear it almost killed me.
But let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
It was a cold, blustery day in Seattle, which was especially shocking coming back from several days in sunny, 85-degree California. I layered up. This would come back to bite me.
The first 7 or so miles went fine. I worked hard to slow down and not wear myself out. The route around...
