Runner's World

Sunday morning I had what is probably my best run ever at 6 1/4 miles and just under an hour. That's not an especially fast pace but what made the run so good was that it was easy.  Breath, speed, rhythm--everything came together. The first time I got tired and looked at my watch I was already at 52 minutes.  Plus, I ran into the neighboring town and back which made me feel like I'd actually been somewhere versus running in circles. Blair has informed me we'll no longer use the car and gas to get groceries and instead he'll just send me.

I'm amused how nothing gets missed in a small town. I go to the bank and people say, "I saw you Monday morning on Murphy Street." I go to give blood and hear, "You were down by Hardee's on Sunday around 7:30."  There's no chance of me ever going missing because apparently I'm being tracked. During the week I run with Royce and Margharita. Royce and I run a little faster pace and sometimes pull ahead and someone told Margharita they saw Royce running with another woman. Margharita's reply? "I know. I'd do something about it if I could catch her."  She cracks me up.

Today's run was not quite as joyful. We pushed to make 50 minutes and you could have mopped the floor with me when we were through.  But it's still a great feeling to be up and outside, sweating and knowing I'm getting something done as I run past houses still black, or cars pulling into McDonald's for morning coffee and pancakes.  No matter how tired I am when I come back in the house at 6:30, it's always a good tired, knowing I've already got a big checkmark to put against my to-do list for the day.

And the runs are getting easier. 40-45 minutes is a no brainer now. Which is good as starting in September we pick up the time and pace. And if you ever need to know where I am, just call the local bank or clothing store or any neighbor in town and I'm sure someone there will point you in the right direction. ;)

Naps

At what age do we switch from screaming "I'm not tired! I don't need a nap!" to being willing to pay cash for a chance to lie down for 20 minutes and close our eyes?

I love naps. Always have. But I don't often let myself indulge.  Part of the reason is that I become addicted quicker than if you stuck a cigarette between my lips. Two days of lying down at noon and my body decides that's the new pattern for life and goes into a slump and pouts if I don't allow it to hit the bed.

But lately I've been dragging. Really dragging. Like, sitting at the computer and finding myself doing the almost-asleep head bop.  I let myself lay down a couple of times and crashed hard, for 2 hours. But then I was foggy and fussy when I woke up, so that didn't really help.

I'm getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night. Not my ideal eight, but enough that I shouldn't be falling asleep in front of my desk.  I was ready to go to the doctor when my yoga instructor asked how long I'd been feeling this way. "About a month or so," I said. She pointed out the time frame coincides with when I started running.

"But I've always exercised," I said. "Besides, isn't exercise supposed to energize you for the day?"

She agreed, but noted that since I've been running longer and harder than usual, my body may just be going through an adjustment period. She also suggested I make sure to eat healthy and take vitamins.

Man! Isn't one of the benefits of exercise supposed to be you can indulge in ice-cream for dinner on a more regular basis because you know you'll work it off?  They always find a way to screw you in the end. But I think she's right. I need to pay better attention to my diet. I'd eat cereal, ice-cream and South Beach Diet Chocolate Snack Bars 24/7 if left to my own devices. A vegetable now and again might not be a bad idea.

I'm also encouraged because one of my good friends who works from home and who I admire told me she tries to take a nap every day after lunch. I was surprised because she's very disciplined and I didn't see her allowing herself that luxury. But she's made it part of her day and if she has to stay a little later at her desk at night to make up the time, so be it.

I admit I've already napped today and it's only 10 am. I was up at 5, went to yoga at 6, home by 7, and crashed from 8-9. (My mom is going to kill me as just last night I was yelling at her for going back to bed in the mornings!) But I feel great! Awake, alert and looking forward to work. One of those three projects I mentioned came through this morning so I'm going to get a jump on that.

My wish for all of you on this sweltering Friday is that you find time today for a nap. =)

Inner Fortitude

Although I'm enjoying my running time, I don't think I'd be able to train for this 1/2 marathon in December on my own. I feel immense gratitude toward my two running partners for keeping me going. Knowing someone will be waiting outside my door at 5:30 AM, expecting me to be ready to run, is a great motivator.

But my running buddies are off to the beach next week, so it's all on me.  I cannot slam the alarm off and roll over and go back to sleep, no matter how much I want to. I need to keep the momentum going.

We're running 45 minutes to an hour 3-4x/week.  We're slow, probably averaging just over a 10-minute mile, but hey, we're doing it. I have immense respect for my neighbor who is 20 years older than me and keeping pace. Her husband (our fearless leader) is almost 60 but he's been running most of his life. M. is new to it and I think she does a phenomenal job.

I'm off this weekend to visit my best friend in Cincinnati. We met when we were sophomores in college and have been pretty much bonded at the hip ever since. We alternate visiting one another and this year is my turn. I've packed running gear, including I-Pod and stopwatch, and hold out great hope of running at least once if not twice over the weekend.  Trisha is the one who started me running in college. Unfortunately, she's almost blown out both her knees and isn't supposed to run anymore. Not that that stops her, but she's not supposed to.

I expect to sit down at Trisha's computer and do a bit of blogging over the weekend, but in case I don't, everyone have a fun and safe weekend.

New Running Shoes

Since I appear to be serious about this running thing, I decided to invest in a pair of running shoes. My neighbor R. recommended I check out this cute little shop in Greensboro called Off'N Running (the "cute little shop" is my doing, not R's).  I stopped in today and had such fun--not something I typically associate with shoe shopping.

When selecting the proper running shoe, one does not (as I admittedly have in the past) buy the shoes based on color and or level of cuteness. No, no. There is a whole science to the process.

First I stood on the floor in bare feet while they examined me for...actually, I don't know. But the sales guy seemed interested in how I stood. Then I had to walk the length of the store and back. Then they looked at my current running shoes to see where they were worn and how I used them. Apparently, I have a slight pronation on my left foot.  Or in layman's terms, my foot rolls inward when I walk/run.

Based on what he observed, the owner brought out 3 pairs of shoes. (Side note: I wear an 8 1/2 and sometimes a 9 but had to go to a 9 1/2 in a running shoe! The owner swore it's because they size them small but geez, what woman wants to buy a 9 1/2 shoe? I made him swear to tell anyone who asks that I purchased a 7). 

Here's the fun part. Not only did I get to try on each pair of shoes, but they put me on a treadmill and had me jog at a moderate pace for a minute in each of the shoes so they could observe the support and how my feet were turning. Only then was the correct pair singled out.

Can you picture this sort of treatment for ladies heels? "Well ma'am, your toes appear only moderately pinched in the suede model and as long as you cling to your date for support and never attempt to walk independently, I think those 4-inch heels will serve you well. But hop on out there on our store dance floor and let's see how they look."

So I can't wait to try out  my new super cool (but--sigh--not all that pretty) new running shoes. I'm planning an hour's run on Sunday so we'll see how they do then.