The Next 100

Today was the first day of my second 100 runs.  It's cold and drizzling and not so great out, but I hadn't been for a run since the race, so I had to do it.  After the Jingle Bell Run my calves were sore for several days - pushing it on the 10 minute mile I guess...  And, this past week I painted my bedroom blue.  So, those are my excuses for the days off.

Anyhow, I did my regular 5K in 33 min and 10 sec, which is fine for pace.  I wore my lined Athleta pants, so I wasn't actually cold, even though it was gross and rainy out.

Jingle Bell Run aka #100!!

Not the most auspicious start to the run because I had a little bit of a hangover this morning.  I went to Green St last night, every time I go there I seem to drink too much.  I had a little coffee and an apple with peanut butter, and got to the race start at 10:30, all ready to go.  And then realized that the race started at 11!  In the end it was probably a good thing that I got there early because I got to digest and people watch, so by the time it started I was feeling ok.

My unofficial time is 31 min 20 sec which is a 10 min, 6 sec mile.  I was hoping to get 10 min mile, but this course is pretty hilly, so I was happy with my results.  I did meet the one race goal I set for myself - there was a guy behind me dressed like Big Bird, full feathers and all, and so I set my goal as "not being passed by Big Bird," which I did manage to accomplish!  I did get passed by a Festivus Pole, but Festivus decorations are designed to be simple, so I was OK with that.

The race started out slow at the beginning because it was so crowded.  By the time I got to the 1K mark I realized I was going almost a 10 min mile, and wanted to try to keep it up.  I went a little slower on the uphill bits, and then when I got to the last downhill at about 2.8 miles, I sprinted.  So, it wasn't exactly an even pace.

One hundred runs.  Go me! :)

99!

It's pretty cold out again, and there's all this snow and ice.  I was actually thinking about maybe braving the outdoors anyhow, but by the time I left work it was dark and cold out.  So, I went to the gym.  Looks like some other company has purchased my little (cheap) Planet Fitness.  They had signs all over the place that I didn't notice the last time I was there.  Hope it doesn't mean the price will go up - right now it's $10 per month, which means that even if I don't go for months at a time I still don't feel guilty.

I got there and was all, I don't feel like this, but I have to...  I started really slow, and then by minute 5 I was up to kind of regular speed - 5.7 mph.  I kept increasing the speed little by little, so that at 10 minutes I was at 6 mph.  And I kept it there for 20 minutes!  It didn't wind up being that much further than usual, 2.92 miles in 30 min, 3.2 overall.  But, I was pretty psyched with me for keeping up a 10 min mile for 2 whole miles.  When I was done I lifted a couple weights and was like "this sucks," and left.

It's supposed to rain on Sunday.  I hope everything will work out ok for the race.  Big Run, #100!  (Yeah, might do some shopping, who am I kidding?  I was thinking today that some new sports bras might be a good running purchase. Don't want the girls at the knees, right?)

Run 100 Do-Over

Thursday I woke up at 3 am with the worst migraine ever.  Of course I have no land line, and I had left my phone in the car because there's a USB port there for charging (so cool, it's hidden, so no one can see if you leave your phone overnight).  Anyhow, I wound up having to knock on the door of one of my neighbors, and she immediately called 911.  So, I got my very first (and hopefully last) ride in an ambulance.  One of the things that was a little surreal was that they have this upstairs section of the ER, for people who don't need to be admitted but aren't ready to go home, and it overlooks the Charles River.  So, I could see where I had been running 12 hours earlier, but couldn't even imagine that I would ever be able to run again.  So, I didn't run this week because I was still kind of feeling like crap, and then I didn't want to push it.  I was all resigned to the fact that the race wouldn't be Run #100, and then I got an email yesterday that due to a storm that's coming in the race has been postponed a week!  So, back to my original game plan.  It's like fate.

It's really cold out today, definitely a gym day.  I did the usual 30 min of running, 5K, about 10 min 40 sec per mile for most of the run.  I started a little slow because I was all nervous still, but by the end I was doing fine and ran the last 3 minutes at a 10 min mile.  Then I went and picked up my race stuff, I'll be lucky #5973.  And yes, I lied about my age and weight - I'm really in the Fat Old Ladies category, but no way I'm putting that out there on the internet for the world to see!

97

I learned today that one disadvantage of the new car is that the back windows aren't tinted like the old car.  So, I might have flashed someone.  Oops.  Also poor planning, I just had a tshirt, no long sleeves, and it was like 45 degrees out.  I thought about going to the gym, or blowing it off, but I do want to try to make run #100 the race.  Even if I'm doing it by myself and probably wearing blue instead of Jingle Belly stuff.  It's the same route as the first race I did, so maybe I will be a little faster...

I ran on the Charles, and actually was fine in the tshirt.  It was really foggy out, and the river looked so amazing.  The water was totally still, and there was all this fog coming off it.  Someone had decked this sailboat in Christmas lights and put a plastic santa on it, and it looked a little like a haunted pirate ship.  And, for some reason there were two people in the park playing drums!  Guess their neighbors aren't music lovers.  It was pretty cool to be running through the fog with the drums and the ghost ship.  

I did 3.46 miles in about 36 minutes, so it was about a 10 min 40 sec mile, so not a fast run.  

New Car

Got a new car yesterday, after several days of torturing used car dealers.  It's a powder blue 2012 Honda Civic with 17000 miles.  Really, it's a base model and a pretty inexpensive car, but I'm so psyched that I can afford a Honda.  I feel like a grown-up :)  Of course, the car shopping consumed my long weekend, and I didn't exercise at all.  It's nasty out today, drizzly and 40 degrees, but not too windy at least.  I really really didn't want to go for a run, but I won't be able to tomorrow or Tuesday, so I decided I better just do it.  I told myself that I could run a shorter route if I wanted to, but then once I was going I just did my regular route.  It took me 33 min and 29 sec, but there was a looong stop at one light d/t traffic (totally legit, but I really enjoyed it.)  So, I think it was about 33 min, which is kind of my slower pace, 10 min 38 sec.  Fine for a day when I had to drag myself out the door.