Power of Habit

Nasty weekend weather-wise. I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday on the couch, with the cats, reading.  I got this book from the library called "The Power of Habit" which talks about how you can make big changes in your life by making things into habits, like exercising and eating right, or passing free doughnuts without taking one.  It's kind of interesting because looks at habit from a lot of different perspectives, part biological, part psychological.  One of the things it said was that people start new kinds of exercise for all sorts of reasons, but they keep up with it because it becomes a habit, and for it to become a habit you need a cue, the action, and then a reward.  So, for me and running, changing into my awesome Athleta running tights is the cue, then I run, and blogging and getting to see how I've done is my reward.  And according to this book, that's why I've kept it up.  Which actually I think may be kind of true.  And, an excellent excuse for more cute running clothes??

Anyhow, this evening the sun finally came out and the clouds were that nice purple-ish blue when the sun is setting.  The trees are all in bloom, and everything smelled so fresh! Which didn't make me any more psyched than usual to go running, sadly.  I promised myself that I could do a shorter run, or go to Davis Square and avoid the hills, but then I just did my regular 5K once I got running.  Pretty slow again, 34 min and 10 sec, which is an 11 min mile.  My right calf is sore, and I don't really understand why. Maybe I need to stretch or something?

Boston Marathon #2

This year's marathon was much more as marathon's should be. I watched on Heartbreak Hill. Oh my head, those runners are fast! The lead women were in a pack, they were moving so fast, and you could tell that not only were they running fast, but they were THINKING, and about things other than their internal organs. Then Meb, the men's winner came by and he was soooo far ahead of everyone else. After he ran by everyone turned to look for the next guy, and there was no one there for ages. I figured out that he runs like 2x my speed, and of course like 6x my distance. Yeah.

Anyhow, back to my little run on the Charles. My Achilles' tendon was really bothering me, so I decided to take a little time off and rest it. Not sure how effective that was, because I note it's sore now, and I did a shorter run today (and slower).  I did a little before the Elliot Bridge to the Anderson Foot Bridge. It took 28 min and 37 sec for about 2.5 miles or about an 11.5 min mile. It was really windy out and my calf hurt. Waaa.

Running Club

I did my first run with a running club today! Appropriately, I think, it was with Team Luna that runs from the Boston Athleta. I didn't buy anything, though! At first I was like, this is just like running by myself, because I was running by myself. But then this woman was running next to me, and we ran together for like two miles, which was cool. She runs faster than me I'm pretty sure. Of course I had forgotten my watch, so I have no idea how fast I ran, but I think it was a little faster than a ten minute mile, at least that's my story. When we finished, I noted that she was about five inches taller than me.

Anyhow, total distance was three miles, time was about thirty minutes. But then of course there were free Luna bars, so it was still calorie positive. Anyhow, everyone was friendly and it was a good experience, def have to try it again.

Spring Spring Spring!!!

Not to go on and on about this spring thing, but wow was it nice out today!  Like spring!  I cleaned a whole bunch of dead stuff out of my garden that I was too lazy to do anything with in the fall.  Actually, now that I think of it, it's all in the back of my car still.  That should smell nice tomorrow.

I was going to go for a "long run" today, but I was feeling a little yucky yesterday and didn't want to push it.  I kind of put off the running all day, almost until dark.  I had all these ideas about where I would go, but then I just did my little 5K at home.  It was ages since I had done it!  Of course, it had been so long, and I was fiddling with my iPod, and I missed a turn!  So I did a shorter loop, and then ran up to the end of my street and back in the end.  It wound up being 3.36 miles in 35 min and 47 sec, which is a 10 min 38 sec mile, so a little slow.  But given that I was feeling kind of yucky last night, it's good that I did it at all!

Spring, take 2

I don't want to jinx it, but I think spring is really on the way here now!  Today was sunny and beautiful (except for some of the day when it wasn't).  I got a little over excited and wore short sleeves and no jacket, but it wasn't that spring like.  But, I was able to go for an after work run on the Charles in my regular weight running tights.

It turns out that my new car really does have an alarm, because I set it off for the first time today when I got to the river!  I thought it was one of those "alarms" that's just a light blinking but nothing happens but nope, I have a real car alarm.  Does that make me a grown up?

I went to the easy-to-park area on the Charles, in Brighton by Harvard's athletic fields.  I ran to the third bridge and back, 3.5 miles.  At one point I was feeling a little crampy, but then it passed and everything was fine.  All and all, a good run!  Pretty fast for me, too, 34 min and 35 sec, which is less than a 10 minute mile!!  (9 min, 52 sec, so like my race pace).  I was feeling pretty good during the run, I hadn't eaten for a while, which I think always helps.  I did have the little bit of cramps, which got me mussing about how much I think about my bowels and the organs that must be jostling them around, and how I've never really spent that much time thinking about my internal organs before, and I really I was always good with that.  Which took up a surprising amount of the run.  At one point this kid wearing a Harvard t-shirt passed, running in the other direction, and he was moving so faaast!  Wow.

My newest idea is to run the Tufts 10K with Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  It would be nice to raise a little fundage for cancer research and patient support, and I would meet other runners so hopefully I would have someone to train with, and hang with at the race.  So, my readers (ie Kit), be ready for the donation request this summer :)