Wardrobe Malfunction

My latest Athleta pants were not an asset in my run today!  At the start they were falling down like crazy and I had to keep hiking them up while running.  It wasn't pretty.  My tummy was hanging out and there was bounce.  Fortunately after a little while I started sweating and that made them stick to my stomach a little better.  I have to decide if I will return them.

I did the running loop on the Charles from the free parking to the BU Bridge.  I did it the opposite of the way I usually do it, which was actually not that bad.  Because of the way the river bends, the two sides aren't actually the same distance - I usually do the longer side first, then once I go over the bridge I'm more than half way.  This time, though, I did the shorter side first, which made it easier for me to get to the third bridge, then once I crossed the river it was the longer side, but I had no choice but to run back.  I may do that again.

It was Harvard graduation today.  Lots of smart people looking happy.  Once I got home I saw in the news that Aretha Franklin was there.  That's cooler than LL Cool J.  As I was running someone honked and waved.  I wasn't sure if it was at me, or this other woman, and I had no idea who it was.  But maybe it was Aretha going by?  Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was :)

I wound up going 3.54 miles in about 37 minutes.  Looks like after I took my watch off I bumped the start button again, so it says 2 hours, but I know that's not correct :)  I'm pretty sure it was 37 min and some seconds, which is about a 10.5 minute mile.  It actually felt pretty good, once my pants weren't falling down!

Heart Rate Monitor

Still can't find my watch, and I was at the sporting goods store yesterday and found one of those heart rate watches on sale for a pretty good price, so I had to buy it.  I bet I find my watch under the couch next week.  But, it's kind of cool to have the heart rate thing, even if it does mess with the line of my cute Athleta top (if I had any readers, I could totally get ads by Athleta and make money for them - and free stuff for me.  I'm like a walking/talking ad.) Anyhow, got my heart rate to 150 ish for most of the run, and that's where it felt comfortable running. IDK if that's really accurate, but I'm taking it. Also, it says that I burned 466 calories, which I also don't believe, but accept anyhow.

Today I met my friend Karen at the climbing gym at 10:30 for yoga, then we went for lunch and then climbed for about 3 hours. And, tomorrow I'm going kayaking for 11 miles (or 4 if I am lame.)  So I was going to excuse myself from running today, but it's been waaay too long.  Blah blah, all kinds of excuses, but I decided I needed to hit the road.  I did a little shorter run, went to my garden, but around the hill instead of over it.  It's 2.57 miles there the way I went, and it took 26 min, 26 sec, which is about a 10 min 18 sec mile, which isn't too bad considering how long it's been.  Although this route was a little bit more downhill than up. On the way back I decided to go direct, and walk up the hill (heart rate still 132, so a good workout) but then once I got to the top I was hungry and really wanted to go home and eat, so I ran home.  It was about .67 mile. I'm not really counting it, but it took about 8 min, so I did technically run 5K (very primitive of me, running to catch food.)

The garden is looking so nice!  The snap peas I planted are just coming up, and all kinds of other things are growing away.  I still have space for a few more things, gonna see if I can find some ground cherries maybe, and see what other kind of interesting things there are at the garden store...

As an aside, I took my cats to the vet last Sunday, and now Tigger is mad at Roofus.  She keeps hissing at him.  I have 500 square feet, which is a pretty small place for two cats that can't be in the same room. I hope they get over it soon.

Passed Two Guys

I forgot my watch today, which was just as well because I got horrible cramps right around mile 1.6 and thought I was going to have little accident all over my cute athleta running tights, so I decided to stop and rest for a few.  I was by the Charles, so at least it was nice there, lots to see and admire.  Some of the geese had their little baby chicks!  They are so cute. And there was this 20 something guy with no shirt on, standing on a tree stump, fishing in the river. Also cute.

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself by the time I headed out to run again, but then I caught up with and passed these two guys who were running together!  Totally awesome. The best part is that they seemed a little annoyed by it because soon after we came to a light where we had to wait (which of course I loved) and one of the dudes practically stepped on me, standing in front of me.  And I got to be all "well, you can stand there now, but once the light changes you better get out of my way cause I'm faster than you." But then later one of the guys did pass me.  >sigh<

In total I went slightly less than 3 miles, 2.96.  So, it was still a respectable distance.

Run to the Gym to Lift

I have always thought I would hate running to the gym to lift, and then running back, and I have just confirmed it.  I did nothing all day today.  It's been kind of nasty and humid out, and so I've been a slug on the couch.  Finally decided that I should get up and do some exercise.  I was telling a friend of mine how my gym is only a mile an a half away, but I always drive, and I got that "you are so lame" look. So, I thought I would try the running thing.  First, it's all downhill on the way there.  Which is lovely on the way there, but not so great on the way home.  Second, and more important, you have to run under the highway and across all kinds of sketchy traffic.  It did involve a lot of stopping, which of course I enjoy. But not sure it's worth risking life and limb.

In the end I ran 2.67 mile in 27 min 57 sec, plus lifted weights for about a half hour.  That's a 10 min 28 sec mile, though it felt way slower.  Lifting is even less fun sandwiched between two runs.  I got home and sat down on the couch and it started thundering and now it's pouring out. At least I have good timing!

Passed a guy!

Everyone in the world was at the Charles running today because it was gorgeous out.  At lunch today I walked to REI and back - I got my climbing friend Kerry this totally awesome birthday present, I'm going to make her a zombie chalk bag, because she lost her old chalk bag, and she's all about the zombies. Anyhow, I got the zombie part, needed to get the chalk bag part. On mapmyrun I figured out that I walked 2.25 miles, so even though it wasn't running, I decided that counted for something. So, I decided to do a slightly shorter run today.

I went from the part of the Charles with the easy parking upstream one bridge and then back to the Elliot Bridge and that was it. In the end it was about 2.85 miles in almost exactly 30 minutes. I was thinking about running another half mile-ish to get to the water fountain, but then I decided I had enough coffee in my cup from the morning, and I was way too lazy to go any further.

The passing another person happened right at the beginning, this guy started out a few seconds before me, and then I passed him and was all psyched about it. I figured he was just warming up and would pass me again, but he didn't. And then I forgot about him.  When I got back I was stretching out, and then he came back!  Of course, he may not have done the same route as I did.... But probably he did.

I just realized that I have been calculating my runs from a different parking lot from the one I've actually parked in, and I've run about .1 mile less than I thought each time I went in the other direction.  Just got slower.

10K!!

I did it! I ran my first 10K, and it wasn't even a flat 10K either. It was a kind of slow 10K, but that's alright.  I went from home, down to the bike path, to Davis Square and then Mass Ave, to Alewife Parkway, and then the little bike path there, and then back behind Tufts.  There's a bigger uphill bit towards the end, which was brutal, and I walked up the hill on my street.  In the end it was 6.24 miles in 1 hour 10 minutes and 16 seconds which is a 11 min and 15 sec mile. I was really ready to keel over at the end, and sustained myself with the reminder of a cold coconut water in the fridge, and the couch. For most of the run, though, I was feeling pretty good - it's truly spring, the trees are all flowering, everyone is outside, there were people doing some kind of martial art in the park, it's Open Studios this weekend, and I think I even passed another runner!

Yesterday at work I met LL Cool J. And by met, I mean "I knew where he would be and waited like a stalker, then jumped in an got a pic with him when other people were." He put his arm around me.  That dude has some fine arms, that's for sure.  I understand he's got a pretty intense exercise routine, and you can tell. Also, he smelled very good, and is just adorable. I may now convert to a NCIS LA fan. Just what I need, a new TV addiction.