Car Repairs

I had two flat tires in two days!  Unbelievable.  The first one still had some air in it, so I was able to drive it to the garage, but the one yesterday was completely flat.  I had to call AAA.  I was thinking I needed a tow, but the dude who came reminded me about this thing called a spare tire.  Which he put on my car - it was hidden underneath the car, not in the trunk, and the rim was totally covered in rust.  I bet that's what the rest of the bottom of my car looks like.

Anyhow, today I took the car over to my mechanic and T'ed into work.  Once I got home I decided to run to the garage to pick it up.  It's about 2.7 miles, which is an OK distance for a run, and most of it was new running area, not the same boring route.  Also, not being a loop, I got to go down hill more than up :) There were a couple big uphills, especially at the start because I ran up Winter Hill instead of around it.  Which is all just an explanation for the fact that yes, I ran about a 10 min, 10 sec mile!  Maybe one day I will actually get below a 10 min mile, especially if I can find all downhill routes....

Fartlek Take 2

I didn't get to run this weekend because I was off at a work thing all day Saturday (in Maine) and then went climbing in NH on Sunday.  Two climbs, my first trad follow!  It was fricking scary!!  The rope was a lot thinner than I'm used to and there's a lot of give to it, so when I needed to stop I went down a lot further than I like : (  Of course, I got to the top and was like, "that was so cool!" Must be the adrenalin that makes it so fun - good to be alive.

Today I had a long day at work, so I decided that I would do a shorter run, but compensate with some fartleks.  I only ran 2.27 miles, but I did about a half dozen sprints, a couple of them up hill!  Total time was 24 min and 10 sec, which is about a 10 min 38 sec mile overall.  So, for sure it wasn't faster than usual.  But I was really puffing away - much more so than normal.  So hopefully it was helpful.

I was thinking about how some people say that a 10+ minute mile is hardly running, it's more jogging and that they walk that fast.  But, thinking about it, no one has ever walked past me while I am running.  And I pass a lot of walkers.  But not runners, of course.

Towards the end of the run my knees started hurting.  I did smash a knee against a hold climbing on Tuesday, so I blame that.  But, I really should try to start lifting again.  I haven't done any of that for a couple months.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I had the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich at Uno's for dinner, sourdough bread coated in butter with a ton of delicious melted cheese, grilled until it was the perfect crunchiness.  With a tasty tomato soup.  Which was probably 1000 calories and 45 grams of fat, and I regretted as soon as I finished because of the intense calorie count and the fact that I'm lactose intolerant and it was a lot of cheese.  But I will think of grilled cheese at yoga shavasana again.  Mmmm.

So, anyhow, I thought it fitting for me to do fartlicks again because, well, the cheese.  But then I couldn't bring myself to do them d/t the large gas bubble hanging out in my stomach.  Anyhow, I came home and did the usual 5K in 33min 38 sec, and it was actually a pretty good run!  I did have to stop one point to cross a street, lots of traffic and they were already looking annoyed by this biker.  But that's legit.  That's a little slower than my "usual" pace - 10 min and 50 sec per mile.  I think I started a little slow because I was worried about the cheese.

There was a man with no shirt on walking his dog.   Big beefy dude walking a skinny grayhound.  You know how people and their pets tend to look similar, well, somehow these two did.

Fartlek

So I read about how these fartlek's can help you to run faster.  I decided to give it a try because #1 I really want to be able to write "fartlek" a lot in my blog and #2 I seem to have peeked in terms of speed - at a very slow pace.  It's beautiful out, and Sunday, so I went to the Charles to run.  I did the 3 mile plus a little bit route that's between Longfellow and Mass Ave bridges, and lets you run through the Hatchshell area on the Boston side.  There was a walk for Alzhimers today, lots of slow people walking, and I got caught in traffic at one point and had to walk up the connector to the Mass Ave Bridge.  Semi-legit walking, and I did stop my watch.

I did my first fartlek on the Longfellow, I felt pretty good running faster at first, but then really tired and glad to slow down.  The second one I did on the Boston side of the river by community sailing.  This one was shorter than the first.  Then I did a couple more between light poles on the Boston side.  By the time it was time to cross I was beat, and my right knee hurt.  I decided that was good enough for the first day of fartleks, and just tried to run the rest of the way back.  I really wanted to stop at 26 minutes, but decided to push it to 30.  Then I was almost at a bridge and so I pushed it a tiny bit more.  But then I really needed to walk.  I went about 31 1/2 minutes and ran about 3 miles, which is my usual speed, but I was definitely going faster for my bursts.  We'll see if it makes any difference - I'm going to try to incorporate them into my runs in the future.

My right knee is sore, I had to sit and ice it :(

One Hour (and one second)!

I ran a full hour today!  I can't even believe it.  Go me!  I decided to try the unpaved trail in Bedford, at the end of the Minuteman Bike Path.  (First I stopped at Athleta in the mall and got a totally cute overpriced top and a wrist thing to put my key in when I have no pockets - also cute and overpriced.)  It took me a little while to find the path - I knew where the end of the bike path was, but then it's like a half mile to the trail head.  So, of course I got in my car and drove to it, kind of silly, but that would have added a mile to the run, and on a not too nice road.  Anyhow, the path was totally awesome!!  It was a very packed dirt path, and totally flat.  Not very many people on it, nice scenery, good foliage, and the weather was even perfect.  Cool and a little breeze, but sunny.

I didn't run that fast at all, I think like an 11 minute mile, though I'm not exactly sure how far I ran - I think about 5 1/2 miles.  I finished the run, got out of the woods, and it had been 56 minutes.  I was totally ready to call it quits, even walked in a circle to start cooling down, but then I was like "four minutes, you can do it!"  I think the last 4 minutes were the slowest.  I ran up the road a little, and then back, and then in a couple circles in the parking lot.  My heart wasn't totally in it at the end, prob slowed down my run average.  But a cool down is good at the end.

I stopped running a couple times during the hour (stopped my watch during them).  I crossed two streets where I had to wait for traffic, and one place I couldn't find the path and had to ask these guys.  But I consider that legit.

I was totally starving when I finished, and of course I have no food.  I was going to go to the Bedford Market Basket because it's so much bigger than the Somerville one, but I couldn't even find parking there.  And, I was pretty disgusting looking. Why is it that I'm always the sweatiest on my boobs?  Grose.  Anyhow, I finally went to Wholefoods and got sushi.  And I held my shopping basket in front of my chest, which must have looked funny, but better than boob sweat.

Boston Common Take 2

I was going to run on the Charles after work because it was so beautiful out - perfect Charles River running weather.  But, there was so much traffic on Mass Ave I couldn't even turn on it, so I decided to try the Common.  I had amazing parking karma, per usual, and it was once again really cool running there.  Of course, I forgot when I parked that the Common is on Beacon Hill, the operant part of that being "hill" and since it's only about a mile and a half around I had to run up the hill twice, which sucked.  I thought about going around the hill the second time, but then pushed myself to do it, and was glad that I had.  It's a little hard to map the trails in the Common because for some reason it thinks some of the paths are one way.  Anyhow, I ran about 2.9 miles in 31 min and 10 sec, which is a little slow - about a 10 min 45 sec mile.  It felt pretty slow when I was running, so that could be right.  Or maybe I ran a tiny bit more...

They are putting up a stage on the Common for Sat - the Boston Ballet is performing for free Sat night.  Of course I'm going, and dragging my sister there.   I just found out about it because I saw banners last time I went.  Prob need to get there early, it looks like a kind of small space.

Boston Common

Decided to try running on the Common today. It was Awesome! So much to see.  I saw a fight brewing complete with cursing and a rather androgynous person grabbing their - well, not sure what they had there, but it was a pretty lude gesture. I saw some Tibetian looking Holy Women in brown robes and shaved heads giggling and having a great time. There were picnics, friends catching up, people reading, angry looking homeless people, and people out with their kids. Ducks, swans, squirrels, and no rats! Very entertaining.  Sadly, I got these horrible cramps at about minute 15 and only ran for 16 min. And I even had a break during a light! I blame the 98% humidity, I don't run we'll in it. For sure I'll have to try again on a more reasonable weather day.