Weird Sleep

It's interesting. Someone else on my blog reading list just posted on this, I noticed, as I signed in to write this post.

12:58 am. I'm awake. Go to the bathroom. Take my inhaler.

I am still awake.

After re-arranging "Tiny" so that she no longer cuts off circulation in my legs, I fall back asleep.

Eventually.

Then, 2:00am. I'm awake. Either cold or sweating.

My radiator finally works, unlike the first two years I lived in my aparment.

This is a good thing.

A working radiator, however, cannot erase the fact that my apartment has no insulation.

So, there are a lot of covers on the bed. Thus, the cold or sweating.

Sweating if the radiator is on. Cold if it has turned off and the wind has whipped through the pathetic plastic band-aid I put over the windows.

Then, some interesting thoughts. 2:00am is a good time for interesting thoughts.

But interesting thoughts are not conducive to sleep.

Finally, right before 5:00am, I'll fall back asleep.

To wake up at 6:00am, 6:30am and, finally, at 6:45am.

At night, I've been so tired that I'll stop watching a show and fall asleep by 10:00pm or so.

You'd think I'd be well-rested!

It then it just continues the cycle.

I'm yawning right now.

Is it because I'm running less, do you think? Though I ran yesterday. My sore calves are proof!

Or just the change in the weather?

It's weird.

I don't know that I mind it but this is above and beyond my usualy problems with sleeping.

Maybe I'll just get more reading done!

Reading at 2:00am might be interesting, too.

An Interesting Side Effect

This week, I just haven't been feeling 100%. Either because of the cold, or other issues, or general weenie-ness.

On Tuesday, I actually cancelled a run with the Speedy Blonde.

"What! You are cancelling! You never cancel just because!!!!!!"

I was cold. My office wasn't heated. But that's not much of an excuse: the run might have made me warmer.

Yesterday, didn't feel great and had a lot of work come up.

Instead of running, I ate a gooey dessert and watched a movie.

Not sure that the two things have the same long-term outcome.

So I laced on the shoes this morning: I was going to get this run in before I was able to psych myself out of it!

And I strapped on my backpack. Might as well get to school while doing this!

Oi. It was heavy. Really heavy. I had to bring two computers.

Adding to this was my decision to bring a full water bottle, to save money when I got there.

Chug. Chug. Chug.

Heavy Breathing.

I felt some serious tightness in my chest over the bridge. Combatted this by allowing my ire at all the clueless pedestrians crowding all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge to rise up inside me.

I even threw in a few "You idiots!" under my breath, for good measure.

Well, it got me over the bridge!

And, after all, posing three abreast in the middle of a bike lane, with bikes whizzing by, as other large groups of people crowd the walking lane is NOT the most intelligent thing to do in the world - unless your intention is to get hit by a bike.

Onto the West Side highway I chugged.

There was a lot of phlegm.

What?! I told you that I wasn't feeling 100%!

It was yellow. This was reassuring.

"If the phlegm is clear or yellow, the patient will live. If it is black, the patient will die."

So I would remain alive, allegedly.

On I chugged.

My rear started burning. Seemed perfectly reasonable: after all, I'm not in the best shape right now and I had a heavy backpack on.

My feet started hurting a bit. Again, perfectly reasonable: I've had to gain weight, putting more pressure on my feet, and I'd added additional weight by strapping on the backpack.

My biceps and tricepts started feeling tired.

Weird.

I had to think about this one a little bit. It's not like I was doing speedwork, where I was really using my whole body to propel myself forward......

What could it be?

I was using my arms more to prevent myself from falling over, stranded turtle-like, in the middle of the West Side Highway path!

Interesting!

Well, I got there, anyway.

Ah. If it were only Friday Again.....

Or Thursday.

Not for the day of the week: rather, for the weather.

Ran to work with the Vivacious Redhead on Thursday. The shorts I was wearing were a bit ambitious, even for the relatively balmy temperatures.

However, the train rolled all the way to Whole Foods!

I was teaching the Vivacious Redhead my trick that I use when that particular run feels long.

I pretend I'm the 3 train, then the 1 train.

Including informing the passengers in my head to which trains they might transfer, and the name of the next stop.

I don't think she found it as amusing as I did.

Then, Friday. Gorgeous Friday!

I had over-shot my miles last week: still on doctor's orders, I'm really not supposed to be running almost 50, even if I did run a lot of them at quite a relaxed pace!

But the weather was so amazing......
So I ran down to Target, to get some weights and a balance ball.

If I can't run so much, might as well lift some weights!

Decided, after taking the subway back with all of my purchases, including the weights, that carrying them that far was enough of a workout that I didn't actually have to continue working out.
We'll see how the weights thing goes. 3 times a week, maybe? Suggestions?

Sunday came the Cherry Tree. I ran to the race, then ran one loop, for a bit under 6 miles.
Half of those were with me carrying my jacket to ward off the cold as I waited for my teammates to finish their loops.

Thankfully, my relay mates weren't expecting much from me. I just couldn't breathe.

It was a weird feeling, having my legs feel great and not tired at all, while my lungs were really tight the whole time.

Feeling really slow but not pushing too much, I did my loop in 23:40, or something like that. 3.35 miles in 23:40 is something more than a bit over a 7:00/mile pace.

Think: just in November, I ran a whole marathon at a pace faster than that.

Walked around yesterday. The puffy snow made the trees look amazing.

We will see about today. No heat in my office. Might not be warm enough to brave it.

Makes me yearn for the temperatures of Friday.

Or even Thursday.

I didn't have to wear tights on Friday.
Sigh.

Early Morning is Not for the Faint of Heart

My cat is HUGE.

Really.

And when it's cold outside, it's quite cold in my apartment. Her solution?

Sleep directly on me.

Sometimes she will pin down a leg.

Other times, when she is feeling particularly adventurous/homicidal, she will crawl up onto part of my rib cage.

And I wonder why I have problems sleeping!

Did I mention that she is HUGE?

Tuesday night, however, I deployed the secret weapon.

The air mattress.

It wasn't just for her: I had a guest staying with me, too.

Poor guest.

My cat LOVES the air mattress. It's as if it is a personal cat ed, proportioned to fit cats such as her.

I saw her for 30 seconds that night/morning, when she was trying to cage more food from me after she gobbled all that came out of her automatic feeder.

So you'd think that I slept the sleep of the innocent Tuesday night.

Actually, I hardly slept at all.

You see, I am not a morning person. And I was going to have to leave my house for a run at 5:55am.

"But really" , you are probably thinking to yourself. "What about all those early morning runs for the last two years? What about those emails you sent me at 4:15am?"

Did many of those emails make a lot of sense?

And I HAD to get up that early to get myself prepared for those hideously early runs before work. You wouldn't have wanted me to run into a telephone pole, now would you?

The fact that I have to get up so much earlier than the time that I run is a good indication of how much I am not a morning person, in fact! Ammunition for the defense!

So, now that I don't usually have to run as early, because of the change in my teaching schedule, I'm sleeping in. Sometimes until 7:00am!

And I was really worried that I wouldn't wake up to meet the Vivacious Redhead.

Instead, I just didn't really sleep. So I was nice and grumpy for this run.

Did I mention that it was also really cold, as well as dark?

But my spirits lifted after getting to Ft. Greene, where we could see the sun rising over downtown Brooklyn. Almost as breathtaking as Manhattan's sparkle coming over the Brooklyn Bridge as the sky turns pink.

Those spirits didn't lift as much as they could have, however, because my weenie meter was still going off. And the Vivacious Redhead decided that it was high time that we did stairs.

My rear end's nemisis. And probably its best friend, if I ever gave them a chance to really get to know each other.

Something the Vivacious Redhead said on Sunday bubbled into my mind.

Me: my hair looks flat and lumpy.
VR: as long as your read end doesn't look flat and lumpy! Really, that's all we can hope for out of life.

So I did the stairs.

They actually weren't so bad. We were trying to see how it would feel to take them two at a time but neither of us are coordinated enough to run them two at a time just yet. So we power-walked the three sets of stairs 4 times in a row and called it as day.

Back up Myrtle and then Washington, whence we came. The sky was now a gleaming blue and the temperature was rising. We split off at Eastern Parkway, me turning east and her turning west.
I have no real idea how far we went. I figure about 2 1/2 miles of me running solo, then maybe 4 of us running together? Easy running the whole time.
I'd better pick up the tempo a bit on Friday! I'm likely going to run with the Speedy Blonde next week, after all!
Off to work some before running to school.....

The Gentle Drill Sargent

The Speedy Blonde is determined to single-handedly get me back into shape, whether I want to or not.

Prior to the run, I tried to get out of it. Here's the texting:

"What temperature is it outside? I might not have brought enough clothes!"

"It's 34!"

"Oh. I guess I'll be ok, then."

Wind whipping everywhere, it sure didn't seem like it was 34.

Or maybe it was just that my weenie-meter was about to hit the red zone.

Appropriately chastised, I pulled on thick tights, a long-sleeved shirt, a thermal and a jacket and hat to go run around the outside of the park to meet her on the east side around 72nd.

I don't go that direction much outside the park.

Luckily, I had my phone with me.

While I usually sneer at those who are texting/taking calls while running - I mean, really: if you don't have a small child, these things can wait a half an hour, can't they?! - I joined their ranks.

You see, I forgot that I had to run about 200 feet further than what seems to be the edge of the park to get onto 5th Ave. Otherwise, you are sucked right back into the park.

Texting commenced and the crisis was averted. Whew!

While the Speedy Blonde is determined to get me back into shape by pushing my poor out-of-shape body faster than it wants to go (I even tried the old 'talk about an injury' trick to make her slow down. It did nothing!), I decided to slyly fight back.

"What new did you learn at school?" I asked.

Hah! I got her talking for most of the rest of the loop!

Of course, I was actually really interested in what she had to say. But it also meant that I had her exerting herself more. Talking and running can be hard. I figured it was only fair: after all, the pace that had me huffing and puffing was, to her, a leisurely jog.

Maybe I shouldn't have let out my plan.......She sometimes reads this.....

Too late.

Near the Harlem Hill, she also let me run on the inside, which helped.

Meeting a friend I hadn't seen in 6 years, I had to leave off early and make my grand exit at Columbus Circle.

Thank goodness for friends who are willing to almost double their run so that I can run a loop with them in the park. I don't think I would have gotten out, otherwise.

Scratch that: I know that I wouldn't have! The weenie-meter was screeching yesterday!

Loving my Valentine's Run

Why was my knee hurting?

I went through a slew of possibilities. My left hamstring had been tight because of the plane rides.

I had been running at a different pace than I was used to for the race and then sprinted at the end.

I had gained weight.

I didn't figure it out until this morning.

D. None of the above.

On the way from the airport, I had slammed my knee into the side of the cab. It was bruised.

Regardless, I didn't let a little knee pain stop me from getting in a run with Ivy League on Monday evening.

After a harrowing plane ride (the stewardess was a little too happy that we landed safely!), it was almost a necessity to try to stretch my legs.

The only thing, besides my knee, that was a little tired was my rear. Those hills in Birmingham made me realize that I've got to do strength training more than once a year.

I resolved to go to Atlantic Center to get a ball and weights this Friday.

Otherwise, it was a great run! We ran pretty slowly, as Ivy League hadn't been running since his PR marathon - by 20+ minutes!

Ran to GAP, then around to the transverse, down the transverse and back, and around the rest of the park.

Then, because I was running with Ivy League, and neither of us had plans......

Of course we went to eat! MMMMMMMMMM

Amarino's. Delicious. What a great Valentine's Day.

About 5 1/2 miles.

Guest Blogger!

Several times before coming to Birmingham, I was asked why would I go to Alabama to run a race when there are so many great races right around NYC. The obvious answer was that the weather is much nicer there in February, but I now realize there is a bit more to it. In NYC, I've become so used to the races being huge, logistical nightmares. Even with copious amounts of public transportation, I always find myself needing the train that isn't running that weekend or I have to stand around for two hours before the race because I couldn't make the trip into Manhattan the day before to pick up my race number. Even 5Ks in the city offer a level stress that I just didn't feel here. The people were friendly and helpful. When I downgraded to the half from the full marathon, I received a personal email from a women named Jill less than an hour after I sent my request. I only had to leave my hotel room 28 minutes before the race began. And finally, the weather was spectacular. All of these elements allowed me to have a personal best in the half. This is why it is worth it to come to Alabama to run a race. Now if only there was a little less fried food and more fresh fruit, it would truly have been perfect.

A Weird Week, Cont.

(posting off of an IPad makes things hard. You can't go back into the post unless you don't want to finish the rest of it!)

I had been talking about how smart I was.

Yes.

So smart, my butt and calves still hurt a bit on Friday.

But, after sitting on a plane for 5 hours, I had to stretch my legs.

So the Vivacious Redhead and I jogged out of the hotel in Birmingham into the sun and warm(er) temperatures.

Almost immediately, the top of my left hamstring, right below my rear, started twinging. Badly.

I ignored it.

Smart.....
I had also forgotten to pack a pair of running tights that I liked, that fit well.

Too optimistic about the daily highs in Alabama, I neglected the lows and the time of the race. And my mind had also been elsewhere, in a serious melancholy due to major errors I had made earlier in the week.

I forgot to pack a lot of things!

A 30 minute run helped on some of the aches and pains and reminded Nevsky I like Birmingham so much.

Empty sidewalks, crumbling art deco facades, evidence here and there of optimism and revitalization.

And the hills. Oi. Those will be fun today!

Yesterday, another run after going to the expo.a run in search of a grocery.

We could cash checks, get drunk, get religion and get our non-existent car fixed.

But we couldn't find groceries!

A short jaunt turned into a 45-minute exploration as we searched. More drinking, religion and car repair presented themselves to us at every turn, on every corner.

But no grocery!

We finally found a small grocery near the 'hipster' coffee shop. One that clearly was a part of the revitalization project.

And one that, while it had retro pepsi, made with real sugar, it still didn't have a single fruit or vegetable!

Sigh. Ah well. That's why we bought dried cranberries and prunes earlier in the trip.

That was, in fact, smart!

Off to an enriching but exhausting day with the Vivacious Redhead's parents and niece and nephews and older brother and wife.

Whew.

I was out by 8:30pm.

Now, for the 'race'. Not even nervous: I'm not going for anything and know I don't have a p.r. in me. Not even close.

We will see! Think I'm going to run the whole thing with the Vivacious Redhead.

As long as I can keep up!

A Weird Week

First Philly, then Baltimore, then Manhattan, then Birmingham.

Knowing that I'd have to be trying on satin dresses later in the afternoon, I cajoled my brother into running a bit under 4 miles with me on Sunday.

Fast. Slow. Fast. Slow.

Melting ice is hard on the knees. If I wanted to stop and start and twist and slide, I'd have taken up soccer.

But I don't really do so well at team sports.

Then, off to Baltimore. No more broken tooth, hockey player look for me!

Even an academic ought to have standards.

Dating only a mile away from where I originally lost the darn thing, I didn't have much time for running: too much nostalgia and catching up with old friends.

So, brilliant woman that I am, I decided that I'd do strength training and jumping jacks.

For the first time in about two years, not counting physical therapy.

The week of a race.

Granted, I wasn't planning to race the 'race'.

But I didn't want to go over two hours, or become so injured that I couldn't do more than hobble.

Yeah. So strength training was a great idea.

Just the first example for the week of how, for a smart person, I can be really stupid.

Curls, push-ups, triceps curls, abdominal exercises on a ball-because I've EVER worked my abs willingly-lungs with weights and 419 jumping jacks later.......

"my butt hurts and it's the same day!" I exclaimed.

Smart.......

Tuesday, I slated running with the Speedy Blonde.

Now, I've called her the Speedy Blonde for a reason. It's not an ironic name, like "tiny" for my 20+ pound cat.

And I haven run at more than a jog for about 5 weeks or so. And had put on over 10 pounds.

And had just done strength work, for criminy's sake!

Smart......

Bstttling the 30-mph plus gusting wind and not enough clothes, I met her up at 72nd and Central Park West. Then, with her chatting easily and me puffing and grunting in reply, we did most of a counter-clockwise loop of the park together.

Of course, I decided to run on the outside. Because I was in such good shape.

Smart.......

At least I made her talk more! I wasn't in much of a position to talk, panting my way through most of the run. I made a bit over 8 miles that day, I'd supposed.

72nd back down and around to the transverse, then up a ways and back down and around to the transverse, then back down to Columbus Circle and back to work.

Ok. Maybe only 7 or so...

More smart choices led me to be indisposed/busy for Wednesday and Thursday. Too many things to fit into one schedule and one 48-hour period.

Philly!

How I've missed you!

And my big brother.

After punishing me with the Vagina Monologues last night, he rewarded me with a sunny run this morning.

Stick and carrot.

I'd like to call this an 'interval run'. This is in quotes intentionally. It basically consisted in jogging interspersed with careful foot-picking through patches of melting ice.

Once, we were able to accelerate up a hill and my breathing got a bit heavy. Otherwise, it was a relaxing stretch of muscles unaccustomed to the 12 something miles I did yesterday.

So interesting how my fitness fluxuates so rapidly. When I'm actually training, 12 is a regular run, not one that makes my muscles a bit stiff.

The sun beamed on sights I hadn't seen for a while. The diners, the places where I've walked in the summer, the yuppy housing right by the trashy thoroughfares.

Of course, given the company, we left the streets a bit cleaner than we found them.

Isn't that the neighborly thing to do?

About 3.8 miles. A nice short leg-stretcher.

Apparently, the Speedy Blonde and BadWater are going to be running along the sunny Charles today. I wonder how their run will stack up. They certainly won't see as much urban interest!

Rain?! Rain? Rain!

I had a glorious time, running in the 33 degree rain today. Over the melting ice.


There. I said it. I'm not afraid to admit it!

Now forget you saw me write that.

My absolute least favorite weather in the world is cold rain. Add my second-least favorite weather phenomenon-ice-and it should have been a trail of tears today during the group run.

"at least it's not really raining", I thought as I waddled out the door in my semi-homeless layered get-up.

By the time I got to Grand Army, it was.

And people were filming. People, don't film others in spandex pants, no matter what the human interest aspect is: it's not sporting.

Though Tour Guide and my rear end might be temporarily famous on the local news station.

We decided to run over the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Why don't we go over Williamsburg, too?" asked Oklahoma.

What a great idea! You see, like eating fast food French fries or going on a blind date, it had been long enough that I forgot how painful that particular activity is.

So it was settled. Brooklyn Bridge to the Williamsburg Bridge and back.

Off we went.

I ran with Oklahoma the whole time. He's actually been doing speed work, so he told me about that. As always, he was averaging about one stride to my three.

I wish I had long legs! And a stride that didn't make it see as if I were power walking.

The first time I actually felt a burn was on the Brooklyn Bridge, which I was happy about. Having had that demoralizing treadmill workout, and not having pushed myself at all, I had been worried that I wouldn't e able to keep even a moderate pace.

Speedy we were not but the pace was respectable.

After the first bridge, Oklahoma and I really were on our own, everyone else having either turned around or running at their own pace.

This is the part that was really fun!

Cue the rain starting to drive into our faces.

Cue the silly jokes.

Cue the smiles.

Cut the smiles over the Williamsburg: nothing can make me smile when running that hill-not even a goofy tall man.

Cue the burn: I think that, if I lived nearer to this bridge, I'd do one workout a week that consisted in 3 or 4 out and backs over it. Then I would have buns of iron, if not steel.

We picked it up a bit going down Bedford. The rain was getting harder and it's not quite as much fun to run in the 'non-bike lane' when it is semi covered in rain-wet, melting ice.

But we ran all the way back to Eastern Parkway together.

"thank goodness you were here today!"

I agreed.

About 12 miles on a day when I might not have gotten out of the house. Yay group runs!

Though PPTC has to amp it up: on the Williamsburg Bridge, we saw about 12 or 15 North Brooklyn runners coming at us. There were a total of 5 PPTC'ers on our run. We would have lost the rumble, for sure.

Luckily, we just ran by them.

Pancakes, redux

Well, not for me.

But I did try an egg cream.

Ahem. It's an acquired taste, I believe.

Ahem.

Still trying to clear the flavor from the back of my throat.

One of my favorite things about running with Ivy League is that food is almost always involved.

No, not during the run, silly!

It's held out, like a carrot: something I can dream about while slogging out miles in the cold.

Most girls have dreamed about their wedding since they were little.

I've dreamed about my next meal.

Its composition. Its location. Its accompaniments.

Mmmmm. Makes me hungry thinking about it.

So, when Ivy League suggested that we go to breakfast after our run, I noticed something.

I started running ahead of him. I had to keep dialing it back.

Now, it's true that he was taking it slow for his marathon on Sunday.

But I was really excited to get that run done and over with!

I ran to meet him, then we ran the lower loop of Prospect Park. Not too much ice and definitely and easy pace. Back up the right side a bit and he was ready to call it done.

I had to run home. It was almost a tempo!

That was when I really got my heart rate up....couldn't wait!

Nor did Ivy League dissapoint. Off to Tom's Diner we went.

He was carbo-loading. I had little excuse for the whipped cream that I ate off of his rice pudding.

Smiling and giddy, I clutched my stomach all the way home.

Mind over lactose intolerance!

Oh, and I ran about 6 miles......

The Treadmill-a.k.a. The Death Machine

The dreaded machine.

I approached it carefully, with a sinking heart.

"Do I really have to work out today?"

Suddenly, I felt sick and hungry at the same time.

I couldn't possibly run right then! Inconceivable!

But my colleague was waiting expectantly on the next death machine over.

So I step on, sadly, clutching my stomach.

And pressed a button.

It didn't work! I was saved!

Unfortunately, we tried again. Darn that macho side of me!

Why couldn't I just say, "eh. I don't feel like working out anymore. See ya later!"?

because I'd feel like a weenie.

Or, more of a weenie than usual!

So onto the working death machine I went.

See, these things kill you with boredom.

What seems easy outside becomes horribly taxing inside.

What flies by outside becomes like an eternal damnation inside.

I once did 12 miles on a treadmill. At one time.

It took three treadmill switches, an iPod, and a close-captioned tv to do it.

Does that mean that I don't really like running? That, maybe, I like the scenery and the outdoor excitement despite the running?

Or is treadmill running really running?

After all, you are looking at a wall, trying not to fall off the sides-at least, those of us who can't run in a straight line - and trying not to run into the front of the machine.

I've decided that the women who saw their arms in front of them when running likely started jogging on the treadmill.

I know my arms start doing this when on the death machine-I'm trying not to hit the front.

Ouch!

At least this time, ten minutes in, I was able to chat with my colleague.

Who was running almost as fast as me.

He started running from total sedentariness eight months ago.

Sigh.

I'm a bit out of shape.

But we hung on for at least four miles, if the readout can be believed.

I claim more.

I know I'm out of shape and hate the death machine but 8:06 to 8:26 miles shouldn't be that hard-feeling!

Am I in denial? Maybe.

But considering over half the treadmills didn't even work because they had been abused so badly, my story has legs!

And I'm sticking to it.

Happiness on the Subway

With my books and groceries, I was "most unwanted person" on the subway last night.

Grumbles and looks every time people were entering or exiting.

Like I have a choice as to how I get home with these things!

Maybe I need a 9th dimension pack, which would transport them all in a space the size of a small purse.

But the young man sitting next to me did not complain. At all.

Which was a great surprise.

Getting on at 72nd street, I settled in to the long ride back to my stop in Brooklyn.

Of course, I couldn't just sit there!

So I arranged a complicated method of holding all my bags upright with one hand and my body as I read a back issue of Science News.

After flipping another page, I noticed that the young man next to me was kinda looking at the article. And sad because I had flipped the page too fast.

"what magazine is that?"
"Science News"

"oh, thanks!"

Shortly after, he gave up his seat to an older woman, hitching up his too-large pants as he went.

I kept reading.

It was a long subway ride and the articles in Science News are really short and light.

Nature it is not!

So, when I finished, I looked p. Like I thought, he was still on the train, standing near the opposite doors.

"would you like the magazine?"

"sure!"

Huge smile.

Every time I glance up, he's immersed in an article.

Not just flipping through.

I get up one stop early to collect and arrange all of my bags.

The doors open. Right as I'm trying to force my bags through the crowd that doesn't want to move, I feel a quick hand on my arm.

"Really, thanks again."

Sometimes I love NY.

Trundling Is Better Than No Run At All

I slid quickly out the door between meetings today. For a quick run.

And I do mean quick, at least in the time sense: an hour between meetings, the sun going down and not enough clothes in my office for the weather.

Note to self: bring more clothes to the office! One measly pair of pants and one jacket isn't nearly enough for 24 degree weather with wind chill!

For us weenies, anyway.

After marble sidewalks, icy slush and hordes conspired against doing more than a run/walk to the park, I couldn't wait to get into Central Park.

It was as deserted as I've ever seen it: like old Central Park after dark.

Trundling because of the icy patches, I didn't get very far.

But, as little as I did, it's amazing how much better it made me feel.

Even solved a scheduling problem while I was out there!

On some of the few clear parts, I did some quick striders-to make up for the trundling, you know.

What's slower than a trundle? A wandle?

Then I was wandling some, too. Icy slush is a bit scary!

Is it better to get out for a slow, slow, short run than not at all?

Maybe not for cardio health. But mental health? Yes!

Little trundling and three sets of push-ups.

Wow. My arms can tell it's been a while. But 70 push-ups aren't too bad.

Now, back to scheduling.

Looping

Monday, the park was clear enough to do loops. Getting over to the park involved some more fancy footwork but it was great to finally be able to stretch our legs for most of a run!

Yay!

Though I am still anti the cold! The Vivacious Redhead couldn't get warm, even with the sun-likely because of the wind.

The wind was a nice cross-breeze across the reservoir.

I should have said 'nice'.

Hmph.

So we ended up not doing two. But, after powering up the hill, we did run to 15th street and back.

Interesting how, now that I haven't been doing any fast running, with the doctor and the snow and my general anti-speedworkness, powering up the hill, while it felt like I was huffing and puffing,

likely should be re-written 'powering up'.

I think it's a combination of getting out of shape and just forgetting what it actually feels like to get your heart rate up.

So I'm bonding right now with the contestants on "The Biggest Loser".

If you don't really know how to push yourself, you are more frightened to try.

And more likely to misperceive your effort level.

Eight miles, making the rest of the day feel warmer and more bearable.

I am also anti all-day meetings! But the running helps me fidget less. And concentrate more.

So my fellow meeting goers were likely happier, too!