Aha!

I've been waiting for this - the big Aha! moment. I looked high and low, under rocks and deadlines, behind trees, in closets, I waited, I forgot about it, then I remembered and continued the search. I paused, listening...

Then it came - the aha! This while sitting in my leather chair. I seem to get revelations here. When I went through my divorce, I hit a new kind of low - the kind when you have to remind yourself to breathe. The kind where you rely on a morning multi-vitamin to get nutrients. The kind where your sister makes you promise to have said vitamin and a piece of fruit every day. (I did!) The kind where you allow yourself to eat whatever you want because you have no appetite. (Combos and Diet Dew dinners? Hell, yeah!) The kind where people ask you if you're eating and you say yes, but don't understand why they're asking because by now you are starting to eat more/better ensuring you're getting each food group every day. The kind where you're still losing weight, but don't realize it. The kind where you can barely get off the couch. The kind that you never want to experience again. The kind that inspires you to realize your dreams because you never want to return to pre-divorce numbness and inauthenticity.

I've been growing and learning and will continue to do both. So there are no more excuses - it's time to live the life I've been practicing to live. And I'm scared as shit.

And, and, a tad exhilarated.

Who is THAT?

111110b

Another week

Rest does the body good, yes?

Okay, it wasn't my intention to rest so much this week. However, sometimes life just dictates such. Or, more precisely, the body has says no, but the mind says yes. This week, the body won.

At the beginning of the week, I awoke with a crick in my neck. Who knows what happened? Slept in a weird way? It became worse two nights later, awakening me until I finally got out of bed (gingerly) and looked online for a remedy. Yes, this is 4am.

Every morning took hours to get to a point that I could function fairly well, when things loosened to some degree. When I needed to look at something to the side of me, by body followed the direction of my head. It's like I had whiplash. Coughing and sneezing hurt. So did walking. Running? Wasn't even gonna try.

Tuesday night, I had to do something active so I went to yoga after my stitch-n-bitch. Glad I did. I think the next morning was slightly better with the neck. Slightly.

Fast forward to Friday. By this point I was tired. Hadn't been sleeping well. After work, I went to the gym to warm up in the steam room (had spent several hours outside in the windy cold for a work event), cool off in the jacuzzi, and dry off in the sauna.

Think it helped my neck? Ha.

Went to 12:30 yoga on Saturday. Had to try. Everything hurt, including down dog. Even child's pose. By the end of the 90 minutes, my neck was vaguely starting to loosen. More steam room, jacuzzi, sauna.

This morning I went for a run since I wasn't in excruciating neck pain. It was so nice to be out. I wore my Shuffle, but didn't power it on. I ran watchless. I didn't map out a route. There wasn't too much traffic, so I didn't have to worry about whipping my neck around to keep on eye on cars. The pull in my groin area seems to have just about healed. All of the unintentional rest was worth it for a 3.5m pain-free run.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4121464

Time to get moving again

After resting Tuesday, Wednesday morning I went to Core then Rebounding class, both subbed by Ruth S. who gave good, specific instruction. Worth getting out of bed. And, yes, hello Mr. Foam Roller afterward.

Friday morning I did Zumba and Core with Tavia. As a bonus, I learned three exercises for the small, underused muscle beneath the shoulder blade.

Saturday morning - spin! Did two of the three shoulder exercises. Saturday afternoon - short, easy run (1.5) in 14:20. Windy, but sunny. And I actually enjoyed the smell of dried, fallen leaves. Nice fall afternoon particularly for someone who dislikes the season.

Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women

Yeah, and why were MEN running with bib numbers??

Well, this is it. Set things out last night, had a leisurely morning getting ready, left feeling like I forgot something. Couldn't imagine what, and it didn't matter because I had essentials (number, sneakers). I ran into a neighbor who was running it also so we chatted. She'd run it before and gave me tips (mostly relax and have fun!), then offered to run it together, but her pace was slower and I had to go to my office first.

Office = home base. Lucky me! Tons of time. Changed there. And (OMG) brushed my teeth which I'd forgotten to do! At least I figured out what I'd forgotten, but sorry, Katie, if you noticed while we talked. Last pee and I'm off.

Dropped some stuff in baggage claim. Why? Don't ask. It seemed like a good idea to have my office key there rather than in my pocket for some reason. Plus, I wanted a final lip balm application. (Hello, my name is Jen. I'm addicted to lip balm.)

Walked around. Stretched. Walked around. Kept eye out for Cristin & co. at the monument, but yeah no, not a chance of meeting up. 8,200 runners, plus fans.

I've been hydrating for the last couple of days through 9am this morning, and now, now I gotta go. (Mom, are we there yet??) No probs - there are like 10 bajillion porta potties. And craaaaap, like 999 gazillion catrillion people in line for them. Plan B = home base. I can totally make it there and back for gun time. Totally. And I did. Man, I love my office location. (Shout out to Donna aka Building Security who helped with my pace bracelet.)

Alright, this really was a good Plan B. The only thing is that IT'S NOW TOO PACKED TO GET TO MY SEED! I at least made it through stroller land and walkers. Anyway, I'd rather deal with slow runners than have to pee the entire time.

And we're off. Took a while for me to cross the start mats. The thing about racing is that it's not MY pace. There's so much to worry about: bumping into people, people bumping me. I really just wanted to get into my groove. If anyone has any race tips regarding this, please leave a comment.

As I was running, I approached a woman with a stroller. A stroller? I wanted to say: Um, yo, beeatch - how'd you get up here? You need to be back there with your people. And the fact that you cheated and put yourself into a different seed is a tad annoying. I'm not the only one who noticed. Whatev - just move the heck over!" Fine, I jumped the curb and scooted around. Turns out there was a lot of curb jumping and weaving back and forth just to get ahead. I settled into it - the weaving and jumping, accepting this as the norm. (But is that the norm? Please comment.) As such, approaching water stations was a whole other hazard. At one (I hadn't seen it coming) I barreled past, bumping whomever dared get in front of me. I know, probably wasn't the best etiquette, but in my defense I had women to the right of me suddenly throwing their arm in front of me to reach for a water. They may have bruises now and wished they'd been to the left of me like the other women who positioned themselves correctly to take water.

Finally, Comm Ave. I'd remembered it seemed endless when I practiced the route a while ago, but today the cheering fans helped. And, I was distracted by my weaving, so that helped to. But honestly? At this point, I really just needed to finish and not waste energy weaving. I was starting to hurt.

The last stretch on Charles was killer. I wanted to run under an hour. I knew I was close, and didn't dare check my watch again for the last two minutes. The intent was to focus everything on running, not clock watching. I really, really needed fans here. For some reason, the finish line was relatively quiet.

Finish line.
1:00:16
9:41 pace
A bit nauseous.
And then we had to walk uphill. At that point, slight inclines were not my friend.

Water, couple of bagel bites and same for a banana. A sip of some gross red drink. The only good idea was the water.

I have a massage scheduled on Wednesday, but to hold me til then, I stretched a lot, then went to my gym. More stretching, and my fav friend Mr. Foam Roller. Jacuzzi and sauna, naturally. :)

Last hurrah

Okay, folks, this is it - the final pre-race workout: 6pm spin with Kathryn Z.

She offered heart monitors for use during the class and you know I accepted. Kathryn walked around the room checking monitors which was awesome. She told me various target rates based on my age (25). I moved through various zones, ultimately having a great workout. We had a proper cool down and tons of stretching (I did more later, too). Then we dropped and did push ups for 30 seconds. Isn't nice to be the final class of the night and get extra time with the instructor??

As mentioned, more stretching plus I got busy with my friend, Mr. Foam Roller. Hey, a gal's gotta get a little action on a Friday night, no?

Shower time. Jacuzzi. Sauna. Oh, yeah.

We all need a confidence boost

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4089846
4.23m
38:54min
9.11pace

(@2.65m = 24:45 = 9:20pace)

Well, damn, nice pace!

I found the key: lots of pre-run stretching. Screw what I've heard; I need stretching before I run. Before I even head outside, in fact. I got completely dressed, headphones on, then stretched inside where it's warm. Outside: walked/stretched/adjusted my laces and stretched some more. Off I went. Okay, truthfully it took about a minute for everything to get going once I started running, but no pain. Yee-hah!

I think the multiple rest days also helped. Considering stairs were an issue even yesterday, running today pain-free was such a joy.

Also, wondering if eating a ton of cereal last night made a difference?

Seeing "my guy" on the run was and always is a pleasure. I don't know who he is, but he always makes me smile. He pulled up the sleeve of his marathon jacket, looked at his watch, then me and said lookin' good!

My goal today was to listen to my body, go easy on the pace (but push at the very end), and just log some cardio. Accomplished.

Def needed this confidence-boosting run. Now I just need to do this on Monday, but tack on two miles. ;)

Fun run

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4082339
2.14m
19:33min
9:08pace

After looking out of my window and noticing a couple of runners, I got the itch.

Goal: run for the sake of running. I used to love to run, and wanted to get back to that feeling. I timed it, just for blog purposes. And I mapped it AFTER returning home (usually, I map first). The point was to get outside and see where my feet took me.

Even though it was Sunday (long-run day) I knew a long run would kill me since I'm dealing with muscle pull. Besides, I'd rather look back and say I wish I'd trained harder than look back and say I pushed too hard and now can't even walk. Honestly, the latter was starting to happen, precipitated by my crappy long run with Michael and Sarah.

After, walked to Soundbites for breakfast with Praveen - yay! The walking was good I suppose, but I was def feeling effects of too much training - stepping on/off curbs was tricky - damn groin.

walking all over Harvard Sq

This was stupid. I finally sat down on some steps with my friend. I'd been hoping it'd help, but I think it hurt.

See, I'd already had a sort of longish walk to/from pantry (volunteer gig to hand out food) in the morning.

The positive effects of last night's massage were wearing thin.

Spin then massage

After work I high-tailed it to the gym to grab a 6pm spin class with Jakki. We did hills, hill sprints, flat sprints, and jumps.

I had time to grab a smoothie at Emack which is oh-so-conveniently mere steps from the gym's front door. And, the doors both share the same overhang so no getting soaked in the rain. Not that that mattered considered I was soaked with sweat.

Shower, jacuzzi, steam room, then to help dry off - sauna.

Then massage with Ayata. She has the strength of three men which she used for a while on my groin area. It got really personal, but she was very professional and I never felt uncomfortable, well, except for the pain. She asked if I wanted her to keep going in the area and I said I didn't know what to do because I needed this but it hurt a lot. Ayata instructed me to breath through the pain. I did. Let me tell you when I walked out of there I realized instantly that it was all worthwhile. She'd gotten out the kink.

Run through the pain

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4075406
3.79m
35:56min
9:28 pace

Groin area still bothering. Was tough to get started because of the pain. Potentially idiotic to run anyway.

Body Express & Spin

30 min Body Express w/ Tara
It's been a while since I've taken one of her Body classes and I forgot how sucky hard they are.
.killer lunges off bench and back up to a knee lift on bench w/ two risers on ea. end
.shoulder pulls (okay, I forget what they're called, but it's this: foot on bench, lean on quad while other hand holds weight, keep shoulders square while bending elbow and pulling weight alongside body up to hip-ish height, elbow around shoulder height/maybe above, extend arm back down to start position)
.tri kickbacks
.pushups
.squats
.dead lifts
.upright rows
.preacher curl
.overhead press
.chest curls with knees above hips, shins perp to floor
.single arm chest curls w/ same as above
.butt bench kisses
.side skates
.upper crunches w/ knees above hips
.upper crunches w/ ankles above hips, add lower crunch at same time
.that's about it

45 spin w/ Tara
A bunch of bikes were out-of-commission - sits or handle bars were off (wtf?) I grabbed a bike in the front row (my preference), adjusted everything (this takes a couple of minutes), and hopped on. Got one foot clamped in and went to do the same on the other. Um, yo, where's the strap? I need the strap. Ugh. Quick move to another bike, repeat set-up procedure. By now I've missed the four-minute warm up. Which is great because we're going right into a hill. (Totally facetious. This'd be like sprinting from the start of a marathon.) No problem, though; I can power through this. Sprinting? Increase resistance? I got it. One more sprint puts me over the edge and I nearly die. I collapse onto the handlebars momentarily and get back in the game. I'm well aware that my energy can affect the energy of the room (front row, remember? Oh, and I'm directly in front of the instructor which is annoying - where I'm I supposed to look? Her boobs are directly in my gaze, and I don't play in that field, so I settle for a slightly askew gaze.) Her playlist rocked and I managed the rest of the class.

Tons of stretching. Got friendly with the foam roller and discovered a new dealio for my back that totally rocked. I need a FR for home - my ITB and back will thank me profusely.

If I were savvy, I'd order one right now while I'm thinking of it. But I'm tired and I'm going to bed.

False starts

5:30am walk to start of bike path. Stretch, jog, pain. Repeat twice. Start the clock and go! Okay, slowly. Hello, old lady shuffle.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4071061
4.79m
50:25

10:31 pace What??? I know I was slow at the beginning, but still.

It took about 2 miles til I started warming up. Even then, tough. It wasn't til the last 1.5 that I hit my groove.

Yeah, so I guess the 10:31 makes sense. Darn.

Big Ring Gummie

6.9miles
1:07:46
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4066613

Warming up before starting the 6.9 (and clock) was helpful. My goal was to run without stopping. Admittedly, I did walk part of it - about a quarter mile maybe, maybe less, maybe more. Specific, eh?

My mind wasn't in it today. Suck. I ran with two other people, but our paces weren't in sync today and it was very distracting. Although, because Michael ran most of the pond just ahead of me (so we couldn't really talk) I felt compelled to push myself to run faster to catch him (which I never did til much later).

I brought an individually-wrapped, single-serving Big Ring Gummie (I'd never heard of them either until I bought a big bag of 'em at CVS this morning) for a mid-run push. Not sure it helped, but I wanted to try something portable for an energy boost. It's kind of a pain to deal with it while running - opening the wrapper, stuffing the wrapper back in my tiny interior key pocket, then occasionally burping cherry. At least I didn't have to spit today. Oh, and that's attractive, let me tell you. So ladylike.

I wonder if the gel packets are any better? Clif makes some. I bet the ingredients are superior. At 5:30am my options were limited, though.

walk in the woods

Hey, isn't this my day of rest??

What I thought was going to be a stroll through the woods turned into an energetically-paced walk - some of it uphill (or was it uphill both ways??). 1.5 hours of this.

So much for a rest day.

spin

6am hour-long spin class which at times I thought would never end (a ten-minute hill - what??), but Lori kept us motivated with her encouragement and rockin' playlist.

Then, a half dozen pull-ups followed by the penguin walk with the band.

My fav part? Stretching.

Yoga or ITB hell

I requested some ITB work since I ran this morning. Who am I kidding? My IT bands are always tight regardless of whether or not I ran that day. So, the instructor fulfilled my request with a specific pose. OMFG, it hurt like a %$#. Now, there's high discomfort and there's surgery-inducing pain. This was of the latter variety. I had to stop. And I felt badly for stopping because I'd requested it. But I only have two knees and I like to keep 'em. The original ones.

The REST of the practice was nice...

Doin' the shuffle

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4060456
3.5m/32:46
break @1.2m 10:32
some hills
9:21pace

I'm thinking that I need to include jogging in my warm-up before starting the clock because I pretty much just shuffle along like an old lady at first.

At least I double-knotted my shoelaces this time.

Just becase the sun can rise later, doesn't mean I can. Sigh.

I MUST go to bed earlier. There is no way 11:00pm (okay, later, actually) cuts it when I'm supposed to be out of the house before 6. Oye.

After telling myself that I had to just get up and put gym clothes on, then I could go back to bed, I, of course went to the gym.

Rebounding class was fun but tough - Maria gives a good class. I skipped the two water breaks - hey, if I can run for an hour without water, I can get through a 45-min class without water. Then I did some quick bi's, tri's, and quads, followed by a ton of stretching.

My love/hate relationship with the foam roller was in full swing this morning. If you use a foam roller, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Look before crossing

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4055865
4.1m
38:41, two traffic stops, two tissue breaks (maybe 20 seconds, but who's counting?)
9:26 pace w/o accounting for stops (but again, who's counting??)

Hands cold at first, but fine later.
First hill on Lowell went really well - no prob at all. Short hill on Walden seemed tougher. Which is comical to me.

And really, Jen, starting earlier would be in your best interest. Especially if you're going to look AS you cross the street. Didn't your mama teach you to look both ways BEFORE crossing? Yeah, thought so. At least the driver was paying attention. And at least you have quick reflexes in case the driver was texting or something stupid. Still, though - safety first.

Hey, I double-knotted my shoe laces this time - doesn't that count for something?

Scoping the course

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4051189
1:00:02

I ran the course to check it out. Love it! I wonder what'll happen on race day in terms of positioning? I mean, do I REALLY think the dirt path along the Charles will be wide open for moi? Ha! I think my knees will just hate me later while I pound pavement with the other thousands of women. Sigh.

Comm Ave seemed ridiculously long.

Om

So glad I went to yoga. Lengthening and opening was necessary.

Chest openers (my request) and plenty of twisting.

Such a nice way to end yoga tonight: Om.

Namaste.

flat run with sprints

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4043951
3m
(I forgot to press start on my stopwatch, but under 30 min.)

Didn't want to get up the morning. What's the deal with the sun rising later? Who decided? That doesn't work for me.

I think I need one of those lights that turns on gradually, mimicking the sun.

Luckily, there was a text from Michael that he wanted to join me. I responded in my morning fog and he said 6am. I think the only reason I got out of bed early was because of that text.

Picked up speed along Garden and again on Mass (going SE) approaching Davenport
Sprints* on Shepard, Blake and Russell**.

*It must be noted that my sprints and Michael's differ significantly - he is much faster.
**This sucked. Period.

Maybe nearly back-to-back sprinting (B and R) is not the way to go.

Goga

Got home in time for a 20-minute lie down. Bolted out of bed when I saw the time. Found a premium spot in the packed studio.

Holy crap, I'm tight from all of this running. Garudasana was even a challenge or maybe it's my bulging quads! Yeah, bulging quads, that must be it. Anyway, they are getting bigger.

Tons of twists in yoga class tonight. Love. Twists.

Nice morning for a run

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4039068

4.1m
39:10 min

Warmer than Sunday (yay!).

My goal was to run 4 miles in 36 minutes, but I decided I'd be okay with 4 in 40.

I think I was dehydrated since I was kinda nauseous for the last half mile, and dizzy post-run. Scratch that. I know I was dehydrated. Which is plain stupid.

Must. Drink. Water.

But the dehydration is not an excuse for not hitting the 36-minute mark. I know I need to train harder to get faster.

I also need to relax. I was actually nervous when I left the house this morning. Silly, perhaps, but true. I was anxious about meeting my goal. My hands were shaking as I folded tissues to tuck into my waist band.

Speaking of, does anyone's nose run while they run? It's annoying because I'm trying to breathe, but a little snot is getting in the way. Gross. If I had a sleeve, I'd wipe the drip, but I'm wearing tanks.

quim

aka quick gym.

10 hard minutes on the Arc Trainer, followed by a three-minute cool down.

Then my two favorite leg machines. Quad presses and leg extensions. The usual stuff on both, plus some single-leg work on the leg extension using my left leg which needs some extra attention.

Followed by plenty of stretching.

Done.

Ma, I miss you

Dear Alzheimer's:

Please return my grandmother. You've borrowed her long enough (too long!) and I want her back. I realize this is selfish on my part, but I truly believe she - the real Ma - is in there. I know this to be true because I see glimpses of her. An expression washes over her face, a note of familiarity on her part, then just as soon fades. Please release her from your custody. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jen Matheson, Granddaugher


Today's visit.

Always a neatnik, she brushed crumbs off of herself today and adjusted a chair into place. As usual, she noted that my hand is cold (it was). Some things never change! We spoke briefly about something in particular, though I have no idea what we discussed. She said a word or three that made no sense, but we both just nodded and agreed as if it were clear. I know at that moment we connected over the few words.

That was it. The rest of the visit was worse than usual. The decline is obvious. It saddens me to see her like this when I know she can't express herself the way she'd like. I speak and I can see that she has tremendous difficulty engaging in conversation and understanding what I am saying.

She is in pain. Her neck aches because her morning Tylenol was losing steam by afternoon.

What startled me the most was to see her reaction when I gently covered her shoulders with a jacket when she was cold. She was clearly uncomfortable, didn't know who I was, and actually looked frightened. After finding Ma's nurse to help me interact with her (how is it that I need help interacting with my grandmother??), she calmed a bit then got tired so the three of us brought her to bed. Sue pulled up one side of the bed railing so Ma couldn't roll back and left the room. I said "I love you lots" and leaned in to kiss her forehead at which point she freaked and growled "get away from me". "Ok" was all I could say.

Since I'd promised myself that I could cry later if necessary (just not while I was with her), it was all I could do as I scurried down the hall not to cry. I barely lifted my fingers to Sue in parting, afraid to open my mouth for fear that doing so would release the tears. But they started streaming down my cheeks when I reached the alarmed door. Thankfully, someone called out "Jen, the code is..." and I barreled out of there.

This isn't fair, for either of us.

Knee pain? Read this article.

http://www.drbookspan.com/KneePainArticle.html

I tried to run "lightly" today - not pounding on my knees. Ha! Yeah, totally need more muscle strength. At least now I know what I'll work on this week in the gym.

Inward smile: I actually knew this all along; I've know what I need to do in order to prevent further knee injury.

I guess I just needed to read the article to remind myself.

Batman blows off

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4033746
5.4m
54:39


Um, so where are you? It's 6:30am; I'm here. Stretch. Pace. Okay, so I'm going to get my Shuffle.

I just grabbed my music, a coupla cashews and dried cranberries, and hid my keys again. You're not here, so I'm running without you. Sigh. Was really looking forward to the companionship. Plus, I planned my day around a 6:30am run and skipped running with Andrew along the Charles. Maybe this is better - I need to be able run solo since it's not like you'll be running Tufts with me.

It's a tad chilly out. Should I have worn gloves?? I'm not ready for cold runs. Unbelievably, as I type my hands are still cool.

For a while, I ran with my thoughts - headphones on, music off. I miss running for the pure enjoyment of it. On Sundays I like to run with a vague idea of where I'll go, and allowing detours down pretty streets. But last night I mapped a route and stuck to it today. No stopping for anything - not even traffic (love early runs for this reason!). And luckily my shoe didn't come untied until I was stretching after the run! I did slow while I blew my nose twice 'cause I haven't figured out how to breathe hard, run, and blow at the same time. That could just get messy.

The home stretch down Mass Ave was tough through Arlington. I imagined someone coming up beside me, taking my hand, and pulling me along for a bit. Then a woman walking by smiled and said hello genuinely, and a squirrel ran with me - leading the way. I turned on my music and pushed through.

Jen, you can do this, I thought. And I did.

Crane Beach

Alarm sounds at 4:30am.

Is there really any better way than to start the day walking along the beach at low tide, shoes off?

I don't think so.

My heart is here, at the beach, I realize as I take off my Crocs and feel the sand underfoot. Tears welling. Sun shining. Surf gently rolling.

Hello, and there's my ass!

I thought it'd be a swell idea to do some strength training today. And what better time than late this afternoon since I was short on time after my run this morning? A 45-minute Bosu Challenge seemed ideal. Ideal, I tell you.

Enter my ass. OMG. Hello! I have one. It hurts. We did some butt stuff. I mean, plenty of fucking butt stuff.

I can only hope all of the butt moves will help with my running. Like the trainer said, I need to fire up my glutes to help propel me.

Consider them fired. And now they're hired.

3.7miles

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4026433

Perfect weather.

While I missed seeing the guy* on Mass Ave who reminds me of my grandfather, Papa Bob, I had tweaked my playlist last night and that carried me through.

*He's been on Mass Ave a bunch of times and always says something encouraging and has a huge grin. He's awesome. I sometimes wonder if he is a runner or former athlete. I've seen him wearing a Bos mara jacket, but never stop and look to see if it's a volunteer issue or athlete issue.

Here's the thing. So I went out looking to do 4m - starting slow, picking up speeding in the middle, then reducing. My plans changed halfway through. I had to go. Number two. I could take my chances and finish my run, but I was increasingly losing focus on the running (which might have its merits aka distraction!). I stopped in at home, dropped off the kids, and blew out the door. (First washing hands, grabbing small handful of raisins and two cashews.) Ah, much better - now I could focus on the run. Since I'd had the short respite, I needed to justify it with some fast running.

Total distance 3.7m
Total running time 34:55
Pre-home 2.4m
Pre-h about 22 min
Post-home 1.3m
Post-h 12:55 min**
**The 1.3m consisted of running normally, then picking it up for a half mile, then back to normal, then a sprint on a flat, then walk, then jog, then sprint the same flat.

Gobs of delicious stretching followed.

soga

So, yoga, to go or not to go? I'd been planning throughout the day to grab a 5:30 class. Ate well (but didn't hydrate enough). Left the office with plenty of time to spare.

Then the games: I don't HAVE to go. I can go TOMORROW. I'm too dehydrated. It won't be THAT good. I don't love the instructor. I'll just lie down on my bed. For a bit. No, really. That'll make ALL the difference.

"Alright, but not 'til everything's ready", I told myself. I stripped, got my yoga clothes and mat out, looked at the time and plopped on the bed for a six-minute power nap. If I miss it, I miss it. "But Jen, you really want to go. Besides you need a good stretch." Yeah, but. "But nothing." But it's so cozy in bed. And I could do laundry instead of yoga. "Gimme a break." Fine, I could use some arm toning.

5:21pm Throw on clothes. Check look in mirror. Hey now, I look kinda tan.

So, yoga. I went after all.

inspired 3 miles

Yesterday I looked up old 5K race times and was inspired seeing my results. Granted, I was a whole lot younger. Still, though, if I did it then, I figure I could do it again.

So, I mapped a route and went out. I was a little anxious knowing my plan, but I went anyway. Started slowly, then picked it up. The route: Mass at Russell. To 16, around teeny island and back (and holy crap my time is good so far - 8:41). Down Davenport, cross Elm, up Burnside, right on Summer, down Linden, right on Elm. Somewhere around the JFK Elementary School I got a cramp in the right side of my stomach. I pushed through because I knew I was almost done - just had to make it to Burnside. When I did, I felt mildly like I could puke which quickly passed then I was mega thirsty.

Goal: 3m at 9min miles
9.7.10
27:15
3.09 M
8:4912 pace
Goal exceeded :)

"long" run not so long

After sleeping in fits - kept awakening from weird dreams - went running at 630am with MF. We ran at a fairly fast pace to the Tufts track, did 2.25 miles there. The intent was to run up a few hills after this, but I crashed during the first hill. Mentally, I wasn't in it and I knew it. I tried to get back in the game, but it wasn't happening. I felt like a jackass for falling short on our run. Of course, MF was pleasant and understanding. We picked it up again after walking the remainder of the hill and down another. We wound our way up College to Broadway and back to Davenport at Mass.

I'd said: "so we'll end at the bottom of this hill?". MF: "I thought you wanted to finish at your house." Me: "Yeah. Okay." (Damn it, MF. And thank you.) He has a way of pushing me that doesn't feel like pushing.

9.5.10
5.7M

hill sprints with Michael

9.2.10
sunny, coolish (or muggy, depending on who you ask and whether they slept with a fan or AC)
6am
walk
jog to Tacos Lupita
the sprinting toward and past Somerville Hosp...Porter, Crocker, Tower...
working on pushing from glutes
ended on good sprint up Tower (starting from wall sign)
jog...working on longer strides
walk

run to track

sunny
9:00am
start: willow @ elm
down broadway to powder house blvd
up packard to teele
back to phb around mason
poke around to track
.5 mile on track
to garage - door locked - dead end (oops!)
back out to phb to broadway to willow
cross elm to beech to orchard
end at davenport
about 3.87 miles
38:07

tracking

8.22.10

Michael was correct - running on the Tufts' track is nice to my knees.

3m in 28:40 (first two miles was 19:06) which equates to 'bout 9:33 min miles.

Did I keep up with Michael? Ha! He lapped me.

I hadn't done any cross training last week and think that affected me. So, it'll be interesting to see how this Sunday goes after logging some gym time.

Over 2miles, under 20min

Total Body Cleanse - Day 2-7

Am finally posting the remainder of my cleansing experience. I followed the direx, and noticed nothing. Somehow, I expected to feel renewed, rejuvenated, lighter, something, anything, but nope.

On day 8, I went back to the store and talked with the woman who helped me choose the cleanse. When I said that I did not feel any different, she thought perhaps I was already "clean" and did I want to try a kidney cleanse next? Hm, interesting. And no.

But I did buy some aloe juice which I drink like a cocktail over ice.

In retrospect, maybe my sweat is less odorific? I dunno, all I can say is that I'm glad I tried it and figure it couldn't have hurt, only helped.

And, yes, this was a bucket-list item that I can cross off.

Total Body Cleanse - Day 1

This morning I took two capsules which taste good, waited 30 minutes, then mixed a scoop a Acacia Fiber into eight ounces of water. The mix is nearly flavorless, but what I did taste was pleasant - bland and healthy. Then drank another eight ounces.

Ate and drank normally throughout the day.

So far, no changes in how I feel or what's happening internally.

Just took two capsules of the evening portion and they taste bitter. Mixing more Acacia Fiber with 8oz water, followed by additional 8oz. Glad it's only 7:51 so I'm not waking up at 2 a.m. to pee!

Total Body Cleanse - Pre-start

Something came into my inbox the other day from Cambridge Naturals that got me thinking. Thinking about colon cleanses. Do I need one? Do I? After reading myriad articles and experiences online, I decided to get to CN to scope out the options.

Lucky me! CN staff is knowledgeable on cleanses and can help me build my own, or recommend a pre-packaged one. As a novice cleanser, PP is touted as the way to go.

We (a coupla staffers and I) got down to the nitty gritty and exchanged lots of non-cocktail party conversation. I left with a boxed seven-day, rapid-cleanse program in my handbag.

I was about to toss the receipt when I got home, but stopped. Did I really want to do this? Will I be tied to the toilet for seven days? Will I hurt? Vomit? Fever? Is this safe? Should I have chosen the 14-day gentler, organic cleanse? Should I call my doc first?

A little voice inside me said: Jen, you're doing this. Alright, alright, but when? Shouldn't I wait until the day after I go skydiving? Thoughts of being in a plane wearing the gear or strapped to some dude as I jump came to mind - what if I had to, you know, go? I mean, we are talking about the Rapid Cleanse, after all, and atmospheric pressure could do weird things to a gal's colon.

Again, the voice: You're starting tomorrow morning as soon as you return from the gym. Fine. This would give me several days pre-jump to see how my body responds. I read through the instructions and mentally prepared for whatever may happen.

Delights

Watermelon chunks and freshly-torn, organic basil.

Roasted organic cauliflower, snipped organic dill, nutritional yeast, and EVOO.

Mango juice.

First mosquito of the season found my dinner. Which is better than sampling my blood.

My parsnip is better'n yer mama's.

How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins (with pictures) - wikiHow

How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins (with pictures) - wikiHow

Do I need a vacation?

I double booked myself for Monday.

I nearly did the same for this coming Sunday.

That's the downside of having a busy social calendar. It's really a lot for a former meek girl to manage. I'm learning.

As I walked to the librarian to pay my fine for the overdue book, I halted, mid-stride upon my realization that my book is sitting in my office which is no where near the library. No problem - I'll just pick up the books being held for me. Turns out that one is "missing" and the other is mis-shelved. I'll be notified when they surface. Perfect.

Not one, but two time sheets were sent late. Deadline missed. Lots of extra work for me and payroll.

Whatev.

Now a leave request. Late.

Serious?

A second leave request. Past due.

People! Come fucking on. Do you think I give a rat's ass if you're paid? But when you have the nerve to disrupt my day with late submittals, I get testy. If I had my druthers, you'd get paid when I damn well got around to it since you couldn't be bothered to get around to it. What? Computer down? You couldn't pick up the phone?? Your problem is not mine.

Late leave requests? It just fucks things. We don't like that.

My left leg - bothering me.

My feet - jolts of surprised agony.

Bloat - yucko.

Zing Pizza tonight? Tasty.

Maybe life isn't bad. Maybe even good. Yeah, good, in fact.

S'ok. I'm ok.

Oh, and the snow this afternoon...so pretty, like a snow globe with gobs of big fluffy-coated, irregularly-shaped flakes. Gobs.