The inevitable has happened

Cold has returned to Asheville. Not just cold, but cold and rainy. Yuck. I have been very spoiled in the early and late part of the fall, and now I have to face mean, harsh reality. Actually, Saturday wasn't too bad. It was cold, but it was partly sunny and only a little windy. I went running with the boys, to try and encourage them to exercise as well. Dallas ran a mile and Atticus rode his bike two. It was pretty cute and eye opening. Those boys definitely need to be running around a little bit more! Then after they were done with their part, Jacob and I did a quick 3.5 mile run since work and life were starting to call. Sunday, again not so bad, cool and partly cloudy but lots of wind. I only did four miles and was feeling pretty lack luster. I realize that when I am menstruating my muscles are less full of life and my energy level lags. I'll chalk it up to another day down. Monday was gray all day and cold and windy and just generally yucky. I went out for my five mile run as soon as I got done with work. One really good thing I have gained from this year is to go out and run AS SOON AS an opportunity presents itself. If I wait until later, it may be less convenient, the weather could be worse, my children might be requiring something, etc. It was cold and rainy and pleasantly quiet on the streets. People tend to stay in when the weather is bad, so it was peaceful, traffic was moving slowly. I won't say it was nice, but it definitely improved my mood and I was happy to take a hot shower when I was done. Today, however, was just down right blah. I again grabbed my opportunity right after pilates. It was raining pretty hard and was cold. My shoes got soaked, as did I, and then my feet were cold and so were my hands. I only did four miles since after pilates my legs are frequently sore and tired.... oh, yes and the weather was terribly unpleasant. Any other year I would not go running on a day like today, but not this year. And I actually think it is better for me to be out in the muck for lifting my spirits and helping me acclimate to the season. Because like it or not, winter is on it's way!

35 days to go!

I have had a pretty good run of runs the last few days. On Sunday, I ran up Sunset, which was beautiful. It is an 8.5 mile run, up hill for the first 3 miles, and I absolutely kicked it's ass! I was really surprised with how not tired and sore I felt for the rest of the day. It wasn't like I'd even worked that hard. Normally after running up Sunset, I am totally beat. But not now... Monday I kicked Melissa's ass on a run. She was doing pretty well for the first 2 miles, but the second two she got pretty far behind me and I kept having to circle back and meet up with her. It was still fun to run with a friend. Then Tuesday, after pilates, I did my five mile route as quickly as I could to get an idea how fast I could run the gallop and gorge on Thanksgiving day. I forgot to bring a watch and forgot to check the time before I left, so it was difficult to tell, but I was able to push myself pretty hard the whole run and felt good at the end. Wednesday, just did a light and easy four miles. Stayed up late partying with my cousins, being a little overconfident in my abilities to run, and so I was tired on Thursday morning. The race started at 8 am, which seems silly to me to start so early on Thanksgiving. I mean why not start at 9 or 10, right? I was tired and not really looking forward to running 7 minute miles. Jacob and I were going to try and finish it in 35 minutes, that was the plan. Needless to say, I let Jacob follow through with that plan and I ran with my cousins at 8 minute miles, which is really pretty good considering I normally run 9 to 9.15 minute miles. I finished in 40 minutes, and was really glad it was over and on to the "gorging" part of the day. Again, we stayed up late partying with my aunts and uncles and cousins and the mayor. We had to leave Chapel Hill at 6:30 this morning to get to work and the bed we sleep on is not very comfortable, so I'm a little cranky today. When I got home this afternoon after work, it was cold and gray, and as I've mentioned before I don't always like running on Friday afternoons... all this to say it took A LOT of motivation to get me out the door! Fortunately, the boys wanted me to drop them off at the theater and I knew that was the best chance to go... and so, I did.... really, really wishing I could take a day off! But, I can't... yet. I ran a really slow, pretty lame 5k in the 'hood. It wasn't exactly fun, but it is over now. Tomorrow I'll be more rested and it will be easier to run, I think. Either way 35 days left to go!

Keep on running?

I went back to NYC on Monday (319) for a wine tasting. It was basically like flying in for lunch, but I didn't pay for it, so why not? We had to get up at 5 am, out of the house by 5:30 and to Charlotte by 7:30. On the plane and then meet for lunch. I knew trying to run today was going to be tough. At first I thought I would rise at 4 am and go... but I should know better about myself than that at this point. We got to the city by 10:45 and lunch was looking like it was not going to start until 1:00 or so... so we rode to the hotel hoping for an early check in (which we got). We put our running gear on and run up the Hudson River Greenway. I need to mention that we had not had much to eat during all of our travels (Jacob and I) and our bellies were VERY VERY empty after that run. We did just three miles (since we didn't know how delayed lunch would be). We showered up and got out of the hotel and into a cab with about 20 minutes to spare. We arrived at the restaurant on time. We were ready for the big lunch, excuse me, HUGE LUNCH we had been promised with our wine tasting... only to have the opposite happen. Our wonderful host, a big wine distributor in the city, wanted us to try all 35 wines BEFORE eating a thing. You know, so as not to "disturb" our palates. Well, no matter how little wine you swallow, how much you spit, if you have eaten NOTHING since 5 am and run three miles and it is 2:30 in the afternoon, you will be drunk and feel like shit. It is unequivocally true. So, we were drunk and starving. We spent the rest of that day trying to find enough food to soak up the alcohol. We ate some pretty good stuff in NYC, but unfortunately a hamburger or hot dog would have done better and then a romp in the hay and bed. So, for next time... we know better. On Tuesday, we got up pretty early and were surprisingly not hung over. We got some bagels and coffee and took a short walk. Then we decided to get our run over with so we could eat and eat and eat and eat and make up for the previous day. This time we ran South on the Greenway, which is just a fun and easy place to run. If I had to do it everyday, I would get bored, but for a couple of days, it was nice. We ran just a touch over four miles. Went to the hotel showered and got down to the business of eating. And we definitely made up for time lost the day before. I won't go into all of the details, but we had some amazing Iberion pig ham (some tapas place in the Lower East Side) and pulled and cut to order organic noodles in a soup bowl (at Hung Ry in NoHO) that were so amazing, I can't wait to go again! And then, we had to come home.

So, running at home again... Wednesday (321) did four miles... nothing exciting to report. I was happy to be done with it and even happier to hit my pillow that night...Oh, wait... I had to have a big fight with my husband... which helped fuel my run today... if only we could run away from fights, I'd be in good standing. I hardly had anytime tonight, so I just planned on doing the 5k, but I was so distracted and had so much on my mind, I just kept going. Ended up doing my five mile route since it is so ingrained in my mind and body. It was nice, but my life was here to smack me in the face (children fighting, avoiding their homework, house a mess, employee schedules needed to be made, employee's drama needing to be attended to, many bills to pay, a possible 20K tax bill, a loan modification that isn't working, and oh, that fight with my husband that still needs addressing). Shit. Maybe I should have gone Forrest Gump on the day and kept on running. Running and running and running. What a pleasant thought.

315 days, five states

New York was wonderful! I had a great time with my friends. And running in Central Park was awesome. It is so full of people running, walking, cycling. It's a fun change of pace. I ran on Friday (309) in the park around the boathouse and another inner loop. Just running and sight seeing. And the NYC marathon was in two days, so I was running with all these folks who were training, speaking different languages, the whole awesome NY experience. Then the second day in NY (310), I ran the long outer route. And played my favorite park game... see who I can catch. I find someone in front of me and catch them and then I catch the next person and the next. So on and so forth. Well, in Central Park on marathon weekend, that is quite a challenge! I was able to catch a lot of women and a few men, but there were definitely plenty I could not catch. It was a fun run and running by women who look like they need to eat a sandwich (or 40) is always satisfying. So on Sunday, we went to Stamford and I got to run in this really cool park reserve of sorts. I ran on some pretty technical trails, which I have mostly avoided doing at this point to avoid ankle twisting. So, my pace was slowed and I ran about 4.2 miles and kept my accommodating travelers waiting perhaps longer than they would have liked. But, it was good and then we went and had an excellent lunch followed by cheese and port. I was in heaven! Being in Connecticut makes it five states that I have been in this year. NC, SC, GA, NY and CT. Pretty neat.

We had to leave NY, unfortunately, but c'est la vie. So back at home... Monday after an EARLY flight, I did just 3.2 miles. My pace was fine and the weather was even finer! Tuesday, a run with Mauri, who is just so funny that it's easy to run with her. We did 4.5 miles and then I went straight to pilates. Wednesday (314) did my favorite N. Asheville route, and again the weather was amazing. And now, day 315 finished four miles in 35 minutes. The weather again is unseasonably warm and AWESOME! I know I am getting spoiled. But with 50 days to go I'm feeling rather buoyant about the whole affair. And sometimes surprised that it has been this many consecutive days. It's kind of crazy really.

two months more to go

I'm a little too excited to blog at the moment. I'm heading to New York tomorrow for a long weekend with my girlfriends, and well, it is difficult to sit still. This worked well for my run this afternoon. It's sort of gray and cold outside (not really cold, about 60) but the kind of day where you want to be lazy... and normally I would want to be lazy, but I'm so pumped up for my trip running was a breeze. The leaves still have some color and makes the world feel brighter than it is. And 60 weather is a pretty perfect temperature for running. I don't overheat or drench myself in sweat. And with less than two months left to go, I am happy for the temperate days. Running in New York should be fun. We are staying not too far from Central Park, so I can run in the park, which is always nice. And then on Sunday, when we go to Stamford, I will get to run in the countryside. All in all, lots to be excited about!
And I feel pretty positive that this is going to be a mild winter. So, running outside will be a breeze! Hope does spring eternal, no?