Take that, 8th Grade Gym Teacher!

REST DAY

2005-02-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Rest Day.

Actually much needed. My calf muscle hurts, weirdly enough. Its the first time I've had a muscle pain since I've started training and I'm hoping it goes away before the 5 mile-r tomorrow.

Sunday

2005-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

Superbowl and 4m.

No superbowl party, though.

After the 4m, I actually spent the day feeling pretty sick, although I don't think the running had anything to do with it.

(Even) Long(er) Run

2005-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

7m!!! The longest I have ever run!!

I wore the approriate clothing, too, and ran really well, I think.

Sigh

2005-02-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

Finished the 3m no problem! 3m is now considered really really easy :)

Crazy Stuff

2005-02-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Good
- Run. 4m. Awesome

The Bad
- Busy. Tired. No Sleep. So Much Work.

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Not Busy.

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REST DAY

2005-02-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

Most weeks (since I've been training), I take Wed. as rest day and run the miles on Friday, because Wed. sucks a whole lot for me. Last week was a really great exception to the rule -- since half my Wed. stuff got cancelled. But today sucked double to make up for that.

Oy. Wednesday.

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Lovely

2005-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

The Good
- A completely lovely 5m

The Bad
- Nothing to do with running, but a very late night nonetheless

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Was looking out the windown when we got home. We could see her little cat face from the street.

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REST DAY

2005-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

rest day.

But, I did get a nice package from Team in Training today.

Tomorrow? 5m.

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The Gymming Hour

2005-01-30T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Good
- 4 m of awesomeness
- I did my good deed of the day (week?), informing about 4 people who tried to use the treadmill next to me that it was broken. Saved them some time, I think.
-Beautiful, beautiful weather. And for here it means "fewer layers under your coat" rather than the traditional definition of "tank top."

The Bad
- Nothing bad, really. Maybe the general business, but thats not really running-related.

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Spent the night sitting on my pillow, poking her nose into my face. (read: being simultaneously adorable and highly annoying)

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Long(est) Run

2005-01-29T00:35:00.000-08:00

The Good
- Well, I finished the 6m.
- It was not as cold ...?
- Three donations (!!!) in the last 2 days

The Bad
- This was the hardest run I've ever ever had. Definately hardest since I've started training, and I would wager it was the hardest run since I've started running in general.
- There are a bunch of reasons why this was a bad run:
1. I think I was overdressed. I got so cold yesterday, that I was determined not to be cold ever again. That meant that I literaly wore 6 layers on top and 3 layers on the bottom. Plus a hat, scarf, two pairs of heavy wool socks and two pairs of gloves. By mile 2, my clothing felt heavy, wet and uncomfortIable. Next time, I'm going to wear my absorbent t-shirt (courtesy of TNT), a long sleeved shirt, and a sweatshirt, as opposed to all that other stuff.
2. I ran waaaaay too fast on that first mile. Usually, I run a slow first mile, speed up for the middle miles and then slow down again for the last mile. Today, I literaly ran a 6:30 min first mile. That was ridiculous. And it was a result of a problem that, I think, might plague me during the marathon if don't nip it -- I paced myself off other people. Specifically, I paced myself off someone who was only running two miles and was therefore running at a faster pace than I was. I know I should never do that. I should just get comfortable and not look around so much.
3. I didn't stretch prior to run. Usually I walk to the gym, which substitutes as a warm-up. This time, I had to drive to the team training for the long run (as it is about 45 min away from here). I arrived just in time, and had no time to walk around, stretch etc.

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Got brushed out today, so her fur is really soft looking.

The Overall
- It wasn't a good run, but everyone has bad runs.
- I know why it was a bad run, which is really important
- I'm still full of energy and ready to take on today
- And, really, I'm not running this marathon to prove that I'm all "rock star athelete," I'm running it to challenge myself, finish and most importantly, to raise money for cancer research.

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REST DAY

2005-01-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

Rest day, no running. Ended the day feeling sad and tired -- I think not running may have something to do with my general mood.

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Run-isms

2005-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

The Good
- 4 miles, no problems
- I really really enjoyed running today
- Class-y Goodness

The Bad
- The lockers, they're GONE

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Is asleep -- both, cutely and fuzzily.

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3m

2005-01-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

The Good
- The 3m was really easy today
- The gym was totally free
- There is pretty snow slowly falling outside the window

The Bad
- Donations have, apparently, stalled. I haven't gotten one in two days -- which is sad and means we have to work harder.
- Rowdiness

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Is curled up near the heater, purring.

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4m

2005-01-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Good
- The 4m was fairly easy
- The gym was not crowded, for once.
- I felt really energetic all day after the run.

The Bad
- I don't understand why people answer their cell phones in the gym. I don't understand why you need to huff and puff "Hey, I'm on the elliptical, I'll call you back." I understand that maybe there is something really important going on, and that people need to be able to reach you, but if that is the case? Get off the elliptical and talk to them.

The Cute and Fuzzy
- Chased her toy mouse for literaly an hour, sqealing every time she caught it in her mouth. I've heard that cats do that because they want someone to congratulate them on a job well done, so we all dutifully petted her and told her we're extremely proud of all she's accomplished.

The Linkage
- The New York Times takes on the post-January 1st gym blitz . A fairly good account, except in university-gym land, this happens at the start of every semester, so in September and in January.

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REST DAY

2005-01-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today I ran 0 miles. Why? Because its rest day.

My day feels oddly incomplete, though...

Short Run

2005-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

3 miles today -- went fairly well; nothing too spectacular and nothing too painful. Although there were too many people at the gym.

Looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.

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Long Run

2005-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Today's long run was special, for many reasons.
The Good:
- The 6 miles felt like 3 did last week.
- I was able to totally disassociate after about mile 2.
- The neat tricking your body thing really worked; since you're supposed to run the first and last mile slower than the mid miles, I told myself that I was only running 4.
- I ran the miles with no iPod, meaning that I am able to run and pace without music.

The Bad:
- I had to do the long run on a treadmill at the gym, since the weather here is completely terrible so an outside run with the group was a no-go.
- When I finally emerged from the gym and trudged to the car, I found it completely snowed in. It took 45 minutes, a shovel and three people to get me out.
- After all the snow, etc, my sneakers totally gave out. I guess maybe its time for a new pair.

The Cute and Fuzzy:
- Is curled up with her tail over her head, right next to me

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