Laugh out loud...

It's healthy to laugh like nobody's watching.  I love those moments and am so glad I had one today...even if it was only funny to me (and it often is...only funny to me, that is).

I had the bright idea to get up early and run from my house to the gym before my barre class this morning.  It's only six miles.  Well, it's only six UPHILL miles. 

I've lived in my current house for almost six years and I drive the stretch of College Parkway between Cape St. Clair and Route 2 pretty often.  How did I not notice the road runs uphill when going West (the direction to get to the gym)?  I'm not talking short bursts up with a downhill to recover before the next short burst up.  It is nearly an incline the entire way.  Yowzer, can you say glute workout!

By the time I reached the gym, I was getting a little loopy.  (Did I mention I forgot to eat breakfast before heading out for my adventure?  Not my smartest move this weekend).  And when I get loopy, things get real funny.  Especially the inside jokes.

Today a list of thoughts every runner has while out for a run was circulating on Buzzfeed here.  If you aren't a runner, you won't understand it, mostly.  But (a) I was loopy, so lots of things are funny, and (b) at various times in my running career every one of the statements was true, which leads me to (c) - it really was just that funny.  When I got to 42-53, I was basically rolling on the floor in the dance studio at the Y and I'm pretty certain the other folks in my class, who were going about their business just waiting for barre to begin, thought I really needed a straightjacket as an accessory to my outfit.

So here I was, laughing out loud, semi-delirious from lack of sustenance and starting a barre class that may as well bill itself as torture you pay to enjoy.  I'm not sure God intended people to do some of those things, but if it ensures I have the body of a runway model by swimsuit season then I'll take it.

Six miles, a good laugh and an hour of barre later, I feel pretty physically exhausted....but really darn good.  You just can't beat the stress buster and mental high you get from exercise.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -

Miles:  6
Time:  1:07:22 (average pace of 11:14 per mile)
Location:  College Parkway
Feeling:  woohoo (is that a feeling?)

Geese and vultures...

Generally they have very little to do with running, except when that's what you see at nearly every turn along your running path.  Yup, and turkey vulture eyes completely creep me out.  Upside?  They make you run faster...at least momentarily. 

Today I wanted to stretch my legs a bit more and see what I could do.  It's been a while since I've run more than 4-5 miles.  In fact, my last 9-miler was back in November.  So I decided today I was going to take the loop that runs both sides of route 50 out near my house. 

Perhaps it was a bit much after 5.75 miles on Friday night and a barre class yesterday that totally kicked my butt (why do people pay to be tortured?), but when have I been known to shy away from something because it's a bit too much. 

 

 

I chose this route today so that I couldn't bail out when it started getting tough.  How do you get better?  You push beyond your limits until its no longer beyond your limits.  Once I cross the bridge over 50 (which by the way offers an awesome view to the Bay Bridge) there is no going back.  While it's not half way on the loop, it is sort of that mentally half way point.  Like "if I cross to the other side of 50 I'm closer if I keep going up to the next bridge."  It's not true, but it's a good mental trick. 

 

There were many points along the way that I just wanted to stop and walk (except for those darn vultures and their beady eyes I may have considered it for more than a second or two), but there were more reasons to keep pushing.  My mind, my goals, being able to tell my kids that you never give up no matter how hard - even when your legs are mush less than 1/2 mile from your home and you hit the pavement (yep, that happened) - all are reasons I pushed my body through the 7 miles.

 

No the moral to the story...7 miles may not be the smartest thing in the world after the tough arm workout I had at barre yesterday.  My right arm ended up stuck in the running position because it was too sore.  My husband had to bend it back out and then OUCH!  Let me tell you, that hurt like a you know what.  Next time?  Well I plan on being stronger next time, so that hard arm workout won't impact my run in the end.

 

That's my goal for the next year - be stronger next time.  Each next time will add up and then I'll look back on the effort at the end of the year and have something to be proud of...though vulture eyes will still be creepy.  Happy trails!!!

 

Stats -

Miles:  5.75 Friday, 7.02 Sunday

Time:  1:00:00 Friday (average pace of 10:26 minutes per mile), 1:21:35 (average pace of 11:37 per mile)

Location:  Greater Annapolis Y, Broadneck Peninsula

Feeling:  Friday all was good but by Sunday night just about every muscle in my body ached like a mother

 



Bookworms and setbacks...

The diva didn't have school on Friday.  If you have been around 5-year olds, you know that means you've got to deal with more energy than you have after overdosing on sugar and caffeine.  Since I also had Baby K, I needed to figure out an activity that would not bore the diva, help Baby K take a nap...and perhaps allow me to get in a little exercise.  Solution - power walk to the library!

When we knew we had a second kid on the way, we invested in a Joovy tandem stroller that wasn't massive and bulky.  Though its not as mobile as the bugaboo or even the Joovy jogging stroller, it gets the job done and allows me to move quickly without having to remind the diva every five steps to keep up.

Would you believe we made it all the way to the library..almost two miles...with only a couple "are we there yet?"s?  Yep.  I guess I walked fast enough, though there were a couple more questions on the way home.  The bonus to the whole trip was that the diva played with a couple girls in the kids section and scored her first library card.

Friday evening was a different story.  Though I worked up a nice sweat during the power walk, I still wanted to get in a run Friday night...especially after a day with two kids.  Let's just say, Thursday night's tweaking of the back while lifting reared its ugly head not .05 miles into the run.  Needless to say, given my injury a few years ago, I know when to call it a day.

After a night of rest, though, I got back at it in the gym.  Not with a run, of course, that can be jarring.  I started taking the barre class.  It's a combo ballet, pilates, weights.  Not a classic barre class, but it kicked my butt and I will definitely be feeling this one for a few
days.  Looking forward to it again next week.

So the end of the week didn't produce the miles or effort I wanted, but it still produced.  I'll be taking a few days off to rest the back, but it won't keep me down long.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 3.52
Time:  1:01:24 (average pace of 17:27 per mile...not bad walking with two kids)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula and Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  ouch and ahhh