My First Passion

No matter what, I need to read. I didn't run today, but I started a new book recently, Home by Marilynne Robinson, and I'm sliding into a world where I belong. At work someone asked me about a couple books I had with me, and I described them with a passion and knowledge that I don't describe anything else at work. Reading is truly my first love. Unfortunately, I read about 13 books this summer, and it didn't cure me of what ailed me in life. Nonetheless, it was still very cool. With this in mind, I plan on reading, but I need to temper the amount of reading I do with a good dose of knitting or needlepoint- a world of color and texture. Also I'll add a healthy dose of movies based on Jane Austen novels or Shakespeare plays, a little So You Think You Can Dance, Orioles Baseball, and Iron Chef, and 2010 is shaping up to be a year to look forward to.

12th day of training

I didn't run today. I expect that I will be better at motivating myself starting the new year. I'm giving myself a financial incentive to run. It worked in 2008, but not for long. It may work longer this time. Back then if I ran 20 miles within a week I could buy myself jewelry or yarn. Sometimes I ended up buying more jewelry and yarn than I deserved with my running :) You just can't keep a color lover back when the goods are in front.

I've been fighting a cold for a couple days. I still wanted to run, but my work was so busy I didn't come home in time. I can't wait for the time when I need to run in order to feel that my day is complete. Isn't that an awesome feeling?

Merry Christmas!

I didn't run yesterday. I worked 6 hours, and then got ready for my favorite meal of the year. My brother-in-law cooks a surf-n-turf. Yum, yum! Today, I'm dog sitting, and just hanging out with my twin's family. Back to running tomorrow!

7th Day of Training

I didn't run today, but I'm still rocking on the eat more fruit, don't drink caffeinated drinks lifestyle change. I plan to run tomorrow morning to get it out of the way before my twin picks me up for a Christmas Eve celebration. Her husband always makes surf*n*turf which I wait for all year. Part of me doesn't want to have it any other time of the year because it is so special. Another part of me wants to eat it whenever I can because it is so good. It's quite the tug-of-war within me. Usually, I just eat it once a year for the Christmas Eve celebration. He's called up, and will leave within the next two weeks, but he is expected to be back before Christmas next year.

6th Day of Training

5k Indoors on the treadmill. I can't wait until that time when things just click, and I think to myself, *dang, I want to run faster!* I'm trying now, of course. However, I think there is a time when we have an *it's time* moment - as if we are birthing a new life, and due to the way we lived our old life, we are not able to stop the new life from happening. It is part of our plan whether we dreamed it or not.

I look forward to it happening before March. With this change in lifestyle, a couple months would be enough before I decide to take this training to another level. I'm looking forward to that *it's time* moment.

Happy Winter Solstice!

I ran *5k* on the treadmill. I don't think that machine is calibrated correctly. In some sense this is a good thing because I can't be stuck on a time. If I think I can only run a certain time, it doesn't matter. Maybe I'll push myself to try new time territory. Although, it's good for the treadmill to be miscalculated for that reason, I would prefer a correctly calibrated treadmill. I've run on a couple other treadmills, and this one is too easy. I won't last if I base my training on what is displayed on this treadmill. The treadmill is housed in a bath house converted to a little work out area for my apartment complex. It's a 3 minute walk on a slow day, so I'll use it even though it's not the best equipment.

4h Day of Training

2nd full day without coffee. My electricity was out this morning, and now my heat isn't working. Things like that really affect my ability to run. Of course as of January 1st I can't use them as an excuse. I'm sure many die-hard runners can focus on the goal even with the chaos associated with electricity outage, and cold coming out of the central heat. I'm wearing a hat and scarf indoors, and it's kindof affected my ability to think of goals. That is what I would need to work on; goals versus living in the moment. When chaos ensues I live in the moment, when there is no chaos I can focus on goals. However, now when chaos ensues, and when chaos is kept at bay I need to focus on the goal. Quite a different type of lifestyle. Anyway, I didn't run today. I was too busy not focusing on the chaos.

3rd Day of Training

It snowed at least 15 inches between last night, and today, and it's still snowing sideways. I didn't work out today, but at least I ate all the fruit I planned to eat. Part of this training involves running, and part of it involves other areas of life i.e., what to eat, what time to go to bed. Unfortunately, as I have a hard time going to bed, I can't really put that into my lifestyle change for running, and expect it to happen. Eating more fruit I can do, get myself to sleep, no. I make a banana smoothie with dates, and soy milk in a food processor. The recipe is from How it All Vegan. It's really a great smoothie with a nice sweet flavor. Also, I put a lot of fruit into a juicer, and that works wonders. I may not get the good pulp with the fiber, but at least I ingest a lot of the fruit anyway.

I almost put on my work out clothes, and walked the 30 feet to the work out area on my apartment complex. However, the sidewalks that were shoveled this morning are covered in snow, and I don't want to get lost in a snowdrift walking down the stairs. I'll be tenacious tomorrow.

2nd Day of Training

There is a little park near me with a little path. It's a great place to get my running feet back as it's not completely flat, but the hills are not steep. I'll slowly add more running time, and less walking time. I like paths, and tracks, and places I can monitor how I'm doing from day to day. That's probably why my running really took off when my apartment complex added a treadmill to the work out area. I'm determined to rarely use it during my training for the 2010 Cherry Blossom Run because the run is outside, and I need to be able to run comfortably outside. However, I may use it tomorrow when 5-15 inches are on the sidewalks :)

The run was slow with a lot of walking, but inspiring because of that little track. I think I can, I think I can I think I can run the 2010 Cherry Blossom Run, and not get swept before the finish!

1st day of training

I was going to run earlier, but it was in the 20s. I can handle starting this new adventure running in the 30s, but 20s is a little cold. When January storms in, I'll have more gear to handle 20 degree weather, and I won't have weather as an excuse.

Luckily, I have a sister who thinks like a runner, and has run a few marathons. When I ask her for running clothes for Christmas, she gets me exactly what I need. During this 30+ degree run this morning, I was wearing a lot of stuff she gave me; socks, gloves, first shirt, and overshirt. My tights and top layer for my legs I bought years ago. The only non-exercise things I wore were my hat and a turtleneck. I'll have to look into running gear for my head during cold temperatures, and I would need to get running turtlenecks. I'm very excited, actually.

I was definitely well prepared. The cold didn't get in the way of my progress. I didn't hyperventilate, and when I was home I was able to breathe normally without a problem. The only problem is my will. It was not a pretty run. It wasn't a long run, but nonetheless I did get my butt out there. I plan on running on Tuesdays and Thursday nights with a running group formed by the local running shop. As I have a problem with letting myself go, and seeing how fast I can go by myself, I'm looking foward to those groups as a springboard to inch my way faster and faster, and with less and less walking. Should be cool!

So, here I am on my first day of training for the 2010 Cherry Blossom Run. I'm back, and I find out my water's been turned off because of an issue in another apartment. Oi! Water issues in Montgomery County, Maryland . . . what a hassle!

2010 Cherry Blossom Run

I'm running it! April 11th, here I come. 4 months to get up to speed. I can do it. I just need the will power. It all has to be outside work, also.

Salvation

This year has been the pits. I must find new ways to diversify my feelings - in other words if I work my 8 hours, and then don't talk with other people from other places then my good, my bad, my happy, my sad would all be about work.

2010 will be a year of running, a social year to learn more about connecting with others. A new set of others.

Crazy week

It's been a crazy week, work has been especially busy, and people on both sides of the phone are trying to resolve issues before the holiday weeks. The weeks when no one is available to resolve issues :)

I've gauged the weather. It's cold now, and I wonder how those that are used to running in the cold are able to handle it. I would run outdoors in the cold in Michigan when I was attending the University of Michigan. I just put on layers. That was over 20 years ago, and even though layers are still a must, the fabric that is made for running clothes is just more high-tech. It's amazing to put the words high-tech, and running together. Running is so a part of the human existence. We are born to get from point A to point B on our feet, and if we need to get their faster we run. However, here we are using high tech means to ensure we can get from point A to point B with comfort. Nothing wrong with that. It all started with the steam engine . . .

First Snow

The snow cascading to it's bitter end on the wet sidewalk. Cascading beauty taking my thoughts with it. What views and thoughts should it be, but how will I run in weather like this?

What to listen to

If I uploaded an audio book read by Anthony Hopkins or Antonio Banderas, and if I ran while listening to that audio book, I would drool on my sneakers, and bump into trees. However, the experience would take running to a new incredibly sexy height.

Inspired

As I walked to the grocery store I saw a couple twosomes running. It's actually a very good night for running. It's not too hot, and runners have to wear layers, but it's not too cold. I don't remember seeing my breath as I walked to the grocery store. My hands were a little cold.

Tuesdays and Thursdays a running store near me organizes running groups, and I wonder if those runners were part of that running store's running groups. It's encouraging that maybe I'll find other women to run with; we could talk about life challenges as women.

For a couple days I've had very strange heart palpitations. I've had heart palpitations before that are cleared up by eating a banana - those palpitations caused by an electrolyte imbalance. However those are usually very fast palpitations. These palpitations that I recently experienced seem to be the same pace as my day to day heart beat, but they are very strong - as if I could be physically moved by them. I have stress at work, but I have so many other ways to physically express my stress, I would be really bummed if my body decided to find a new default stress expression.

Finished a book

I finally finished Zen and the Art of Running. It took a while. It was so zen, I wanted to stay in the moment, and usually did something else :) I would like to use running as a way to meditate, and to focus on my core. I see that my core is truly the volcano, and my appendages, maintain the heat, but don't create a chaotic fire.

Lunch Break

I had the opportunity to buy a mocha, but I realized since I made a juice out of fruit this morning, I was jazzed and awake already. I had a hot chocolate, because chocolate is salvation in many instances. On the way to work I feel stress in my jaw as I take the metro. This was a major reason why I don't drink coffee before I go into work. This morning on the way to work I was reading Pablo Neruda poetry on the metro. It was like drinking water after an hour walk under the sun. It was so rejuvenating to think poetry, to read poetry, to think of poets as carpenters of the senses.

A beginning

I'm giving myself a month to prepare for my New Year's Resolutions. I will give up caffeinated drinks in 2010. There are a couple good reasons for this: my face looks less stress, my face hurts less, and it will remove the coffeesnack culture from my daily existence. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE coffee. However, for a year I will need to get my energy from more fruits and vegetables.

This is good because I consider 2010 to be my running year. This is another reason to give up coffee in favor of more fruits and vegetables. I definitely notice that my body feels better after I run, and I feel better after I eat fruits and vegetables.

This should be quite the cultural change type of year!