The last day of June

I haven’t been here that often, but I want to report that I have been running. I ran four times last week – four! – but skipped yesterday’s long haul in favour of book reading and game playing on account of low courage in the face of high humidity. I’ve been doing some shoulder and back work. I ran this morning, too. My 5k felt more like wading then running, and I could feel beads of sweat form on my scalp under my cap as soon as I walked outdoors; despite this, I felt strong and good. I think running becomes more of a mental exercise at times like this.

I haven’t blogged since May. Last time I checked the calendar (which was roughtly two minutes ago) the date was June 30th. The last day of June. Given the time and opportunity (and possibly motivation) I would be showing up here more regularly. But at the very least, I don’t want to go a full month without posting so I am preparing to meet that deadline. I’m sliding the term paper under the prof’s office door in the early morning of the due date, and using up that last bit of spinach in the fridge before it rots. I’m entering the cinema just as the room darkens and the trailers come to a close. Sliding to home and getting tagged by a baseball-clenched glove. I love this place.

Toronto in October

I registered for the half-marathon at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

I think that mid-October will feature cooler weather to offset the heat of the crowds. I've heard this is a very popular race weekend in a very large city. I'm dedicated, but not so good with schedules. I hope I can make that work for me over the summer.

The sun and me

I had the path mostly to myself this morning. My best guess for a reason is that the runners I'd normally see around 6:00 are wisely sticking to their training schedule and tapering before this weekend's marathon. Tapering and sleeping. Good for them! And for me, too. I like the company, and the lively competition motivates me, but time alone is precious.

Three runs/week has been the pattern for the past three weeks.
Today's fun and games:

• 5k run
• Stairs to the 9th floor

Le bon hier

I ran 15k yesterday in the mist of the morning. I ran slowly and enjoyed the absence of greasy sunscreen which, on hot days, mingles with drops of sweat and lands in my eyes, smearing my contacts. Also cherished a long run without much thirst. This is freedom! 

Today was a bike day. I unlocked my bike from her basement shackles at the crack of dawn so that she could help me run an errand before work; biked to work and then home afterwards; then took a spin with D after he retrieved his freshly tuned-up bike from the shop. Now I can feel my triceps murmuring. It takes very little to get a rise out of them - they're sensitive. 

Windy

Yesterday: After stepping out of the dark, cold office building and into a bit of sunshine and warmth, I knew that a run would be just the thing to ease me into the day’s Phase Two: Being A Person Who Thinks And Feels And Not An Office Worker (my secret identity).

I thought about where best to work toward this transition. Should I follow a longer, slower route? Or grind out a 25-minute hustle? The middle ground–a loop to keep me in motion for 45 minutes or so–was the winning option. I’ve run this loop a gazillion times. It follows a path that is quick for me to access and get home from (about 30 seconds) and it’s only mildly visually appealing unless I happen to spot heron, which are famously reclusive, or a team of clowns in wigs and garish makeup and polka-dotted onesies running ahead, honking their horns out of sync with the slap slap slap slap of their long, red shoes on the pavement. Those sights don’t happen often. Once in a blue moon, really. We have a mostly-quiet city filled with mostly rule-abiding people who are not prone to running drunk, or naked, or in costume, and truly there is nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, it was windy.

Misty morning

I plodded through a 5k slowly this morning and now I feel happier. Running in the morning usually sets me up for a good mood. I'm just happy to have that shit a run over with early, haha. Before breakfast, even. Last night (after polishing off half a bag of vegetable chips) I did the P90X workout for biceps and back, and then the abs workout. The bicep exercises require heavier weights than we own, so I'm thiking about getting some hand weights to round out our "gym" (a collection of low weights messily stacked in a corner of the living room. A garage sale in a close neighborhood has been announced for the end of May, and there are always yard sales downtown on summer weekends. Should be able to find something. How popular can ten-pound weights be? While it's been about two weeks since I began doing the abs consistently, last night I found the routine felt harder. What?! Is that because I'm getting used to the exercises and improving my form just enough to perform the exercises more correctly? Or am I experiencing a Benjamin Button-like phenomenon whereby my abs muscles will de-evolve with every set of abs I perform?

Easing back

19k! That was last Sunday. I was unable to run for a week afterwards. I had been dreaming of a slow and enjoyable 15k loop that moves through several neighborhoods and lots of natural areas. I've seen deer and herons there. That loop is like an old friend I hadn't seen in a long while. But I'd forgotten how unrelenting that friend is - after 19k worth of demands - not 15! remember this, Frannie! - I landed at the apartment tired and amazed that my knees were still operating. For the week that followed, I completed 3x abs (YES!) and threw in a couple of longer walks (1.5 hours). Yoga happened, and Bessie also made an appearance on the bike path! Just a 48-minute run last night. I didn't want to commit further damage on my abused legs. Some anti-IT band exercises wrapped up the evening, and my legs feel like thmselves today.