#projectspeedshorts

Recently I made it a point to pare down my inbox to 100 or so messages -- I had been holding onto spam, customer service e-mails from over 5 years ago, among the things.

One of the subscriptions I receive is Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine, which I used to read on the trips to and from school. I've been deleting the e-mails lately, but something compelled me to click on this month's Top 5 message.

And boom, there it was, Alex Sheen's story about his late father's immense integrity and the resulting non-profit organization Because I Said I Would, which distributes free of charge promise cards, business card-sized cards featuring "because I said I would." in Georgia font (commemorating Alex's father's favorite song) that help people honor their promises; you write a promise (which is black and white, no gray areas, Alex says) on the card, give the card to the person who is on the receiving end (if applicable), and upon completion of the promise, you receive the card.

I found that "because I said I would" is a more concrete sankalpa, or inner directive, to work on integrity, which has always been important to me. I find that I am better at keeping promises to others than to myself. "because I said I would" ties into not only my running and training but other health and life goals.

Frustrated with several aspects of my life, I was in a quasi-funk on Wednesday. A few hours at the library -- almost all 3 Vampire Weekend albums, crossword and Sudoku puzzles -- later I felt a bit better, and I felt even better after subbing for a class I considered canceling.

Yesterday and today I visited a friend's beach house for a short, sweet retreat. Another of my friends there was on a juice cleanse, and we watched Food Matters, which only reiterated truths I know but haven't necessarily stuck in the long run.

Part of me felt like a total jerk for eating bread and aioli at lunch and a muffin at the Stars Hollow-like coffeeshop, but part of me was incited and inspired to see my friend taking the 7-day cleanse so seriously. She made us delicious apple cider last night, and it was also fun to learn how to play Clue and Phase 10 as well as to shout and scramble to get rid of cards in Scrabble Slam.

Tonight we had a lovely heart-to-heart about life, love, and everything in between. My friends and I who weren't on the juice cleanse agreed to read the book this week, discuss, prepare, and embark on the weeklong experiment together.

p.s. Part of me is itching to race a 5K, even though it is not a goal race. My alma mater's annual 5K and 1 mile race is next Saturday morning, and a little part of me fantasizes about winning my age group… but my long run is 17 miles the next day. Maybe I'll use the race as a test of fitness?

This morning was a milestone of sorts for me, as this was the longest long run I've ever done so far. The longest I'd run prior was 14 miles for SeaWheeze Half training, but I didn't really count that because I ran 12 miles and sort of hobbled the rest.

It was overcast and crisp when my dad and I set out around 7:30 AM. (Note to self: Start earlier next time.) I didn't bother with arm warmers or crops because I knew that I'd be moderately warm by the time I finished.

My goals for the run included

1. Maintaining an even effort (another tidbit from Kara Goucher's book) 2. Staying positive and taking each moment by moment instead of stressing over the big picture 3. Being thankful to be active and outside 4. Breathing evenly and calmly

But I also promised myself a carby brunch and a new Energy Bra, haha. (My favorite bra for yoga, everyday, and teaching Zumba!)

It was another earbudless Vampire Weekend long run, and I followed Sarah and Kara Goucher's strategy of thinking of a long run as several shorter runs. The first 5 miles was a warm-up, and it was a bit daunting to think of running 15 miles. The second 5 went by so fast, and it wasn't until I thought about the last 3, 2, and single mile that it got a bit hard mentally.

There were oodles of people out, as there were several concurrent soccer games going on well into the morning. The sun came out around mile 9, but it wasn't so bright that I had to squint and thus deteriorate my form.

While I felt like my effort didn't change much, my splits were all over the place; I was shocked to see 8:30somethings, so I backed off somewhat. (I was aiming for 8:40-50ish.)

My trusty blue WR1600s worked like a charm, light, speedy, but not as tenuous as the Minimus, and the Oiselle Distance Shorts were wonderful, but I didn't put on enough BodyGlide :(

Next time I will also start practicing with gels and gu. Toward the last 2 miles I felt like I could have used electrolytes from a sports drink or some form of nourishment. I had had a Lauren's Mega Nuts Picky Bar prior to running.

I ate my brunch with relish, as it was the first time I'd had pancakes since the summertime. The couple sitting adjacent to me at the bar asked if I had run a race this morning; I was the only person in the joint wearing neon clothing.

Tomorrow is technically 3 miles… But I'm teaching Zumba! and getting myself to a yoga class, stat.

After oversleeping this morning (meaning no morning run at the park), I was mentally gearing up to run 6 miles this evening with the group.

However, because of shared tendon-related injuries (Liz experienced sharp pain during her run on Sunday, and the ghost of tendonitis lurked in my right shin), we finished our run at 3.45 miles. The weather was perfect -- in the 70s, lightly breezy, and dry. The downside was the profuse dust on The Fly from the ongoing construction, but other than that, it was quite enjoyable.

We repaired to to the store for Reginelli's pizza (yum! thank you, Kristin and Southern Runner :) and chatting about Pomsky puppies, cross country, and Sean and Kenny defending their titles at this weekend's Race for the Cure 5K.

Finalizing my Zumba! playlist for tomorrow morning's class and laying out clothes for my 3.1 mile run after teaching.

I leave you with this apropos gem from L'Homme Run, the erstwhile serious rap group half-comprised by Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

***

I read these two quotes earlier today, one in Real Simple magazine, the other via Pinterest (and I have read Gatsby a couple of times, so I recognized it as more than just FSF's quote), and I feel like they are fitting to describe tonight's run.

This morning I took my brand new racing flats for a spin. Although it was quarter to 8 (eek!), it was overcast and breezy; however, I didn't make it past 2 miles before I was covered in sweat (hello, humidity) and nursing a stitch in my side and a growling stomach. Didn't fuel, ugh.

This quasi-run was more resolve to return to Thursday run group, which I hadn't done in 4 weeks, in part due to Zumba!, last week's AMAZING Vampire Weekend concert (seriously one of the best nights of the year, if not my life), and also the same nagging doubts and reluctance that have kept me away from track.

I set aside my clothes, and after seeing Brad's Facebook group post ("The weather is perfect, no excuses will be accepted. Be there!"), I was convinced that I was going. I had also transgressed and wolfed down a Jimmy John's Veggie Sandwich sans mayonnaise. The bread was delightfully flaky and pale, not hard, dark, and stale like it sometimes is.

The weather was indeed lovely, a harbinger of autumnal weather. Will was the only one standing in front of the store at 6:01, but Liz P. and Sarah soon joined us. Will and Sarah took off, and Liz and I set off at a clip for an 8:21 first mile. Brad met us halfway through The Fly, and we ran through the park, across campus and around (across Dixon Hall's quad, crossing Freret, back into the park for 1.5 loops) to make about 6 miles, which was my goal (for a cumulative total of 8 miles today). Already cloaked in dusk, Liz and I walked back the 0.20 mile or so back to the store before we parted ways.

The new shoes are, no lie, like butter. They combine the lightness of my beloved New Balance Minimus with a bit more cushion. I feel fast and more secure in these… It's like the Minimus and Brooks PureDrift had a child. I think I might want to run Houston in this shoe.

I ran into Madeline, fresh from her Romney RIDE class, on my way to Whole Foods, and it was wonderful to catch up and chat about running happenings. She asked if I was going to the Halloween French Quarter 5K run (maybe… but talking about it makes me really want to go) and asked if I might be interested in leading Zumba! again for the December Girls on the Run 5K (the morning of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), to which I said, "Definitely!"

I admit that I've not been exactly on the running wagon lately. I fell into a mini-rut -- I didn't want to run. I have also been teaching Zumba! 2-3 times a week as well as helping new instructors cut their teeth by team teaching and giving feedback. I am also picking up extra classes as a sub in the coming weeks. (My supervisor asked me to sub this Saturday, but I said it would be unwise so close after the race. Plus, I wouldn't get to savor my post-race breakfast, haha.)

I always say that teaching a Zumba! class is not my workout -- I am there to facilitate my students' workout. Yet teaching still requires mental and physical energy, maybe more than if I were taking class -- cuing, demonstrating the steps and offering modifications to intensify or ease, thinking several steps ahead, motivating, as well as constantly monitoring students to see if anyone needs help and the general mood (not to mention practicing and programming new songs/choreographies outside of classtime). I absolutely love it when students leave smiling and with a spring in their step.

But some days when my programming was even an easy 3-miler, I found it easy to leave the gym instead of changing into my running shoes because I already felt spent. I asked myself what I needed to be eating, or if I needed to sleep more, in order to manage teaching and training.

I am still working on sleep and nutrition, but I think the advent of some much-appreciated autumnal weather (exquisite!) helped rekindle that loving feeling this morning... As did Saturday's approaching Jazz Half Marathon.

Although I did today's easy 4-mile run inside, it felt good, my fists unclenched, my face grinning. I felt unfettered, like things were back to normal. I increased the pace with every mile (6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1 and then 7.2 mph for the last half-mile).

I was again reminded of that saying that you don't have to run, you don't have to do anything, but you get to run, to move.

I did it again. I re-arranged my training schedule so that I could cross-train instead of run 3 miles.

I woke up at 7:25 AM, and though it was overcast, it was already muggy. So I thought about going to track, in part because I know I need the speedwork, and I miss the Tuesday "T-Rex" Track team, whom I haven't collectively seen since the first fall campaign "stegosaurus ladder" workout almost a month ago.

(I totally had a Starbucks pumpkin scone for breakfast with my delicious John Watson tea as I did a crossword puzzle. Mmm.)

But I was anxious at the thought of going to track. Even with James's super-helpful estimates for the workout (5 x 1000 m with 400 m recovery), I was intimidated, because James' chart only had estimates for 5K times between 18 and 22 minutes. (I am working on breaking 23:00. My Tom Sawyer time, if extrapolated to 5K, would give me 23:00 even.)

Between the scattered thunderstorms, humidity, temperature, and dreading being the last person around the track (I know that track workouts are not about racing or whatever… it's training to help you on race day and in life), I convinced myself that I'd rather go to Zumba!.

And while Elba is a fantastic teacher (I almost squealed at the strains of my favorite dances/songs, a bachata/flamenco and a samba), and I left class drenched, a part of me felt wrong, like I should have been outside running.

I know, regarding track, that I shouldn't be afraid. If anything, 1) I run with my friends, and they are a wonderful, supportive group, and 2) my desire to improve my times, speed, agility, etc. and train properly for Houston needs to outweigh my fears/anxieties about track.

Tomorrow is a tempo run day (5 miles at race pace), and then I'm going uptown for birthday gift shopping for my mom, pie for lunch, and yoga. I haven't practiced yoga in over 2 weeks, and I am itching for a sun salutation sequence.

what worked:

- Changing my alarm ringtone to "Blurred Lines." Who wouldn't want to get out of bed to "Everybody get up!" I had trained myself to ignore the driving insistence of "I Love It."  - Laying out my clothes the previous night. I was elated to get to wear the New Balance Chevron Houston Marathon shirt that I bought from Fleet Feet aspirationally (and also 50% off, haha) right around the time I was training for my first half marathon (Aramco Houston 2011). - Eating better in general (more fruits, veggies, lean protein like fish, little gluten or processed, sugary foods) since the headache set in on Sunday. 

what needs improvement:

- I had (have) a headache the size of Texas (since Sunday) that made even bending over to stretch or tie my shoelaces challenging. (I felt like I was going to fall over or throw up when I tried to do this.) This was a major factor in why my 3 miles were run/powerwalk/powerwalk. I'd wanted to make it run/walk/run, but when I tried to speed up again, my head began to ache more. - Fuel. My stomach felt hollow and rumbly as we headed out the door. - Timing. As fall nears (the equinox is less than a week away, hooray!), the sun is rising later and later, but leaving the house at 6:51 still meant that the end of my 3 mile jaunt was hot.

gear:

- New Balance Chevron Houston Marathon technical V-neck (bit of a 90s quasi-crop-top, haha) - lululemon Raspberry Glo All Sport Bra (my favorite kind of run bra) - lululemon Love Red Track Attack Short - Thorlos Pink Experia Coolmax Micro Mini crew sock - Brooks Blue PureDrift shoes