Well, don't that just beat all?

I'm back.

I deeply dreaded this run. In fact, I fully expected it to suck. Imagine my surprise when I head out into the gathering dark to complete my cardiovascular chore, and...it rocked!

The run was great. Even ran into my friend Megan while I was out.

Distance: 5.57 miles - not half bad!
Duration: 1 hour
Wore: support tank, sugoi, blue terry sweat pants
Temp: 47 down to a surprisingly cold 41 degrees

I started out expecting to do a specific route, but ended up improvising in the middle of my run. The plan was to do 6 miles today, but I was feeling so anti-motivated that I would have been happy with 3. It worked out that my impromptu jazz riff of a running route was practically the same distance. I had so much energy at the end of the run, that I wanted to keep going. My stride felt easy and low impact. My breath was good. I had plenty of energy in my legs. The only thing that held me back from continuing was that I was beginning to feel really cold. I think it was the difference in temperature between daylight and dusk. Wanting to stay on the safe side of getting sick, I decided to bring it on in.

And all I had to do was write a grumbling post while I slowly lured myself into running by tricking myself into getting dressed and hauling it out the door.

My speed is even picking up a bit.

Jubilation.

I even came up with a new mantra:
Once You Start, You Won't Wanna Stop.

I call it an 8-Step Mantra - because the words go over 7 steps, and the 8th step is the beat in between:
1 - Once 2 - You 3 - Start 4 - You 5 - Won't 6 - Wanna 7 - Stop 8 - (beat)

Once I got it going in the background in my head, everything suddenly got so easy...

On Motivation: Grumble Grumble Grumble

I've read a number of articles that talk about motivation

And I've come to a conclusion:
I'm doing all of them.

Truth is, I am just plain ambivalent about running. I have yet to fully commit to calling myself "a runner". Instead, I simply say that I'm training for a marathon.

I am, in fact, getting dressed to go running right now, and I don't want to go running.

I am putting on my shoes.

All that's left to do is walk out the door...and I can't quite bring myself to do it.

Grrr, argh!!!...I am leaving the house.

The Ice Bath Cometh

Time: 7:00pm
Wore: Sugoi, sports bra, white cropped pants, grey wool knee socks
Temp: 39 degrees
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 25 minutes

I just took my first ice bath today, and it was...like...

YEEEOOOOOWWWWEEEEE!!!!! MOTHER%#@&ER!!!

No, really. You have to understand that it was a truly troublesome experience to sit myself down in that tub, and stay. To say that it was bracing to my nethers would be an understatement, but the real trial - and I did not expect this - was the burning sensation in my poor little toes. I finally had to find a position where my thighs and legs were submerged up to the ankles, but the tops of my feet were out of the water. Sort of holding them up in the air braced against the tub. Challenging to say the least.

However, I do think I've hit upon a new strategy for surviving this particular form of recuperative torture. It involves blaring "Mr. Roboto" by Styx on my Mac while I sing it at the top of my lungs and periodically do the robot with my unsubmerged upper body.

Oh, and cuss words. Lots and lots of cuss words. I'm proud to say that I impressed even myself in my vocabulary, inventiveness, and stylistic flow. Pure vituperative genius.

Hey, whatever works - I managed to stay in for 12 minutes 34 seconds, before enough was enough.


Needed the bath, because I decided to speed up my pace on my run today. Really kicked it out on the first mile and finished in 8:55. Proud of that. The full run (2.5 miles) lasted about 24 minutes. That puts me at about a 10 minute mile pace.

Since I was running at night, I ran on the (punishing concrete) sidewalks on the outer loop of Prospect Park. When I finished, my left knee was complaining, and I didn't want to skimp on recovery. So I went off and took the plunge.

Also, I mapped my run from yesterday, and it comes out to 4.75 miles instead of 4 miles, so I thought the bath would be good protection against over-training.

All is good.
All is good.
All is good.

PS - Got a fellowship today and made a new friend.

PPS - Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy Birthday, Alicia.