So...sleepy...

As I write this entry, my head is gently nodding as my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Once I get into bed, however, I won't be able to sleep. This tends to be how it goes.

Important news items:

1. I managed to finally kick my butt back into gear and get running consistently again. Last week's mileage total was 38.7 and included a 15k race on Sunday that made up part of my 15.3-mile long run.
2. In spite of my renewed dedication to running, I missed a day of weight training last week. I hope Rebecca won't kill me. This week I am planning on lifting tomorrow and Friday.
3. Tonight was the second test (remember the first one? if I had the energy, I would post a link to my entry about the first test. Maybe I will do it later in an update). At any rate, at the time of the first test, I promised to post the results. Les voici:

• Mile 1: 7'15 (strong desire to vomit)
• Mile 2: 7'25 (strong desire to vomit, legs like jelly)
• Mile 3: 8'04 (strong desire to vomit, legs like jelly, uphill)

This time around, the test involved running the loop we had previously done backwards and then running the third mile up a hill. My times were not as consistent, but I guess at least now I have an idea of how I've improved. I also know that I can run close to a seven-minute mile, which is not too shabby. I can't help but think, though, that had I been better about my training, my times would have reflected that. Oh well, I guess improvement is improvement.

In other, less uplifting news, I have now been rejected for two teaching jobs. I used to think that it was worse to not be contacted by an employer. Now I am not so sure, and I wish they wouldn't send such mean emails. They start off making you think that you are going to be asked for an interview, only to dash your hopes on the rocks in the following sentence. I think it is deliberate and it makes me want to hit someone. Or cry.

I have also been thinking about writing a book, because I think I could write a pretty good one. The only problem is that I can't think of anything to write about.

WTF round-up

Lately I have been finding myself running into a lot of smallish WTF moments. No real 'experiences' that I could write out in witty detail, just a number of little pet peeve-esque, button-pushing episodes that I would like to share with you now.

1. Not taking the hair that accumulates in the drain of the bathtub while you're taking a shower out of the drain when you are finished showering. As an extension of that, letting the hair just build up over a period of days, possibly figuring that someone else will clear the hair for you (?!)
2. Peeing with the door open in someone else's apartment. Next to someone's bedroom. Next to a long hallway that causes every teeny tiny sound to reverberate and amplify itself. Of course, those last two conditions don't have to be met in order for peeing with the door open in someone else's home to qualify as a WTF moment. That is just a given.
3. Trying to find a bridesmaid's dress for the wedding of one of your best friends. The dress has to meet the following criteria: brown in color, affordability, likelihood that it is something I would wear again (the more expensive, the more likely it has to be). This is, for some reason that is completely unknown to me, much more difficult than it should be.
4. The girl in yoga who plopped herself down next to me, practically on top of me, and then proceeded to make exasperated noises while in every pose, toss her props (blankets, blocks) away from her mat and pretty much on to mine, and do her hair instead of poses on multiple occasions. I know yoga is a time to pay more attention to what you are doing with your body than anything else, but I don't think that a part of that is making sure that you disrupt everyone else's practice by being loud, obnoxious, and intrusive.
5. Walking, going down stairs or an escalator, or running and coming to a sudden halt for no apparent reason, causing the people around you to end up in a multiple-person pile-up. This is especially bothersome when people stop at the top or bottom of a stairway/escalator, or fail to move out of a doorway.
   
6. On a related note, not using the other door when people are coming in or out of one door in a double-door entryway. There is nothing that bothers me more than having to wait in front of a closed door that the person standing in front of you won't open and is, instead, blocking, because he or she is waiting for people to stop coming in the other door. USE BOTH DOORS, PEOPLE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.
7. This is not a WTF-inducing moment but it is something I like nonetheless and is WTF-related. A good read, especially if you have spent time in France.
   

Team in Training

As some of you may know, lately I have been having a hard time keeping up with my training schedule and I have been nervous about my upcoming marathon. When I was training to run in the Philadelphia marathon, I kept thinking to myself, 'If I miss a single run, I won't be able to do the 26.2 miles!' I was so superstitious about it that I think I may have sort of put myself in a bad position for this next marathon. I have missed about three long runs so far and because I am so superstitious about things like this, I had sort of told myself that I should just give up or try to find another event.

Last night was our Hill Graduation Day at our Group Training Session. For the past six weeks, we have been working on running hills--how to work the hills to your advantage, how to crest hills, how to run down hills without killing your knees, what kind of form to use when running up, all the while working on getting stronger in all those essential hill-running muscles. It has been exhausting but rewarding and I feel like I am now intimately acquainted with every single hill that Central Park has to offer. I had run them all before, but running them several times in one session was a different experience altogether. Prior to the beginning of our practice, one of my friends from the Team got up to share something with all of us. She has known a significant number of people affected by blood cancers, and runs in honor of two who are survivors and who are very close to her. Unfortunately, not everyone that she knows who has been affected by cancer is as fortunate as those that she runs in honor of, and last night she told us that she learned yesterday that she may now be running in memory of two people who are very close to her. Her father recently died of pancreatic cancer, and now a family friend who was extremely supportive during this difficult time has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although pancreatic cancer is very different from the blood cancers that we are raising money for, I think it is really important to stress that we are all still doing something that is impacting a lot of people in a really positive way. My heart goes out to my friend, but I am happy that she can be a part of Team in Training and honor the memory of people that she has lost or is losing in a way that helps so many people and possibly brings us all a step closer to less suffering and fewer losses.

My friend's story reminded me of something really important: this marathon is not about me or running a personal record, or even running every single step, it is about helping and honoring people who have fought a battle that is more daunting and difficult than any marathon could ever be. It is also about helping families of those dealing with blood cancers, and working toward a cure so that, in time, fewer people will have to cope with the pain that accompanies losing someone dear to them. Knowing this gives me the strength that I need to keep going, and I am confident now that I will be able to run this marathon; however, if I have to walk every single mile, it is still not only worth it, but only a small portion of what I hope to continue to do to help people.

So far, so good

Yesterday was Day 2 of my new weight-training commitment (I mean, Day 2 if you only count the days on which I am weight training, which so far has been Friday and Monday). I am proud to report that so far, I have been faithful to my schedule. I think this has more to do with the fact that I don't want to let someone else down than it does with my own personal commitment, but I guess you do whatever it takes, right?

On Friday I did a series of exercises that I adapted from a workout I found online at www.shape.com. Boy, was I in pain the next day. And the day after that. I mean, it may not have helped that I did the exercises and then did 90 minutes of yoga on the same day, but wow, I hadn't realized how thoroughly weak a lot of my muscles were. I mean, I had trouble sitting down from all of the one-legged squats and lunges I did. Ouch. It hurt.

Over the weekend I received a workout DVD I ordered through Netflix: Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Short Bottoms with Minna Lessig. In spite of its somewhat cheesy title, the DVD was pretty good. It is fun, keeps you from getting bored, and I felt like I was getting a good workout while doing it. My muscles are also sore (though not to the point where I can't move, like over the weekend) today, which is a good sign. My triceps and bum are especially feeling it. The DVD is divided into multiple sections: 1) warm-up; 2) tank top arms; 3) bikini belly; 4) boy short bottoms; 5) total body workout; 6) cool-down. You can do as much or as little as you want--I did the first four sections (which was about 45 minutes overall) before heading to my 75-minute yoga class and felt like I had worked my entire body pretty thoroughly. Now, I doubt it will be all that entertaining for men (unless you focus more on how pretty Minna Lessig is) but it is a great option for people who are trying to jump-start a workout routine.

It's a small world after all

I got up early this morning to go for my long run only to realize that I am so hungry (at least I hope that it is hunger) that I sort of feel like throwing up and that this sort of empty stomach does not a good long run make. It is also about 103 degrees in my bedroom; I have opened the window so it may now be about 101, but regardless of the exact temperature, I can said with assurance that it is really, really, uncomfortably warm in here. As a result, I just feel plain old sick, woozy, nauseous, whatever you want to call it. I have put my long run off until later. In the meantime, though, I'm awake (because honestly, you can't sleep when you feel this gross and my upstairs neighbor seems to be jumping rope with a heard of elephants right above my room so I really wouldn't be able to sleep if I tried), so I thought I would do what every normal human being would do when awake at 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday--play a jigsaw puzzle online.

So here's the scenario: I open the website that I go to for a daily jigsaw puzzle. Most (and by that I mean all, after a certain date) of them are credited to some mysterious camera-toting woman name Leanne, who seems to take pretty mundane but sometimes very pretty pictures that work well for jigsaw puzzle fun. This morning, I was pretty shocked to see who had taken the picture...





I know the picture is small, but it is the best I can do. The picture, entitled "Swan", was taken by my paternal grandfather, Bates Littlehales. Cah-razy.

Anyway, time to do my jigsaw puzzle. And hopefully feel a little bit better.

My weight training declaration

The other day, I made a deal with my sister that I would do at least two days a week of weight training. We agreed to treat this as sort of a contract, one sister's guarantee to the other that she would make the effort to lift weights at least twice (I think we are both ideally aiming for three times) a week. In order to take my commitment one step further, I wanted to declare here that I am officially beginning my weight training plan tomorrow, and that I will be designating Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my weight training days. My goal will be to do some training on all three of those days, although I will be satisfied if I can manage two out of three. I consider my fitness level to be pretty good, but I also kind of feel like I am only as strong as my weakest link. In other words, I want to get to a point where I feel like my fitness level is more balanced--I may be able to do handstands, but I am embarrassed to admit that I can't do any push-ups.

I have chosen a total body strengthening plan from www.shape.com that will, hopefully, serve as a sort of introduction to weight training. It's not that I don't know how, it's just that I never do and, as a result, need to start slow. Eventually I'll be hitting the gym hard-core, super-setting and doing pyramid sets and drinking protein shakes...or not. But hopefully I will come away from all of this with a stronger commitment to strengthening my body, some well-defined muscles, and stronger and faster legs that can shred those hills and get me through many a marathon!

Additionally, in an effort to truly motivate myself, I want to conduct a sort of experiment, so tomorrow, I will begin tracking my efforts and improvements by publishing my measurements and pictures for all the world to see. Who knows, maybe I can inspire someone to do the same? Weight training is extremely important, and it would be great to help someone realize what sort of benefits it can have.

And on that note, à demain and stay tuned :)

Pancake/sausage on a stick showdown!

Which is worse-- sausage wrapped in blueberry pancake on a stick, or this:




Vote now!