The end of a relationship

Dear iPod,

We have been together for a long tine now. I remember when I first got you, back in the winter of '05 when you were the latest fad, who could have thought that all my music would fit into such a little machine? And more recently, when I started running again, you were a wonderful companion through those tough, early runs.

However, I think we both know that lately things haven't been working out. When I need you most, you just die on me. Time and time again, you have let me down. Like this morning, when you just died on me after only an hour and a half. And yes, I realize that I rely on you heavily, perhaps too much as I use you not only for music for as a stopwatch too. But still, you are not providing the support I need and you don't even communicate that to me....you just die without warning! It's not me, it's you.

So, I think it's for the best that we part ways. Now, this doesn't mean that you won't be in my life anymore, perhaps we could just be involved more casually, say on a friendship level? You can still partake in musical activities within the house, but for my exercise, well, you're just not what I'm looking for. We've grown apart and it's time to go our separate ways. Thanks for the memories.

love,

me

A good excuse

I have been trying to abide by the "no excuses" principle lately but when I awoke this morning I knew that my regular run was out of the question. It was raining and while I don't mind running in the rain, I do mind (and fear) the risk of electrocution. We are in the height of thunderstorm season and have been pummeled by several strong storms lately. A quick look at the radar told me that I would be running right in between two big storms. Would I have been alright? Maybe, but this is not the kind of thing I want to play around with.

Still determined to get in a run, I was left with only one option: the treadmill. Which I have used exactly once before. So at the end of the day I went to the machine and dutifully got on. I was bored about 2 minutes in so I started fiddling with the controls.

I decreased the incline to 0% (oh! So this is what it feels like to run on flat ground) and then slowly started upping the speed into the uncomfortable range. Despite the fact that I spent the next 30 minutes just looking at myself (the gym has a wall of mirrors) I was actually able to maintain a 5 mile/hour speed most of the time.

In the end, I average a pace of 12:46 min/mile and felt that I had left everything I had on that dreaded treadmill. BUT, I am coming to realize that the treadmill may be a useful tool in the future in terms of learning to run faster.

Speed?

Yes, I am back on the horse, or in the saddle or whatever the expression is! I got up early this morning and ran 2 miles. Also, realized that summer is quickly slipping away (sob!) since it was pitch black at 5:45 AM and I had to wait past 6 to start running (no way am I running in the dark!)

Another thing that I noticed is that I have been running faster. Not consistently, but I have these bursts of speed that I can sustain for several minutes before going back down to my regular slow jog or even walking. And while I am hardly breaking any records (I am now in the 13 min/mile range) I am hoping that slowly these moments will last longer and longer, and soon I will be able to string them together for a respectable amount of time

But for now, I am just glad to be running again and grateful that all my training wasn't wiped out by a couple of bad weeks.

I've fallen off

Somewhere between a week at the beach, a crazy stressful week at work, and another short getaway, my running has taken the back seat in my life. This is not a good thing. The vacation was understandable, but when I put running behind work, the stress just builds and builds and without an escape, it just becomes a downward spiral.

Last week I ran exactly one time (5 miles) and haven't been to the gym for who knows how long. At last week's run I flirted dangerously with the line where a break is rejuvenating (ran at a 13 min/mile pace!) but if you wait too long it can set you back (I was wiped out for the rest of the day).

So, tomorrow morning I'll get up and start running again and hope I haven't lost too much time. I'm going to try my best to get back on the wagon.