Quitters Never Win…
Yesterday on The Time For Change blog, NGS explained her star rating for books she’s read. She said she rarely gives books one or two stars because she would probably just DNF it instead. In the comments I shared that I rarely, rarely DNF a book, and it’s all because of Middlemarch. I read Middlemarch about twenty-five years ago. For at least the first half of the book, I hated it. This was back when I read a lot of classics and enjoyed them- but Middlemarch was so, so dull. I considered quitting it, but for some reason kept slogging on. Well… after the first half, the book got better and better. And better. Today I couldn’t tell you one thing about the plot, but I remember exactly where I was when I finished it- and at the end I was so moved, I cried. Now, that’s an extreme example of going from hating a book to loving it. But now when I’m reading a book and not really enjoying it I can’t help thinking, “What if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? If I quit now, I’ll never know!” I know a lot of people don’t hesitate to DNF a book they don’t like, so they can move onto something they will enjoy. I can almost never bring myself to do that. A couple weeks ago I talked about my frustration with my foot. After eleven shockwave treatments, it STILL hurts. I’m sure people are wondering, “Why in the world does she continue to get this treatment if it’s not working???” Well… My doctor explained that for some people it takes four treatments. Some go on to have four more, and the truly unlucky ones (ahem) may need even more. He said that this treatment always works- sometimes it just takes a long time. I can’t give up on it- what if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? I have to find out. That said, when is the ending, exactly? When my foot is 100% healed? When I run out of money? How do you know when to pull the plug on something that truly isn’t working? How about you- do you DNF books? Do you have trouble changing once you’ve decided on a course of action? Ever read Middlemarch?
Weekly Rundown- Hitting the Trails!
Hello and welcome! I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. It was a good week, kicked off with a race! Let’s just see what this week was about… Sunday Race day! I ran a 5K trail race- “exciting” race recap here. I haven’t raced in a while and definitely have not been doing any speed work, so this race was perfect for me. The terrain was… varied… and it was enough just staying on my feet, never mind running fast. Monday Interestingly, my quads were sore from the race. Nothing else hurt- well, other than my foot, obviously- but my quads were extremely sore. I did a 45 minute yoga flow, which felt great. Tuesday Three mile run! My quads were still sore, but it felt good to run. I followed this run with a 10 minute core class. I’m continuing with my Ben Alldis classes (on the Peloton app.) He has a bunch of ten minute core classes, and each day I just pick a new one. Later in the day I did a slow flow yoga classes (again on the Peloton app.) It seems like Denis’s classes are getting harder- either that, or I’m getting worse at yoga. This class from 2/27/22 has some challenging balance poses. I’ve bookmarked it to take again! Wednesday I started the day with a lower body strength workout, ten minute core class, and pull-ups. Big strength day for me! Thursday Another three mile run. I thought of Kim when I saw this sunrise. Funny how all sunrises are different- this one wasn’t super colorful, but I loved the way the sun peeked out of the clouds as a perfect orb. Later in the day I did Marcia’s balance training workout. I love balance training! This is a quick ten minute class, and she incorporates ankle and hip mobility as well. Good workout- thank you, Marcia! Friday I did a 20 minute lower body strength class and 10 minute core class, both with Ben Alldis. And pull-ups- you know, my usual strength day. Saturday Following my every-other-day schedule, this would have been a running day. BUT! We have some incredible weather heading our way, down into the 50s on Sunday morning. That’s unusual for us in April- it’s been so warm lately. Actually, hot. It’s been getting up to 90 in the afternoons, so we’re happy for a brief “cold front.” No way am I missing that weather, so I rearranged my schedule to do a trail run on Sunday. Instead of running, I did a 45 minute yoga flow this morning and a ten minute core class before dinner. Sunday How was your week? Are you enjoying some nice weather? Do you have good running trails near you?
Run AWAY 5K Race Recap!
On Sunday I ran a 5K trail race to benefit the Solid Waste Authority- an odd little race that turned out to be perfect for me right now. One of the reasons I chose it is I figured a trail race would be kinder to my ego- after two years of dealing with my foot issues (and doing no speed work) I knew I would be running slowly. Everyone runs slower on a trail, right? The race was about 45 minutes north of us, at the Renewable Energy Facility. I actually had no idea what this was or that it existed at all, but it turns out we have “the most advanced and cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in North America.” Who knew? Since the race started at 7:30 and we had to pick up our packets, we got up nice and early- 5:20 am- and got ourselves ready to go. My husband had agreed to run it with me, but after he registered he found out he would be working Saturday night, and he didn’t get home until 11:30 pm. There was a teensy bit of grumbling at the early wakeup time, but overall he was an excellent sport. I drank a big glass of water and then sipped on a cup of black tea on our way to the race. Once we were there and had gotten our packets and bib numbers, I ate a banana, ran a mile to warm up, and was ready to race. It turned out this was a perfect course for someone who can’t run very fast, because if ever a race discouraged fast running, it was this one. The trail portions were nothing too treacherous- some rocks and tree roots, you had to watch your step- but the true challenges lay in the non-trail sections. There were some paved stretches that were very uneven- ironically, I rolled my ankle on one of the paved parts (nothing serious.) Not only was the pavement broken, but there were some twists and turns that made it precarious. Then in the middle of the race we encountered the worst running surface imaginable. It was kind of like a concrete lattice, with holes in the center of each grid. It was literally impossible for me to step down without stepping partially into a hole. Oh, and this was the only part of the course that was downhill. It was only one or two tenths of a mile, but still- it was slow going. Then, there were a couple stretches where we ran on a boardwalk over a marshy area. There was a sign that said “Caution! Boardwalk is slippery when wet” and you could see puddles ALL OVER IT. Some people in front of me walked across the boardwalk- I kept running, but I did slow down. My overall pace for this race was 9:04/mile, which is astonishing considering I practically felt like I was running an obstacle race. As a matter of fact, I’m suspicious that the course was a little short- but I don’t know for sure because my Garmin chose this week to bite the dust. Hey- I’ll take 9:04 if you want to give it to me. And I came second in my age group! One of the most exciting things about the race though was that my husband was third in his age group, and it’s the first time he’s ever placed in his age group. He was really happy! We got some pretty cool AG awards… In all honesty, this quirky little race obviously didn’t attract fast runners. But that’s okay- I’ll take an AG award any day! It always makes it more fun when you win something. My foot held up well- it didn’t hurt during the race. I was too distracted to notice it much. It got uncomfortable standing during the award ceremony though- when you’re in my age group, you have to wait a while for your category. On the way home my husband said that regardless of how he placed, he was just happy that he’s still able to be out there running. I thought the same thing during the race- how lucky I was to out there, running on a trail, when a lot of people can’t run at all. So I’m grateful for that. HOWEVER… I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet- the point where I say “I’m old and slow, but at least I can make it through a 5K without keeling over!” I’d like to think I still have some competitive days ahead of me, where I can train seriously for a race and have a time goal. So while I did have fun, it just reminded my that I NEED to get this foot situation fixed, so I can run the way I want to again. Overall, we really enjoyed this event. When I signed us up we were making jokes about running a race for garbage. But I loved the focus on renewable energy and recycling. The trail was beautiful, and even the questionable running surfaces added to the unique quality of this race. We plan to do it again next year! Do you ever run trail races? What’s the oddest race you’ve ever run?
Weekly Rundown- It’s Race Week!
Welcome to the weekly rundown, hosted as always by the gracious Kim and .Deborah. As you may or may not know, I was a little down the week leading up to my birthday and in a fit of insanity signed up for a race. I needed something to jolt me out of the doldrums, so I picked a race I wouldn’t normally choose- a 5K trail race to benefit the Solid Waste Authority. All week long I joked that I was tapering for the race- but the truth is, there’s probably not much I could have done that would affect the outcome greatly one way or another. Let’s see how the week went! Sunday It was my “long” run day, five miles. We had an unexpectedly beautiful weekend- it was in the upper 50s for this run with low humidity. Hooray! Monday I started the day with a 30 minute yoga flow, as always on Peloton with Denis Morton. Followed that with a 10 minute core class with Ben Alldis. I was a little sad when my Crush Your Core program ended because I loved having each day’s class already picked out for me. Now what I’m doing is working my way through all of Ben Alldis’s core classes. They’re all basic core routines with pretty much the same exercises, but doing a different class mixes it up just enough. Tuesday I decided to do something other than Peloton and tried out Marcia’s lower body workout. If you don’t like peppy youngsters shouting cute motivational slogans at you while playing obnoxious music, this workout is for you. It’s quick and hits all the muscle groups. I especially like how she includes lateral banded walks for the glute medius. Go Marcia! I also did a quick core class and pull-ups, and later in the day did a 30 minute yoga flow. It was a Denis Morton class from 7/26/20, and for the first time ever, I HATED the music! One of the things I like about Denis is the music he uses- but this time I disliked it so much, it distracted me from the flow. I made a note NOT to take this class again! Wednesday Because of my foot issue (sigh) I’m only running every other day right now. Since I have a race on Sunday, I had to take two days off in a row somewhere. But now, back to running- three miles and the humidity has returned! Followed this run with another core class, and later in the day did a 20 minute hip focus yoga flow. Thursday Another strength day. I did a core class, pull-ups, and a lower body workout on my own. Sometimes I feel like a class, and sometimes I want to do my own thing. Know what I mean? Friday Started the day with a three mile run. After work I planned to do a core class, but I somehow FORGOT. It was our cat’s second birthday, and my daughter thought we should make cookies for the occasion. That has to be the lamest reason ever to miss a workout- I was making cookies for my cat’s birthday??? It’s not like my cat was going to eat them! I didn’t even eat them. Although, I suppose it’s better to miss a workout and not eat cookies, than to miss a workout and eat cookies. So there’s that. Saturday I’m not taking any chances! The first thing I did was a core class. Then a yoga class, and later in the day did pull-ups. Mysteriously, my pull-ups don’t seem to be getting any easier. Or I guess I should say, I don’t seem to be getting any stronger (It doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger, right?) Well, I’ll just keeping working at it. Sunday It’s race day! Let’s see… my foot is still iffy, I haven’t done speedwork in two years, the race is early in the morning and far away, my garmin is broken, and best of all… it’s supposed to rain. The trails should be nice and muddy! As you can see, I’m going into this with low expectations, which is probably a good thing. My husband is running it with me, so we’ll just try to have fun. Recap coming up on Tuesday! How was your week? Is it spring where you live yet? – It’s full-on summer here. I think we’re getting up to 90 this week! If you have pets, do you celebrate their birthdays?