City Sports 5k

Finding the motivation to run / work out can be tough for me, as it is for almost everyone. I need something tangible to work towards; a hike, a race, etc. I signed up for the City Sports 5k run to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, but overwhelming number of people that signed up forced the event to be cancelled for safety reasons. The Spartan Race was a 5k distance, but didn't require running the entire time. I needed something else.

A few weeks ago I got an email from City Sports for an ongoing series of free 5k's and decided, hey, why not? I had made plans to sign up for like five different races with Jaime and never followed through for a variety of reasons, so I asked her to run this one with me.

Reebok One Series Shoe

I felt underprepared. It was only 3 miles, sure, but I hadn't been running on a steady schedule. When I was running I would do about 2 - 2.5 miles before calling it quits. It was only 5 days after my Spartan and my muscles were just back to normal again. My goal was to just run the whole thing, no matter how slow my time was.

This 5k fun run (not race) was a wear-test for the new Reebok One Series shoe. We arrived at the City Sports store on Boylston St., where we had the option to swap out our shoes and wear the Reebok's for the run. Luckily they had my size, so I decided to wear the new shoe. Several people approached me while we hung around the store with the crowd of runners waiting for the run to begin. I was wearing my Spartan headband, partially because I'm a tad bit superstitious and I had a good run at the Spartan and partially because I lost my only other decent headband. It was the best conversation starter short of a cute dog. A handful of people had run the Spartan the same day as I had, and a few were running the Fenway one as well. One of the employees found me for a second time in the crowd. He was muscular, fit, obviously very athletic and strong... and he was nervous about running his first Spartan in November at Fenway. He wanted training tips from me. I tried not to laugh in his face (in a good way), and told him if I could do it then he could ABSOLUTELY do it. It was mildly flattering, though.

The Esplanade

The course was essentially a big rectangle around Back Bay, and I made sure to commit it to memory before we started because I assumed I would not keep up with the faster people (I was correct). One of the designers of the shoe was there and gave us a quick blurb about it, then promised us the best run of our lives. HA, OKAY. The gang of 30ish+ runners (I'm not a great estimator) stayed together for the first mile or so since we kept getting stopped at lights, but once we hit the Esplanade the groups split up. I knew from running at home that if I ran too fast in my first mile that I would burn out, so I was a little concerned when the MapMyRun voice said my split pace was 10:30 at the first mile (a decently quick mile for me). I picked a group ahead of me, decided to keep up with them, and tried to enjoy the run. The Esplanade is quite pretty, after all. By the time we reached the Mass. Ave Bridge I realized I wasn't in the fast group, but I wasn't last. Good enough for me.

Success

I surprised myself by doing a faster second mile, and then an even faster third mile. I attribute that to not getting stopped at any crosswalks, as we had several times in the beginning. If I had to stop at a crosswalk I don't think I would have run the whole thing.

I was curious to see how I would do in a group setting. I seemed to have some source of untapped energy during the Spartan race (adrenaline, I'm sure), and the same happened in this run. I wasn't in a large group, but I didn't want to be the one that stopped to walk. Maybe it's the competitive spirit in me, or maybe I'm vain, but it worked!

It was only a 5k, sure, but it was an accomplishment for me. I achieved my goal of not stopping to walk and I set a personal best. The shoes were great, and I did have my best time for that distance so far. I hesitate to attribute that solely to the shoes, but they certainly didn't hurt!

We grabbed our stuff, I exchanged my shoes, and we were about to head out when I remembered that I had submitted a raffle ticket when we first got there. I was meeting a friend for drinks and food, which I was eager to consume both of, and I've never won a raffle. Just as we were about to leave they announced they would be doing the raffle outside, so I called my friend and told him I would be leaving in a few minutes, ending with "I don't know, I feel lucky today". The first prize was two entry bibs to the Tufts 10k. I looked over at Jaime and said, "If I win this I will be livid. I'll pass." The first name was called, and called again, but no one responded.... so another name was picked. Mine. The first raffle prize I ever win in my 23 years on this planet and it's two entries to a 10k.

Damnit.

Now I have to run a 10k.

Well, guess I have something else to train for. I'm smiling, I swear. 

Diet Fail

Three days past my deadline of "stop eating and start moving", and I am already failing. Why? Well, here are my excuses.

1. I am terrible at diets.

Or beer.

I'm always someone that says "never go on a diet! You're setting yourself up to fail! Just work on making healthier choices every day!" Then, not long after that, I do not heed my own advice and I do the exact opposite. And I fail.

I try to make healthy choices, but I tend to go through phases. I'll eat really well and exercise a lot for a few weeks, then I'll fall off the wagon and be an obese sloth for a bit. That could be an exaggeration. Making the switch to a healthier lifestyle (like, 90% healthy eating) has been difficult for me... but, who isn't it difficult for? Plus, once I "fall off the wagon" I tend to just throw caution to the wind and shove all of the food down my gullet. "Well, I already failed so why not FAIL HARDER?!"

Dreams really do come true.

2. It is summer.
And all I want to do is float in my raft, the USS Awesomesauce, with some sort of alcoholic beverage in the cup holder. I want to sit next to a lake. I want to sit on a beach. I want to sit in my yard and watch my mom make me giant-ass burgers.

Speaking of giant-ass burgers, not only do I want to sit on my ass next to some body of water but I also want to eat every single typical summer food item possible. It's like I'm coming out of hibernation from what seems like 9 months of New England winter and have finally reached my Utopian paradise filled with fruity drinks, burgers, hot dogs, BBQ, pasta salad, potato salad, lobster, ice cream, margaritas... etc. And I am on a mission to eat all of it. Anyone who has been to King Kone in Merrimack, NH, will know that you must consume as many ice cream cones as you can before summer ends.

Not only am I lazy and preoccupied with shoving my face with summer food, but it has been hot and really fucking humid. I can deal with the heat, no problem. I'm cold unless it's above 85. But the humidity... man. I referred to running through hot clam chowder in my last post, and that weather trend has not let up. Walking to the train in the morning (about 5-7 minutes, downhill) leaves me sweating. Do I have a gym membership? Why, yes, I do. But when I'm sitting in my apartment sweating my ass off just by simply existing the last thing I want to do is pull on some tight spandex and hop on the train to the gym, or, even worse, go outside for a run.

3. I am too focused on the numbers.
I'm up 3 pounds from my average (5 pounds above my lowest), and when people hear me say that they immediately want to punch me in the face. Rightfully so, I suppose. My logical brain knows that three pounds isn't that much (though it's about 2.5% of my body weight), but my illogical brain doesn't like to see the number. My logical brain knows that my BMI and body fat are well within the healthy range, as I had my friend measure me last night, but my illogical brain is still like THREE POUNDS THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SIT ON YOUR ASS. The gain could also be muscle weight. I've been focusing on my upper body  more - I did five REAL pullups, all in a row, last night (oooooooh aaaaaaaaaaah) - and the increase in amount of running/hiking/cycling could definitely build muscle.

Ironically, I tend to ignore the "good" numbers. I started running at the end of January because I was that bored. I didn't really think about how much I would be running, so I picked a random number out of the air and decided "it would be kind of cool if I ran 100 miles in a year". I joined a gym in February, and hit that goal pretty quickly.  I'll recap my "good" numbers in an attempt to make myself feel better about life.

January: 6 miles (I started at the very end of January)
February: 12.23 miles - actually not that bad considering it was like 20 degrees for most of February and I was running outside.
March: 12.25 miles
April: 46.26 miles of running, 1.57 miles of biking
May: 30.1 miles of running
June: 20.33 mile of running, 40.42 mile of biking
** I didn't count hiking miles

So, it's obvious that I've definitely made improvements over the months but even as I was writing I said "damn, I ran HALF as much last month as I did in April." You can see the hotter the month the less I wanted to be inside at the gym or running outside in the humidity.

4. My routine changed.

Drinking on the beach is much more fun than running.

I think April was such a good month for me because I was getting into the swing of things at work, I got through my bout with mono at the end of March, and I had my routine down pat. I was working from 9-2, so I would get out at 2 and go to the gym on my way home. It was a good time frame; not too long after eating that I was starving but not too soon after eating that I was bursting at the seams. My schedule changed for the summer, so now I get out at 4. I was usually starting to get hungry and the gym would fill up with the after-work crowd. I started going home a lot more. I want to park my ass on the beach at every opportunity.

Then my schedule changed even MORE when I got my second job at REI (which I am very, very excited about, but more on that another time). I don't know what my schedule will end up being like, but for the past two days I've come to job # 1 from 11-4, then straight to training sessions until 8:30 or 9. So, either I wake up a few hours earlier and get a workout in or I skip it altogether. I have opted for the latter. The schedule change has meant adjusting my eating schedule, too. I have been hopping around from my apartment, to NH, to friend's places so often that I haven't really gone food shopping in a while, meaning I have no (healthy) food to cook and bring with me to work. Working through lunch and dinner often means eating something small, snacking all day, or waiting until I get home and eating late at night (sooo bad for you).


Well, hopefully once things settle down with my schedule a little more I'll get back into the routine of working out more frequently. If I can find it in myself to stop being a gypsy, or at least being a smarter gypsy, then I can stop eating out all the time and make myself some healthier meals. Let's face it, I'm not reaching my summer goal of hiking Mt. Washington by sitting on my ass eating cupcakes and drinking beer!... that would be nice, though.

Introducing: No-Name!

Hurrah!

I got a bike -insert cheering here-! I have been wanting a bike for several years, and the year my parents were going to finally get me one for my birthday I busted my knee. They thought it would be a cruel joke to get me a bike I couldn't use, but in reality biking was a big part of my recovery. Their logic didn't hold up a year later when my sister totaled her car right before Christmas, and then a few days later received a car GPS as a gift. Luckily she had a good sense of humor about it.

I love naming things, which I believe stems from my moms habit of giving everyone and everything a nickname. Here is a brief list:

• Remote control - remotus apperandi (who the hell even knows)
• Molly - Moll-a-roo, Moll-a-rooski, Moll-a-rooskified(?????????)
• Dictionary - Dick-Tie-On-Ar-Eee
• Emma, my niece - Emma-Loo, Lu-Lu, Lu-Lu-Faces, Loo (may give her gender confusion)
• Adding "Louise" to the end of people's names for no reason, like to my friend Christina's name making her Christina-Louise
• Our cat Shuffles (RIP) - Shuffie, Shuffle-Puff, Shuffles-Louise, Shuffle-Off-To-Buffalo, etc.
• Our car, a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition - The Ford Exploder, Eddie Bowel Edition

The list goes on and on. Basically, if she gives you a nickname it means that she likes you. I want to name my bike, I am my mother's daughter, after all, but I've been struggling to come up with a name. The best I have come up with so far is "Dirty", so I can say I'm "riding Dirty". 

Boston is nicknamed "The Walking City", not because it is so safe to be a pedestrian here but because you can walk almost anywhere within an hour. The same goes for cycling; you can get across the city pretty quickly, and sometimes, as I found out yesterday, much faster than the Green Line. But first you must know how to navigate an infrastructure system designed for horse and buggy, not logical travel (I know I haven't lived in a city with a grid system, but I'm so used to Boston's jumbled mess of road systems that the grid systems I have encountered actually confuse me more). Next, you must be prepared to share the road with Massholes, city buses, cab drivers that apparently enjoy risking life and limb while driving, other bikers, confused tourists about to be struck by cars, and an abundance of construction vehicles. Boston was rated one of the worst cities for cycling for many years, but has made it to #26 on Bicycling Magazine's list of the top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities. A former Olympic cyclist now serves as the bike coordinator in Boston, and in the past few years many bike lanes, bike racks, educational programs, and a bike sharing program called Hubway have been added.

I took No-Name out on our maiden voyage in the middle of rush hour traffic on Monday afternoon. I think my 5 years of experience of being a pedestrian/public transit user, but also an occasional driver, in Boston helped me not die. Sadly, the phrase "not die" is actually relevant, as several people have been hit and killed on their bikes by MBTA buses and other vehicles in the past few years. I swerved through hoards of traffic and tourists like a pro, but I was glad to get off the road and ride along the Esplanade for a few miles. The 5.26 mile ride took only 35 minutes, which is equivalent (if not faster) than the T at that hour. Not only that, but being on a bike was much better than being packed into the Green Line like a sweaty sardine.

Boylston Street

I biked to work that morning, and again it was faster than taking the train. Being caught in the afternoon traffic on a road without a bike lane was a little scary, but it's been a fun experience to see my city in a different way. It was about 95 degrees and disgustingly humid, and I had almost been hit by a cab, but getting stopped at a light and seeing this view was pretty cool. I tend to get tunnel vision when I'm going to/from work, or using public transit at all, so it was a refreshing change. 

Thankfully there are some bike-friendly areas, and there is a nice path at Belle Isle Marsh near my house. I wish I could replace my T rides with bike rides for the summer, but unfortunately I cannot get through the tunnel on a bike. By the way, the Callahan Tunnel is closing for three months so I'm really thrilled to see what the traffic will be like in the 8th circle of hell. I suppose I prefer that over my worst fear becoming a reality - the walls failing and water from the harbor filling the tunnel as I slowly drown to death. That fear was intensified when a panel broke off the wall during rush hour. It was removed along with a few more faulty panels. A full inspection resulted in ALL of the panels being removed. How encouraging!

In other news, I convinced my roommate Jaime to do her first obstacle race with me in September. I found this deal on Living Social, which is probably the main reason we were okay with signing up. It will be my second obstacle race, my first is going to the Spartan Sprint at the end of August. Rugged Maniac, the race in Sept., is just one of many options of the obstacle race fad. I'm hoping to be well prepared for this race, as I believe the Spartan Sprint will be more challenging than the Rugged Maniac. I don't doubt the Rugged Maniac will be tough, with obstacles like Suicide Slide and Rugged Rope Ascent, but the Spartan Sprint will be my first time doing something like that. It may even be my first actual race if I don't get my ass in gear and sign up for a 5k before then. Spartan Sprint requires you to do 30 burpees (HELL) if you can't do an obstacle, whereas all other obstacle races I've seen allow you to go around any obstacle you can't/don't want to do. Thankfully I am tackling that course with several male friends who are buff and were in the military, so if I can't get over a wall they will throw me over it. The Rugged Maniac may be a different story... I'm already getting visions of Jaime and I, face down, dead in the mud. Our team name is Biggest Losers, that way if things go well we will look like successful Biggest Loser contestants, and if things go poorly we will just be big losers. Win-win.

My strict(er) training and eating habits start July 1st. I've been slacking off, especially since this past weekend was my 23rd birthday and I sat on the beach drinking and eating for four days. My running pace is getting better, and on my last run I averaged 9:48 min/mile on a hilly course. Not that fast, but really great for me! I plan on getting my pace faster, doing longer distance runs, and building my upper body strength. Summer is here, but it's going fast!