The Run Down

To catch up, I did a couple fun races in the fall (a 5 miler in September, a 4 miler in October, a 10k in November, and a 5k at the very end of November). I ran most of the races with friends and family, which was terrific! I also did some trail running around the East Bay in the fall and winter (big thanks, XL). I am pretty sure that I'll do a trail race in mid-May.

Today I ran 40 minutes in the neighborhood- with a solid uphill and then a very nice downhill. Running gives me a certain amount of faith and hope that, yes, there's sunshine and that my body can be strong.

Summer running

This isn't really a patriotic post, but I did wear a blue and white tank top on today's run :) We're actually/finally having some hot, sunny weather in the Bay Area, which makes it feel like it's really summer.

I went for a fantastic run on my birthday and thought a bit about how my running-life has unfolded....A year ago, I was training my tail off for a half marathon, including waking up very, very early to do tough workouts in the heat & humidity of New Jersey's summer. Two years ago, I was gearing up for the SF Marathon with long runs in SF and Tiburon. Three years ago, I was learning all about trail running, and Jenica & I celebrated my 30th bday by running up Mt. Tam :)  Four years ago, I was on my honeymoon and being oh-so-lazy on the beaches of the Greek Islands (no complaints about that!!). And, this October will be the 10th anniversary of running my first marathon, which was the Chicago Marathon that I ran with Carolyn.  Finally, it's been almost 20 years (eeeek!) since I started running high school cross country with Coach Heiser.

Swimming gear

I totally love my running gear, and I've joked that my favorite outfits involve running clothes.  Really, what can beat a running skirt, racing shoes, and a good ponytail??!?  I've been more consistent with my swimming and feel like I should review a few pieces of swimming gear. After a very good morning swim involving plenty of breaststroke and some freestyle, I thought swimming deserved a blog post.

I have a Splish swimsuit that I love.  It fits well, it covers everything up, and it has a fun design. I rate it an A (it would get an A+ but their swimsuits aren't cheap).

I use Tyr goggles.  Part of the strap broke, so I have to repair it by tying a knot in the strap. Thus the goggles get a B/B- rating. But the goggles fit well and let me see in the pool.  I would NOT be able to swim laps without goggles.

I like doing some kicking practice with fins. The pool provides Finis Zoomers, which work great.  I give the fins an A+ and would like to get my own pair of fins at some point!

I do my swimming at Oakland's public pools, and I give them a hearty A- rating.  The pools are well maintained, and the staff is friendly.  Sometimes lanes get a tad crowded. And the bathrooms are functional but nothing to write home about.

Gratitude

Yesterday, I had gratitude for a perfect avocado and for getting to blab to my husband.

Today, I have gratitude for a good run---breathing and sweating are my meditation.  I have gratitude for seeing blue skies.

And, tomorrow, I'll have gratitude for something else---large or small.

Found in my drafts of blog posts

Apparently, I wrote this about a year ago:

With precisely one month until Avenue, I had a deep thought during my steady state run this morning...We all have marathons. Everybody's marathon is different. Maybe your marathon is to cope with your job, or to take care of child or aging parents, or to jump through the hoops of graduate school, or to figure out your place in our wide world....

Amen--those words from 2010 sum up my current feelings and issues. I'm coping with marathons right now, and they're not the 26.2 mile variety :(  I'm doing my best to hang in there.  I went for a long walk on Wednesday and had a nice, short jog this morning.  I will go swimming next week.

March just marched on by

Parts of this month have been dreary---with tons of rain and work and unpredictability.  Yeah, I ran when I wanted to.  And I went swimming. And I even did a few long walks.  Today it was quite a bit warmer, and I savored running by the track....It reminded me of high school track practice.

Now I need to decide if I'm going to run any races in April....there's a trail race that looks interesting :P