Blissful 3 Day Weekend

I love national holidays and the extra days off they provide.

Sunday I was up early and in Forest Park with part of the running group. It was muddy and rainy and wonderful (except for the part where I tried to crawl down a slick hill that was at about 45 degrees, because I have no sense of balance and hate falling down.. good times!). My shoes were trashed - I had to rinse them out and then leave them in front of the dryer. My hamstring gave out around 7.75 miles, but then I walked another 3 miles out of the trail.

It's hard to realize the mileage I'm capable of now, especially when you compare it to how little I could accomplish when I first started back in January. I'm still a bit nervous about adding extra mileage because I can't seem to find a consistent running groove. I'll have fantastic days and terrible days and nothing in between. I'm not quite sure what makes the fantastic days fantastic, so it's hard to replicate. Is it sleep? Training? What I've eaten? Obviously over training is an issue for me; I know that my body is unhappy if I try to run two days in a row (which is something I'd like to get over by slowly adding more workouts). My hamstring on my right leg is also a factor as well, due most likely to the fencing and my en garde.

What else to mention? Devoured two novels by Michel Houellebecq, but I'm still not sure what I think of him. I love John Banville's prose, but am still uncertain about his plots. I've also found the energy/interest to knit again. Huzzah.

A month.... That's not so bad, is it?

So it's been pretty much exactly a month since I last posted anything (note I didn't say anything of value). It's been a crazy month: old coworkers leaving, new coworkers arriving, getting accepted into grad school for the fall, freaking out about getting accepted into grad school for the fall, AK's ridiculous schedule, too many overnight trips to Seattle, the continuing fight for Accutane (finally finished), and running. Lots of running.

I've made it to running 8 miles straight and finished my first 10k in just over an hour. On Sunday, due to the heat, we hit the trails in Forest Park and rocked out 7.5 miles. I absolutely love trail running now. I think the constantly shifting grade and ever changing background engage my mind more than just crusing along a road. And I am madly in love with running downhill. Yes, it can be a bit harsh on the knees, but it's the closest thing I've ever felt to flying (Delmar once said that the fleche in saber was just like flying, but I can't do that without drawing a card). There's just something so monstrously satisfying about turning around from an 11 min/mi uphill to barreling along at 8 min/mi. Forest Park will probably be the training ground of choice for the summer (once the sun and the heat return), and I look forward to it.

Sunday will bring 10 miles, which I'm nervous about. I managed 8 miles on a very good morning - I was up in time, ate and hydrated, and just seemed to have the energy for it. Even though the important part is that I get up and manage to tie on my shoes, I still don't want to crap out in the middle. Right now I'm running 3 days a week: long run on Sunday, short run on Tuesday, speedwork/track workout on Thursday. I'm trying to walk on the days in between and would like to build up to running more days a week, but right now I know my body can't handle it (my right hamstring rebells furiously if it's forced to work too much).

My knitting is not going so well - I've left AK's sweater at an annoying point and will have to pick it back up soon. I'm nearly done with the sock yarn scarf and have at least two more cotton bags to knit up for my mother and my sister. A trip to the Knitting Bee is in order, but I have to find the time. That seems to be the main problem of late - finding the time.