We dance...

...to the beat of whatever Robyn says.

I cannot run without music. One mix of genres: house, deep, Chicago, progressive, trance with the occasional nod to 70s disco, the William Blake of dance music.



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Finally!

...a personal best to report for the 64th Parc Lafontaine 10k. I cut 5 minutes off of my time.

Still slow by most standards, just to contextualize...but man alive!

Some of you might know that I have been training with an elite group, which largely ignores me as they lap me at the track. But, the coach, who is a very nice man, actually ran part of the last K with me, much to my surprise... and although I felt kind of nauseous, I thanked him for this bit of help.

I have been struggling with a lot of self doubt (in both my running and real life) and have had a fantasy of just giving up all of this racing (and writing) altogether. The original blog impetus of the ridiculously failed triathlon in Indonesia is now in deep history as those things go. Likewise, I have lost track of the submissions to journals and contests and whatallnot.

The time today really helped a lot.




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Location:Parc lafontaine

Path Running

Beautiful.






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Location:Rue Masson,Montréal,Canada

Two sides

While running this morning in Toronto's High Park, I was treated to this lovely scene:



Twenty feet later to my left:



Always bittersweet.

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Summer Running

...had me a blast. Such a blast that I have had no time to post. I did come across these creatures this morning:




Paul and I will be running a 10k this weekend as part of the Jazz Tune Up at the Beaches event. Here's to the faint hope of doing this in under one hour.

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Location:Lake Shore Blvd W,Toronto,Canada

Competition.

I ran a 10k this morning in Outremont...next door to the Mile End district of Montreal, my neighborhood of twenty some years. I am basically a lazy person and so I absolutely love races that involve a travel time of less than five minutes to both the start and finish lines.



Anyway, just before we began, I mentioned to someone ahead of me that my intention was to follow him and I hoped he knew where he was going. Light chit chat. Then, I tried to make some sarcastic observation about how so-called "noncompetitive" these races were. I was trying to make the point that no one will admit to being triple A competitive. Before he completely zoomed ahead at the start line, he looked at me as if I were mentally insane. I should know better. When I say I am slow, I am telling the truth. When others say they are slow, they are comparing themselves to the Bolt.

Ironically, my speed was pretty good (for me) at 1 hour 7 minutes. This was the first race in the new age category and it was okay. So there. I am owning some of that competitive spirit too.

At this time next week, with any kind of luck, I will be crossing the finish line for the half marathon in Hawaii -- can't even believe it. Also, looking forward to some awesome coffee and recovery.

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Gear

My new running socks:



See my previous post on sock shopping. Plus, try to say that three times quickly.

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Just say no.

My feet and ass are in denial about all of the races coming up, especially the half marathon in Kona.

What was I thinking?

Celebrity Moves

Yesterday, I ran my umpteenth half marathon. I love stories about the rituals of running and thought I would share some of what I do in the days, hours preceding a race. Please know that despite admitting to being a slow runner, I am always slightly disappointed in my performance. I slowed down during the Toronto Women's Half Marathon to take this picture. I am not good with estimating distances (or height, weight, age etc), but at the 15k mark, my feet responded well to the advice:

 

A couple of weeks before a race:

1) I consider ramping up the training to include at least a few 12-15k longer runs.

2) I shop for a new pair of socks.

3) I find myself in weird conversations about the state of my feet.

4) I often think about my weight and wonder how it can be that after all of these years (and we're talking decades, folks), I can't drop 5 pounds to be lighter on my feet, and be so much faster.

5) I actually do hill training and my version of a fartlek or two. 

I've definitely acquired the vocabulary of running, if not the physique.

A couple of days:

1) I wonder where the time has gone.

2) I realize that I didn't do enough long runs.

3) I think about not doing the race at all.

4) I shop for new socks.

5) I screw up the taper.

The night before:

1) I end up staying up too late.

2) I remember sometimes not to cut my toe nails.

3) I make sure to have gum, GU, lip balm and bus fare (and i.d. & healthcard) ready to stow.

4) I lay out my gear: race belt, clothes, music, headphones, hat, and the socks that I have paid way too much for...

5) I consider not doing the race.

The day:

1) I get up one hour before I have to leave, which is often 4:00 a.m. 

2) I have a giant cup of super strong coffee and chase this with an advil or two.

3) I have one banana.

4) I plan to get to the site 30 minutes early to line up at the porto-potty, whether I have to go or not.

5) I consider not doing the race.

So far, I have always finished the races started, which I should probably celebrate a little more than I do, but perhaps the running takes on the qualities of the runner. Wouldn't running be boring if it didn't? 

The curve

I struggle with perception: my own mainly. What do I know about how other people think? Rhetorically and really...zero, zip, nothing, nada. I do know, though, that the discipline of running gives me a kind of mobile meditation.

This morning I had to make/take the decision to not run the Goodlife Toronto Half. I fell down in a movie theatre a couple of weeks ago in Chiang Mai (seeing Oblivion, I add) - a spectacular wipeout with no witnesses. I have been limping and nursing a tender ankle ever since. I erred on the side of caution today as I figured best to avoid more serious injury. Right now, I feel perfectly fine.

Irony is very irritating, but I don't believe in regret.

On a short High Park outing the other day to test the ankle, I ran into these guys:



Also, the cherry blossoms:



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Run for your life.

I do not take any of this for granted. The Boston bombing has left me bereft.


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Thai Training

This is a picture of a sun rise. I took this about two weeks ago as I walked in silent meditation as part of a recent ashram trip to South India. The silence was almost as difficult as running. Almost.


This is the beach my husband and I ran on this morning:




It is in South Thailand, on long beach Koh Lanta: Andaman Sea. The natural beauty is exquisite, but I must confess that I am a little worried about the next race I have in Toronto on May 5. I think I will finish it, yes. It will hurt this time, though.

Also, I keep almost losing everything on this trip: left all of my valuables outside of the bungalow last night... and I do mean valuable and everything.



That was breakfast, post run. Very blessed for the sabbatical and Paul. Now, off to a massage... Pinch me to see if I am dreaming all of this. Wow.

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Location:Sala Dan,Thailand

Twin Parks

Two days ago, I went running in High Park Toronto:




This morning, I ran in Lumpini Park, Bangkok:



I don't normally write about races I almost ran, but there is one in Cambodia this coming weekend that very nearly caused me to rearrange my itinerary to India. I will not say that I should have...just noting it here. That's all.

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Location:สาทร 16,Silom,Thailand

Chilly

Bundled up for a -10 degree run in Toronto:



I prefer hot weather runs, though perform better in cold. There's a positive in there somewhere...hard to say in mid-February Canada.

Next (official) race is early May in Toronto.

Must get through taxes before that...

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Numbers

Good Karma:



Great View:



I have decided to give up the focus on speeding up. It's making these races unenjoyable. The improvement has been in recovery time and I accept this.

So, right now, I am signed up for three more half marathons: Toronto in May, Niagara Falls in early June and Kona in late June.

Death to speed.

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Today

...kind of messed up the taper.



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Four days to Miami.

Spring Forward

One way to avoid the reality of winter is to plan for spring.

Paul and I just registered for The Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon to be held May 5, 2013 in Toronto.

Lots of stuff between now and then, including races in Miami and Vancouver and a two-week, non running stint at an ashram in Trivandrum, India.

Happy Trails.

Signs

I saw this while running this morning in Leon, Nicaragua:



This is me across the street:



I saw this online before my run:



Ten days to Miami.

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Extremes II

From A Toronto city beach




to the practically deserted Pacific Paradise of Poneloya, Nicaragua.




I should be starting to think about the exhale of training: the taper. I still need to put at least another longish run in...not that easy to do as I balance time between developing educational materials for a pilot project in rural Nicaragua and running in the heat. Still, though, a beach is a beach.
Half marathon in Miami is coming up January 25. Even better is that my husband Paul, who scared the shit out of everyone by having a heart attack and triple bypass surgery last summer, may run the race with me. His doctor has cleared him for it. More later.
Talk about gratitude.
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