Someone Shrank My Pants

The weather got worse and the allergies got better.  Running is OK again, although not lovely.  But I’ll take “OK.”

More importantly, my imaginings of increased scale numbers and a general trend toward more of me were confirmed this morning when I grabbed a pair of pants I don’t really like out of the back of the closet.  They fit fine in November.  (Fine, I tell you.)  Now?  Not just a leetle tight.  They are “nope, can’t wear ‘em out of the house” tight.  In fact, I don’t think I could even wear them IN the house without laughing.

Messing around, I am not.  I joined Weight Watchers Online again faster than you can pop a Snickers bar in your mouth.

Sneezy Goes to Bed Until June

All right, what’s up?  I figured I’d feel refreshed after my day off yesterday, but instead I let out an audible groan this morning, and then postponed running twice.  I finally got in 4 very slow miles before going in to work (late).

As I’m running (and really struggling while I’m running to hold even a recovery pace), I’m thinking:  This isn’t just training fatigue.  Muscularily, I feel solid.  Heart rates are spot on normal.  No injuries.  Not sick.  No post drug or alcohol reactions.

And then a breeze picked up and I saw it.  A puff of pine pollen blowing out of a tree near the shore.

It’s allergy season.

End of Week Three

I’m poooooooped.  My 8mi run today was done sans Garmin (once AGAIN, it got left on, so dead battery) at the astonishingly slow pace of just over 11:00 per mile.  And despite the slow slow slogging I’m tired, sore and have a monstrous blister on my right big toe (I’d thought I’d broken in my newer shoes fairly well, but apparently not).  So tomorrow I’m taking Mr. Higdon’s optional day off, thank you.

So I watched the Super Bowl (and it *was* a really good game, best I can remember in years), but what I really wanted to know about was how bloggers Julianne and Jim did in the Kaiser Half, plus two rl friends Nancy and Michelle.  They tried to talk me into it Thursday, but I said no, as I thought I’d probably hurt myself.  And in truth, I’m glad I stayed home, given how I feel after just 8.

Ready am I…

…for Stepback Week Number 1.  Today a simple 4 miles plus strength training felt like a half marathon and the lifting of compact cars.  Stepback starts Monday.  I have a date with my favorite 8 mile course tomorrow, and then a week of shorter runs.

Thank goodness.

Also:  Does anybody else gain weight like mad when they start training?  I’ve put on four pounds in three weeks, and I *swear* I’m not eating more.

In Which My Times Go the Wrong Way

Much of the running blogosphere reports this week that they are getting faster – and three cheers for that!  It’s fun to see this collective quickening of writing runners.  I, alas, cannot report increased speed.  No, in fact, I’m going the other way.  But I don’t mind, really.

I decided for this round of training that, for the first time, I’m going to take the Macmillan pacing suggestions seriously.  Usually I do everything faster than suggested, both the speed workouts and the regular and long run paces.  After all, I *can* go faster, why shouldn’t I?  But come race day, I’m no faster than the predicted speeds for the slower paces (if you can follow that, you’re doing better than me).  So I’m not improving by going faster, and in fact it coooooould be that I’m just wearing myself out.

Yes, I know that should be obvious.  But I don’t do obvious well.

So THIS time, I’ve run all the paces correctly for two and a half weeks.  The last three days, I did a 7 mile, a 3.5 mile and a 6 mile  at slow paces and – wait for it – I don’t feel like I’m going to die tonight.  That’s AMAZING.  I don’t even really feel like I worked out this morning. 

So that’s my news.  I’m getting slower, and I’m delighted.

See Me, Feel Me

I left the iPod at home this morning, because I feel a little like Tommy, the Pinball Wizard, when I run in the dark with my iPod.  Can’t see, can’t hear, and sort of living through my feet (well, Tommy didn’t use his feet, I know).  It’s disconcerting and probably not very safe (I do have a head lamp, I’m not crazy, but it doesn’t do much).  And I frighten the dog-walking ladies when I run by, singing Good Thing by Fine Young Cannibals.

So this morning I had been running for about, oh, two thousand hours or so.  At least a bajillion miles.  I had thought so many thoughts, I’d practically written an entire novel in my head.  And fast?  I was like the wind. 

I aimed my headlight at the Garmin only to find…that I was runninng at a just under 11:00 pace and hadn’t even hit a mile out of my 3.5 yet.

Tomorrow is six miles in the dark.  Not sure I can do it without some noise.

My Favorite Run

Today’s training required a 7mi run, and that means my favorite local run, shown here. 

I like this run because I’m blocked from the incessant shore wins on the way out but have tail winds on the way home (cheater, I know).  I like it because everybody else likes it, and people smile at me a lot on this run.  I like it because there are bathrooms and water fountains, a choice of running surfaces and cool breezes on hot days.  But best of all, I like it because when you come around one particular bend you get the best view of the San Francisco skyline anywhere.  And today it was absolutely crystal clear, just about the prettiest I’ve ever seen.  Shoulda brought my cell.

I like this run because it generally burns about 730 calories, and this morning I’m on my way out to Mama’s Royal Cafe in Oakland to put (hopefully) slightly less than 730 calories back in.

Fat and Sassy

Well, fat, anyway.  I have been eating like there’s no tomorrow the last few days (I suspect there’s a hormonal component to it, combined with the return of cooler temps here combined with the return of my at-school walking walking walking routine) and missed my first workout of the training today due to a variety of circumstances out of my control.  I did not “run anyway” but I did have a much needed long talk with one of my children, and I did make it to all my classes and handle the carpool emergency despite a massive traffic jam, so I don’t feel too bad.

But I do feel fat.

Interval Wednesday

First day back at school, a 10 hour day.  I had a break, and so went to the campus gym.  It was a mob scene.  Signed in, found a treadmill, and started in.  Warm up, then 800’s.  2/3 of the way through my third of four, a VERY CRANKY very small, earlier generation lady approached me.  “ExCUSE ME!” she shouted.  I was doing a 8:30 pace, which for me is pushing it, and sweat was pouring off me.

“EXCUSE ME!!!!!” she bellowed, before I could even take a breath and hit the stop button.

“Yes?” I said, with all the breath and polite I could muster.

“You’re not signed up to be on this machine!”  (punctuation does not do this sentence justice…picture some heavy duty angry old lady venom, here.)

I hit the quick “stop” button and tried to catch my breath.  I really was as nice as I’m going to make myself out here, I was trying hard to defuse, as we were close to a full-on scene.  “I’m sorry.  It’s my first day.  I thought I understood the procedure for getting a treadmill, but apparently not.  Please explain it to me.” 

She did, calming down not at all.  I got off the treadmill and wiped it for her, and as she climbed on, she said, I swear to you, “And don’t turn the treadmill off with that button next time.”

Then she proceeded to go exactly 2.5 mph.

Me?  I hit the showers.  Next time I know:  I have to write the treadmill number next to my name on the sheet, not just my name.  Because if I don’t? 

If I don’t, the treadmill Nazi will get me.

Wonderful Day

Taking a page from Andrew’s book, here’s my six miler this morning.

The weather could not possibly have been more spectacular.  About 50 when I hit the pavement, with about a 5 mph breeze.

It was just glorious.

I feel some pride in finishing my first week of training.  I hit all the points spot-on, no shirking.  Ran (with one day of cross training) 6 of 7.  Last night I was dog tired and fell asleep in front of the telly, but it was, as my husband said, a good sleep.  Today I felt perfectly justified in having TWO whole wheat no-fat waffles after the run. 

Week Two holds my first track work out and a small bump in mileage.  I’m on it.