Last week went pretty much according to plan, except for Sunday’s run. I hurt my back somehow (actually, I know how – wearing entirely too high heels at the wedding and dancing in said heels), so Sunday left me in a lot of pain. Luckily, it wasn’t sacro-iliac pain, just general muscle pain, which I have been working on with ice and, later, gentle stretching, but it’s still there and I haven’t run since Friday.

I feel a lot better today, however, so I may try to run tomorrow evening, or on Thursday, at the very latest.

Not running has really left me in a foul mood. Being in pain doesn’t help, and I have PMS. So for some insane reason, I decided that yesterday would be as good a day as any to go shopping for jeans after work.

Yeah, you heard me.

For the record, jeans shopping + PMS + entirely too much Halloween candy = Dumbest… Idea… EVER.

I tried on about 10 pairs of jeans. They were all european sizes, so I wasn’t sure what size was "about a 10", but I quickly determined that I had reached the upper end of the available sizes without finding something that fit well, because anything that fit in the thighs and butt was HUGE in the waist, and I was not paying $143 for a stupid pair of jeans that didn’t even fit.

So then I started to cry, right there in the dressing room. *sigh*

I also cried on the train, and then again when I met Rob at the car, and for pretty much the rest of the way home.

I felt terrible for the rest of the night. I made a huge salad for dinner w/baby spinach, red pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, a tiny bit of goat cheese, some toasted walnuts, and my own balsamic dressing. Then I had a little popcorn (plain), and went to bed early with an ice pack beneath my sacrum.

Hopefully, today will be better.

I was emailing with some of my running friends on Friday and one of them said that she really wanted to run a 5K this weekend, since she is just back to running after an injury, and did any of us running girls want to race? And, well, I said sure!

So today, Caitlin, PJ and I ran a little 5K near my house. It was a pretty hilly course, and the slowest 5K I’ve ever run, but it was such a cute, fun, small race, on a beautiful day, with some of my friends. That is nearly perfection, in my book.

Anyway, after a week of kind of meh running, I was psyched to have a nice run, which I did. Then I came home and Rob fired up the grill. All in all, a great day.

Next week’s schedule:
T – 3.5
W – yoga
Th – 3
F – 3
Sa – nothing. We’re going to a wedding.
Su – 4.5

I’ve been doing really well with my consistency over the last month or so. Not that it has paid off with much faster times (yet), but it has paid off with easier running and, therefore,  more enjoyable running. So I’ve been thinking about what’s next. What do I want to do? Should I set some goals? Should I train for something?

I’ve signed up for that 5K in December, and I’m not super psyched to race in the winter, but I would like to set a goal to accomplish by the year’s end. I’m thinking long run of 7 miles? I dunno, but it seems reasonable.

Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about when I was running yesterday. I had an okay run. Not great, but not terrible. I felt sluggish and my calves were killing me, but I got it done.

A quick PSA: When you live in a house with really tall ceilings, and you’re trying to paint above the windows and whatnot – around the upper perimeter of the room? Just use a freaking step ladder. Don’t try to get those extra couple of inches painted by holding the roller and jumping around the room. Your calves will thank you. That is all.

Takes a special kind of stupid, that does. *sigh*

I didn’t realize, for the longest time, how much time I spent with runners and how it has affected my relationship with food. It seems that we really, really like to talk about food – about what we had, what we’re going to have, what we can’t have. We’re all about deprivation and reward. As such, I am always talking about food at work.

My coworkers, many of whom bike-commute (and there’s a handful of runners in there, too), probably think I have an eating disorder, given how many times I say "oh no, I really can’t eat that"  at lunch, and then procede to throw down a couple of dark chocolate pieces at around 3:00. Hey, it’s the 3:00 slump. I need my 60% cocoa fix. Jon understands. :)

Anyway, I get the feeling that they think I am obsessive and weird about food and exercise. Fair enough. I suppose I am, in my own way. I mean, I did bring in my own snacks because the microwave popcorn they have here has too much fat in it, and the crackers they have aren’t whole wheat, and free food just isn’t worth it if it’s not what you like.

The funny thing is that I don’t even work out that much, and I think I eat a fair amount of crap in any given week (something I am trying to remedy, I swear). And I suppose that the frustrating thing for me, is that I’m not sure where I fit in, you know? To non-runners, I work out a lot and am, as I said, obsessive and weird. To runners, at least the ones I know, I’m doing piddly mileage and probably need to obsess a lot less than I do.

This is just an observation, of course. I’m not sure how much I really care to compare myself to anyone else with any kind of seriousness. That said, I’m involved in this virtual weight loss challenge to get down to 140lbs or less, and wishing I had as much self control as some of the other people in the challenge, and/or doing the mileage they are doing, because that would surely help get these last 4 lbs. off.

In other news, I signed up for The Hot Chocolate Run in Northampton again. It’s a GREAT race. If you’re close, I encourage you to register.

This weekend was gorgeous. So how did we spend it?
Well, being outside, of course!

On Saturday, we went to the Davis Maze in Sterling, MA. Perfect day for it, too! We spent the morning doing chores (or, rather, I did. Rob played XBox and watched Battlestar Craptacular), then headed out to meet our friends in the afternoon. Did the maze for maybe 3 hours, then drove home and fired up the grill… and opened some beer. Mmmm, pumpkin ale.

Sunday, we ran, and our 4 miler was extra hard. We ran a new route, which offered little shade and more huge hills. Who knew? We got a late start and, thinking it was supposed to be cool, didn’t end up leaving the house until about 11am. So hot, hilly, hard. Still, it was a nice run, mostly because I am easily distracted in old neighborhoods.

We ran part of our 3 mile route, then crossed over to the other side of Centre St, and ran in the Bellevue Hill section of West Roxbury. It’s a lovely part of town, with huge old Victorian and Queen Anne houses, and stately, brick colonials. Our neighborhood is a mix of single and 2-family houses – smaller houses with character – but they are certainly not like the ones in Bellevue Hill. This hilly part of town was actually fun to run through. Just when we got to the top of a big hill, we’d turn the corner and down we’d go. Woot!

After we came home, I made chocolate chip pancakes, and then we did more stuff around the house and in the yard. I finished all the laundry, and Rob watched the Patriots. Later, we grilled some chicken and asparagus for dinner.

I had Monday off, and was a little sad to not be running the Tufts 10K this year. Still, I went out for a few miles. Just a couple, a little faster than usual.

And that’s it! That was my long weekend. How was yours?
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians. :)

For the last 2 days, we’ve been having a bit of an Indian Summer up in Boston. It’s been lovely, if not a bit warm for running. Yesterday, the temp read 78º on my drive home, and I was slightly concerned since a) I hate running when it’s above… oh, about 72º or so, and b) it’s been nice and crisp lately, and I’m not good at temperature swings back & forth like that.

But you know what? It was totally fine. I started off slow and was kicking it at the end. I ran a little bit of a different route, as it was pretty dark when I finished, so there were a couple of extra hills in there – small ones, but still. 40 minutes. A great run that left me feeling confident and happy – my whole reason for running… oh, and cake. I run so that I can sometimes have cake.

Anyway, came in, stretched a bit, had some water. Later on, I watched The Biggest Loser and did my upper body weights. Today, all of my limbs are a little sore. :)

So yeah, that’s about it. I’m going to try to run today, Saturday (45 minutes), and maybe go to yoga on Sunday. We have plans to go to the Davis Maze on Saturday with some friends, so a run is a must for that day, since seeing our friends usually means going out to eat, and the Davis Maze always yields fresh, hot cider donuts. Mmmmm.

But about running. I’m getting better at this, and a little faster, I’ve noticed. Pretty soon, I’ll be back to running for an hour at a stretch. Yee haw.

So hi! Hello! I’ve missed the RBF!!!

Quick recap: When I last posted, we were this close to buying a house and moving.

Well, we sold the condo, bought a house, moved, and then I changed jobs at the end of August. Short version – I wasn’t happy at Oracle and found a great little startup to work for, also in Cambridge, only this time in Harvard Square. I love it here, but I’ve been pretty busy every day, and just kind of tired when I get home at night, what with the house stuff… and running.

So yes, running. Running has been going great. I have been running approximately every other day, 3 – 3.5 miles at a time, not really wearing a watch, just exploring my neighborhood and enjoying the fall weather… and hating the hills. My new hood is hilly. It’s okay though, as it’s making me stronger and tougher, and I like that.

I haven’t really been training for anything. Rather, I’ve been trying to be consistent and get myself back in the groove, after the disruption of the move and job changes. And it’s been fine. I am really happy with where I’m at with my running, and I’m starting to ramp up the mileage again, injury-free so far, and that is also good. It’s just like Dianna said, "when you’re ready, running will be there for you." And it has been, and I’m loving it. :)

Anyway, time to make the rounds and catch up with some of you. It’s been too long, really.

xoxo,
Annalisa