Those who risk, win: Fenway

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Now what?

So, the marathon excitement has waned...at least enough that I can walk around like a normal human being again, and not some superhuman. (Yes, I did walk around like I was all that, because I WAS ALL THAT MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM) But since that's worn off, all I have left is the now what? For the first time in months, my Sunday will not be spent long running. I don't have to worry about making a wrong move and breaking a leg, foot, ankle, toe, etc. My running shoes don't need to be in the forefront of my closet anymore. I could actually wear non-workout clothes on the weekends. (I could, doesn't mean I will!) So, seriously, now what? Suddenly I'm afraid I'll fall completely out of shape and end up not fitting into my wedding dress, even though it hasn't been sized or anything yet, so that's basically a non-factor. Of course I plan to continue boxing/kickboxing at Title. I was going three times a week, and I might be interested in upping it to four times. Boxing is a lot of fun, the trainers are a blast, and it really is a great workout. Actually, if you're ever interested in going, I recommend the Alex or Lucas classes. They're CRAZY hard, and somehow lots of fun, as long as you don't mind sweating all over the place. However, I'm not sure that ONLY boxing all the time is the best workout plan. Now that I don't have to run 10+ miles every week, I don't mind going out and running when the weather is nice or just if I feel like it. Yesterday I did a quick 5K around Lake Q in just over 27 minutes actually. I have noticed that running everything at marathon pace has brought my 5K time back up a little bit, from 25 back to 27, but really that's not a huge deal.
The question really is, where do I go from here? Do I want to run another marathon? Maybe I want to stick to only running half marathons. Perhaps I should work on my speed and get my 5K back down to a 24/25 minute run, or lower if possible. Should I try a Spartan race, Warrior Dash, or Tough Mudder? How about trying to lower my marathon time and make an attempt to qualify for Boston in a few years? See how complicated this all is? I know I'm probably over thinking everything, but I just like to have a plan. Seems to me that everything in my life works better when I have a goal to meet.
For example: I wanted to be a teacher, so I went to grad school, passed my MTELs, worked as a sub, aide, etc, and got a job. Goal met. Check that off the bucket list, if you wish.
Goal 2: I wanted to run a marathon. I went out, trained, and ran a marathon, in a reasonable time at that. Goal met. Check that off.
Both of these goals were long term goals. They took a lot of time, effort, and mental as well as physical strength to complete. So it seems weird to me that I don't have a looming goal to meet. Obviously there's a wedding coming up, but that's not a goal, that's a life changer. It's not the same as having a goal to work towards. Alright, so I've gone on about this and gotten no further in my thinking. If you have an answer, throw it at me. Now what?

Case in point: Every race bib and medal I've used/won over the past year (except the MCM, that one has a special spot and is still on display on my bookshelf. Maybe I'm not QUITE over it yet) That's a lot to just cut out.

Btw, here's a picture of my Halloween costume. I consider it a minor failure, because the children thought I was, a) Lala Loopsy, b) The White Rabbit c) Abraham Lincoln. (No, that last one is not a joke). If you're not sure, I was a snowman. It was a fairly easy last minute costume considering I had the shirt from a Christmas themed 5K we did last year, the scarf because scarves are still in (I think?) and the hat, which I had to remake just a little bit. All I really added was a long sleeve white shirt and white jeans. Perfect last minute costume even if none of the kids got it.

Happy Halloween.

PS: Sox won the World Series, at Fenway last night. If you're not from Boston, you won't even be able to understand that. If you are, you know why that's some of the best news out of Boston this year.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Whoops

I guess it's been a few days since I updated. Clearly my blog skills are not on par with what they should be. Here's the thing. I've been busy. SUPER busy. Not too busy to run, just to busy to write apparently. So, let's just recap, shall we?
Last weekend I went for a nice 10 mile run in Manchester by the Sea with Cynthia, Murdock, and Jenna. Overall I think the run was pretty nice. The views were nice anyways. I also spent some time ripping up the wild bamboo growing in the backyard. Monday I went for a 5 mile run with Katie, up and down the beach. That was also...nice. It was crazy foggy out, but worse than that, it smelled like Lynn beach. There's nothing to explain the smell of Lynn beach to you. Just know that low tide smells like a combination of sulpher, rotten eggs, and porta-potties. Yes. Lovely, isn't it? So, that part of it was, not so nice, but the run part wasn't too bad.
Some of Ryan's family came to visit during the week, so I didn't run on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Shameful, I know. Friday I got in a nice little 3 miler in the morning, but the humidity was at 90%, so it was awfully sweaty. I guess it's time to accept that the humidity factor is now something to take into account when running. That means it's time to start trying for early morning runs, because the humidity is not going to be much help to timing.
Today I managed to get in 6 miles around the Wakefield lake. Unfortunately, it started to rain on me about a third of the way into the run. It wasn't a huge rain storm, and luckily it was warm enough that it didn't bother me too much, but I still did not enjoy the wet sneaker sensation. My time was fairly good though, 6 miles in 54 minutes. I am pretty confident that I can keep that 9 minute mile pace, which would put me under 2 hours for a half marathon. Seeing that I only have about two weeks to ensure this pace, I aim to get in another 10 mile run at that pace.
Earlier I also mentioned the virtual 10K by Charity Miles. I can say with full confidence that I have definitely surpassed the 6 mile requirement and I am expecting my t-shirt to be shipped any day now. That's a bonus for me and for all the charities I've been selecting. Once again, if you don't have this app yet, you really need to get it.
I think that's it for running news. I'm signed up to stuff packets next week for the Run to Remember. That should be fun. Since Ryan's family was visiting, we did a lot of touristy things this weekend, so I shall share some photos of that with you, as well as a map my run photo of my 10 mile run. I'm sure you're pumped. Enjoy them!