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| All green percentages! Yay for negative splits! |
I ran on Saturday and Sunday too, but neither of these runs felt awesome. Saturday I did an 8.5 miler with the Team in preparation for this weekend's Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon. Although I wasn't super uncomfortable on this run, and it felt good to get some longer mileage in again, I still wasn't at my "yay running is great!" feeling. After this run, I went and partook in the happiness of the Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair. I was a good girl and was home many hours before dark, but then after crying my way through the final 3 episodes of Glee for this season, I received a phone call around 9pm that went basically like this:
Friends: "So...we want to have a game night, but we can't do it anywhere else but at your place. Can we come over with games, wine, and food?"
Tessa: "OMG, I just cried through 3 hours of Glee, my eyes are puffy and red, and now I am drinking wine by myself."
Friends: "Um...so that means yes?"
Tessa: "Totally."
So, 6 hours later, I finally went to bed after a number of glasses of wine and a good deal of laughter (How many glasses of wine? How much laughter? Well...it's may be a little fuzzy to answer these questions in measurable terms). Needless to say, when my alarm went off at 8:00 the next morning, the thought of conquering my planned 50 mile bike ride was a little daunting. I was ready to rally, but when I got the text from another bike rider basically indicating that her Saturday night went something along the same lines as mine, I was more than happy to bail on the ride.
I slept in a while longer, wasted time on the couch for a bit, drank lots of water, and then decided around 2ish that I was ready for a run. This run did not feel great. I ran a bit, walked a bit, crossed my fingers that I would run into someone I knew running around Greenlake so I could get rid of Lucy momentarily and make the mad dash for the bathroom that I suddenly needed (this actually worked! I bumped into a friend, dumped Lucy on her, and ran into the closest restaurant for a pit stop), and then ran the rest of the way home. Not fun. Not great. Not fast.
But then Monday? Monday was just a normal day. 2.5 days before the end of the school year, no special plans. No special diet, liquid intake, or expectations. I went out for a run, and I ran fast. And it felt easy. And good. Why? Who knows? Maybe it's not just marathons that are mysterious, unknowable entities. Maybe running in general is just fickle. Sometimes when I'm out there running, it feels like the Gods of Running have a plan for me that I have no control over. Yes, I can do things to boost the run (hydrate, eat well) or ruin it (drink lots of wine, play games until 3am), but there's something that I'm not quite conscious of that decides what a run will feel like for me.
I haven't run since Monday, and probably won't have time to again until the half marathon on Saturday. I am ok with this. Or at least I'm telling myself I am. I'll make it through. No PR expected this weekend.
Instead of obsessing and worrying about this weekend's race, I'm thinking about the fact that today was the last day of school. Today, my summer officially begins. And, of course, I have a wonderfully long list of things I'd like to accomplish this summer. Here it is.
Things I will do this summer (and by summer, I mean the next 2 months)
1) Run. A lot. This is #1 on my list. I want to run with Lucy. I want to do some speed work with just me. I have a plan to continue our teacher running groups on Tuesdays after summer school. And I plan to prepare for the oh-so-hilly Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco that I'll be completing in October.
2) Read. A lot. I've been stuck in the middle of the 2nd book of Game of Thrones (AKA Clash of Kings, which is technically part of a serious know as Song of Fire and Ice--or is it Ice and Fire?--anyways, the series is NOT called Game of Thrones). I want to finish this and then start the The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (#3 in The Girl Who...Series--definitely not the official name). I also would like to do some professional reading. I like to think about trying to become a better teacher over the summer. This rarely happens, but it's always on the list.
3) Write. A lot. Expect to hear from me often. I may even try to encourage you to make comments. Because I know you're out there reading this (I may not know who you are, but you're there), and I'd love to hear back from you! Maybe I'll even try to write something besides a blog. That's scary though. I will probably be unsuccessful at that.
4) Bike. As much as I can. The Seattle to Portland bike ride is less than a month away. I haven't been on a bike in over a month. This is nerve-wracking. I would like to get my butt back on a bike ASAP so that my butt will survive two 100 mile days in a row.
5) Go to the zoo. I live within 5 minutes walking distance of the Woodland Park Zoo, and I have a membership, which means I get to go for free as often as I want. For $40 a year, a membership is way worth it. I just need to get there regularly and spend a few hours staring at the orangutans. Maybe some other animals too.
6) Try to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Because being a lowly teacher who lives by her lonesome, there isn't much of it to go around. And that Nike Women's trip I mentioned above? Costs money. So will going home for Christmas and my brother's wedding in May. So much to save up for, so little time, and so little to work with.
7) Try to widen my cooking repertoire again. I used to cook many varied kinds of things. Lately, the vast majority of what I cook includes soy sauce and/or peanut butter. I love both of these ingredients, which is why I eat so much of them, but I'd like to expand my horizons again. I live about 4 blocks away from what is rumored to be a pretty awesome farmer's market. I'd like to visit it weekly and then cook with different spices and bases.
8) Spend time with Lucy. This should actually be #1 and needs no explanation.
Right now, I feel like I have so much time. I'm only working 2 days a week teaching summer school, and those days are only half days. And then of course my regular Friday hostessing shift. Other than that, I've got nothing but time this summer. This is the first summer since...well...since my freshman/sophomore year of college that I haven't worked full time. Wow. Here's to hoping that I cross everything off my to do list. And here's to knowing that I probably won't even come close to it.
Friends: "So...we want to have a game night, but we can't do it anywhere else but at your place. Can we come over with games, wine, and food?"
Tessa: "OMG, I just cried through 3 hours of Glee, my eyes are puffy and red, and now I am drinking wine by myself."
Friends: "Um...so that means yes?"
Tessa: "Totally."
So, 6 hours later, I finally went to bed after a number of glasses of wine and a good deal of laughter (How many glasses of wine? How much laughter? Well...it's may be a little fuzzy to answer these questions in measurable terms). Needless to say, when my alarm went off at 8:00 the next morning, the thought of conquering my planned 50 mile bike ride was a little daunting. I was ready to rally, but when I got the text from another bike rider basically indicating that her Saturday night went something along the same lines as mine, I was more than happy to bail on the ride.
I slept in a while longer, wasted time on the couch for a bit, drank lots of water, and then decided around 2ish that I was ready for a run. This run did not feel great. I ran a bit, walked a bit, crossed my fingers that I would run into someone I knew running around Greenlake so I could get rid of Lucy momentarily and make the mad dash for the bathroom that I suddenly needed (this actually worked! I bumped into a friend, dumped Lucy on her, and ran into the closest restaurant for a pit stop), and then ran the rest of the way home. Not fun. Not great. Not fast.
But then Monday? Monday was just a normal day. 2.5 days before the end of the school year, no special plans. No special diet, liquid intake, or expectations. I went out for a run, and I ran fast. And it felt easy. And good. Why? Who knows? Maybe it's not just marathons that are mysterious, unknowable entities. Maybe running in general is just fickle. Sometimes when I'm out there running, it feels like the Gods of Running have a plan for me that I have no control over. Yes, I can do things to boost the run (hydrate, eat well) or ruin it (drink lots of wine, play games until 3am), but there's something that I'm not quite conscious of that decides what a run will feel like for me.
I haven't run since Monday, and probably won't have time to again until the half marathon on Saturday. I am ok with this. Or at least I'm telling myself I am. I'll make it through. No PR expected this weekend.
Instead of obsessing and worrying about this weekend's race, I'm thinking about the fact that today was the last day of school. Today, my summer officially begins. And, of course, I have a wonderfully long list of things I'd like to accomplish this summer. Here it is.
Things I will do this summer (and by summer, I mean the next 2 months)
1) Run. A lot. This is #1 on my list. I want to run with Lucy. I want to do some speed work with just me. I have a plan to continue our teacher running groups on Tuesdays after summer school. And I plan to prepare for the oh-so-hilly Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco that I'll be completing in October.
2) Read. A lot. I've been stuck in the middle of the 2nd book of Game of Thrones (AKA Clash of Kings, which is technically part of a serious know as Song of Fire and Ice--or is it Ice and Fire?--anyways, the series is NOT called Game of Thrones). I want to finish this and then start the The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (#3 in The Girl Who...Series--definitely not the official name). I also would like to do some professional reading. I like to think about trying to become a better teacher over the summer. This rarely happens, but it's always on the list.
3) Write. A lot. Expect to hear from me often. I may even try to encourage you to make comments. Because I know you're out there reading this (I may not know who you are, but you're there), and I'd love to hear back from you! Maybe I'll even try to write something besides a blog. That's scary though. I will probably be unsuccessful at that.
4) Bike. As much as I can. The Seattle to Portland bike ride is less than a month away. I haven't been on a bike in over a month. This is nerve-wracking. I would like to get my butt back on a bike ASAP so that my butt will survive two 100 mile days in a row.
5) Go to the zoo. I live within 5 minutes walking distance of the Woodland Park Zoo, and I have a membership, which means I get to go for free as often as I want. For $40 a year, a membership is way worth it. I just need to get there regularly and spend a few hours staring at the orangutans. Maybe some other animals too.
6) Try to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Because being a lowly teacher who lives by her lonesome, there isn't much of it to go around. And that Nike Women's trip I mentioned above? Costs money. So will going home for Christmas and my brother's wedding in May. So much to save up for, so little time, and so little to work with.
7) Try to widen my cooking repertoire again. I used to cook many varied kinds of things. Lately, the vast majority of what I cook includes soy sauce and/or peanut butter. I love both of these ingredients, which is why I eat so much of them, but I'd like to expand my horizons again. I live about 4 blocks away from what is rumored to be a pretty awesome farmer's market. I'd like to visit it weekly and then cook with different spices and bases.
8) Spend time with Lucy. This should actually be #1 and needs no explanation.
Right now, I feel like I have so much time. I'm only working 2 days a week teaching summer school, and those days are only half days. And then of course my regular Friday hostessing shift. Other than that, I've got nothing but time this summer. This is the first summer since...well...since my freshman/sophomore year of college that I haven't worked full time. Wow. Here's to hoping that I cross everything off my to do list. And here's to knowing that I probably won't even come close to it.
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| View from South Lake Union last summer. May there be many days like this. |
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