High

At 07:40, I started a 13 mile run that lasted 1:26 (h:m) for an average pace of 6:40 (m:s). That is close to a PR, which is pretty good considering it was just on the sidewalk with all the regular traffic that is part of that.

I feel as though I started the run about an hour before I actually put rubber to asphalt. I woke up at about 06:30 today, and remained in bed until almost ten or so minutes before that actual act of running. I did spend that time listening to music and just relaxing. Normally I sit in bed debating whether or not I should get up, that kind of debate was not happening in my head this time. Instead, I listened to music, and just relaxed my mind, similar to what I do when I'm on a run.

I probably only had two and half to three hours of sleep leading up to the run. I was on a high through out the entire run, start to finish. There are some situations, no matter how awesome, you probably just can't duplicate. There is just so much more to them than the aspects which we remember.

Afternoon Cycle

It was such a nice day on today, that I went for an evening ride far into the west. I logged at least 20 miles, but didn't keep track exactly. It was much farther than I planned, and interrupted other meetings I had scheduled. I need to re-evaluate my plans and how I stick to them.

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At 07:22, I started a 5.31 mile run, that lasted 38:34 (m:s) for an average pace of 7:15 (m:s).

The weather was warm, the sun was out, and the leaves were an explosion of oranges, yellows and reds. Generally, I felt good, I also felt a little clutzy, as though I was tripping over myself. Part of the goal of running, was to give my life some perspective and goals outside of work. Work is getting busier and busier, and pushing up more and more against the line I've tried to draw separating work and life. As I try to adjust, I feel as though I'm fumbling trying to balance them.

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At 09:00, I started a 5.23 mile run hat lasted 36:33 (m:s), for an average pace of 6:59 (m:s). It was much more humid than I anticipated. Whether it was the humidity or somethig else, the run felt like wading through a warm bowl of lentil soup. The run lasted a very long time, and no matter how many people I ran past, it only felt like I was going slower and slower.

I've been having quite a few conversations lately about self discipline and what does that mean. It doesn't really work for me to write about that though. I find myself tailoring conversations to each individual person I talk to. Listening to what their thoughts and reactions, and responding in a manner appropriate to what I hear. Todays run started late from a lack if discipline earlier in the morning. It eventually did happen because this is what I want and love to do.

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At 08:50, I started a 5.15 mile run that lasted 37:36 (m:s), for an average pace of 7:17, and an estimated burn of 555 calories. I purchased the Nike+GPS App this morning, and tried it out. I like the in app simplicity and controls using the headphone remote. I turned off the mid-run voice feedback, which is one of the reasons I stopped using the original Nike+ a few years ago. The Nike+ website is a little less simple, so it appears for every plus, each running app I've encountered has various drawbacks. Strands was overly complicated inside the app, and had a GPS malfunction during one run that was just odd. Kinetic had a simple well designed in app interface, but had an odd pacing measurement. Run Keeper (free version) is the one I've had the most time with, and am used to. It is a "nice, but" design, which makes on par with Nike+GPS right now. I'll switch between those two over the next few weeks.

The run itself was chilly. I wore a long sleeve shirt and spandex leggings under my shorts. The run was manageable with this attire, though some gloves would go a long way. Mid way through the run, it felt as though my hands were the size of boxing gloves from the numbness. It was a pleasure to cros over the river, into the warmth of the sun.

The suddenness with which I purchased the Nike+GPS app in the morning and went for the run, later inspired me to head off to New York for the weekend. There will be no running there, but lots of walking, bakeries and museums.

Yoga

1 hour of yoga, early in the morning.

Newport Marathon

Today I ran the Newport Marathon, 3:35 (h:m), which was a personal best by about 15 minutes. The marathon was a mixture of Marathoners and Half-Marathoners, and I made the mistake of pacing with the Half-Marathoners for the first half of the marathon, for a time of about 1:23 (h:m), also a personal best. Because of this, I was in 4th place for the full marathon at the half way point and on to about mile 16.5. After that, it was a painful battle to keep pace after not having done so for the previous 16 miles.

I am very happy because I did get a personal best. I am now reminded of how important it is to pace myself, and going to put serious thought into how to pace myself better. Running smarter would do a lot to help me run faster. One thought on running smarter, writing out what times I should be hitting at each mile, and a watch/iPhone to see if I'm hitting those times, with the ability to adjust mid race.

It was a very beautiful day for a marathon, with clear skies, amazing foliage, and some running along the ocean. It was also miserably cold at the 08:00 start of the marathon. Standing around, waiting for it to start, I was shivering uncontrollably and imagining my muscles twisting around in my body to avoid being near the skin. As with one of my training runs, I started out very fast to warm my body up, and never really mellowed out to a more manageable pace. I told myself to relax many times during the first half, but now in hindsight, I didn't.  

There were not many lengthy thoughts that went through my head during the marathon. It was more of an emotional experience. If I was to recall this marathon in my head, it would be like an old relationship, that I look back on fondly, for its ups and downs. Filled with moments of warmth and unintentional coldness, a mid-point high that carried the relationship for a good portion after. Finally though, it ended in pain and heartache. I'm not sad about it though, because there were good times, and I want to do another one, because I think I'm wiser for the experience, and know a bit more what I can give and what I expect in return.

Yoga in the Dark

This morning I did Yoga in the dark. It was early morning and there wasn't enough light coming in from the window. I still only have the overhead light in my room which I really dislike using. So, I started stretching in the dark, and it was one of the most fulfilling sessions I've had while doing Yoga on my own.

I'm still having vivid dreams. They are occurring earlier and earlier. It seems that way because now I wake up at times such as 01:00 and 04:00 on my own without any alarm. This morning to do Yoga, I had risen and staid awake since 05:00.

Cold Run

At 07:22, I started a 4.68 mile run that lasted 30:34 (m:s), with an average pace of 6:53.

I tried using a new application, Kinetic, to measure my run. The app has a cleaner design layout than RunKeeper. RunKeeper feels better in how it outputs the data, both the display of it and the numerical data. Specifically, it lets me know how fast I was going at any point in the run using pace (where Kinetic uses mph, which feels odd). I believe I'm set with RunKeeper. The most attractive feature of Kinetic was that it had a delayed start feature, which was nice, because I'm always fumbling with putting my iPhone in my pocket after starting RunKeeper, handicapping the first part of my run, it's not too big of a problem though.

It was really cold this morning. I was running quite fast at first to warm up, by about fifteen minutes into the run, I was finally at a good internal temperature. I enjoy the crisp air, and how it slightly dries out my mouth. I think I'm going to run a marathon this weekend.

Sleep

At 19:00, did 45 minutes of Yoga. Was able to stretch to lengths I haven't been able to in a while with ease. Probably has to do with muscles having so much time to recover since my last run. This has left me very calm and at ease, setting a great tone for the rest of the night.

I have been sleeping in lately. Getting a solid seven to eight hours of sleep each night. The last hour of sleep has been very important, as I've had some extremely vivid dreams. The content of the dreams is indiscernable static when trying to remember them now. What has stuck is the emotional impact and the characters in the dream. They have been filled with friends, some of who I have not seen in a long time. I'm reminded of the Directors commentary to Donnie Darko, where Richard Kelly talks about each character having their good-bye moment with Donnie. I don't feel as though my dream friends are saying good-byes, so much as reminders of our encounters and shared experiences. I wake up very relaxed because of it.

The following TED Talk is on the topic of sleep, so I think it appropriate to share now.

Ipswich

25 miles of bicycling with friends in New England. Wonderful weather, the beach, a maize maze and super chill night riding down Mass 1A. The air was so fresh and crisp, that I could practically take a bite out of it with my mouth. Also there was plenty of food; donuts, pizza, fresh apples, hot cider, warm soup and of course, ice-cream.

(B)icicle Forward

A beautiful fall day in Massachusetts begged me to go out and play. So I ended up going some 25 miles on my bicycle in about 2 and half hours. A lot of it was spent going down small side streets and backtracking, when I seemed to end up on streets not attractive to cycling. At the end of it though, I ended up in Salem, with an October/Fall Festival going on. The main walk way was full of people and stands selling cider, caramel apples and fried dough. Many of the witchcraft shops had long lines of people waiting to get in. And walking tours of Salem were being advertised left and right.

The day was filled with powerful gusts that made me feel as though my bike my blow over. At other times, they came straight on, and I felt as if I was bicycling in place. And finally, the wind squeezed my muscles into shivering tension as I walked around Salem.

There was a point somewhere in the middle of the ride, that I wanted to turn around, because the roads were so unfriendly. The problem was that friendly or not, turning around meant turning back into the very streets that were disorienting me. The best option was to continue going forward, to places I had not been before and the hope of sights with more potential than what I had come from.

The Wall

At 13:41, started a 7.96 mile run that lasted for 53:16 (m:s), for an average pace of 6:42. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take off from work for an extended lunch to go for the run that I missed in the morning. Eating lunch before hand was not a good idea, as I spent some of the time during the run, keeping it down. A good portion of the later half of the run was telling myself that my mind and body were separate, so that I might push myself harder. I attempted to do this, because there were times during the run were it seemed to happen naturally. Getting so lost in thoughts, that it seemed as though the body were on autopilot.

It felt good to get out. The rain has been a difficult barrier to overcome. I feel as though my mind has been encountering many obstacles as well, and is in some way feeling trapped. The separation of mind and body was a surprising reminder of the possibilities outside of my current funk. I really didn't consider myself to be in a funk until I stopped to think about it, post the glimpse over the wall I was up against that the run temporarily broke through.

Overcast Yoga

This morning I did an hour of Yoga. Staying in a room and focusing on what my body is doing, rather than where it is going, allowed for space to focus my mind as well. The photo is where I was.

Calm and Cool

13 miles in 1:30 (h:m), thats about as good as the first half of the first marathon I ever ran. It was overcast and cool this morning, which was halting at first, then contributed to less overheating and an ability to maintain a smoother pace (6:55). It did make the walking warm down a little chilly though.

Thought Log: I spent all of yesterday doing nothing, I should make today count. I'll run around the river twice, that will be half a marathon. What? More walk-a-thons, this will really interfere with my plans. I'll have to take an alternate route. Run out 7 or so miles, then come back. Don't check the clock, just run. Going through neighborhoods feels faster than running next to the river. This is the decision I've made, I'll just have to stick with it. Jay-walk, check both ways, clear, go. Red light, run down the side street and go come back when opposing light turns yellow. I've been here before, with someone other than who initially came to my mind. Keep going. Running shop and a bike store, I should come back to this area. I recognize this place, just not from this angle. Turn around, I still feel like I have a lot of energy left. Another group of people, I don't recognize them though. Different than the walkers, they're running. I'm running faster. Speed up, catch that light. Coming back to where the walk-a-thoners are, should cross and run on the opposing street. Friends come to my mind. I should invite people to run with me in March. I should take a pole or something and find out who would be interested. Check the clock now, I should be close to thirteen miles. Only 4/10 of a mile left! Go go go! That was one of the easiest runs I've had in a long time. Have courage on your half-marathon Spring, today seems like a very good day to run. I need to read Murakami. It's chilly. What the?! of all things, why does my shoulder hurt? Take the quieter back road. The day is only beginning, I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

Dreaming

Thoughts during running are like dreams during sleep. Unless I commit them to paper immediately afterwards, there is little chance of remember what was going through my head. The emotional power of the thoughts are equally hard to relate the farther I get from the finish of a run. I started off today thinking about imagination as I watched clouds flow through the morning sky over Boston. And now, only an hour or two away from the finish, I can't remember what I was imagining. I know it felt uplifting though.

06:41, 7.47 miles in 54:52 (m:s) for an average pace of 7:21.