Nothin' But Fun

Last night was the annual Christmas Light Run (pictures will be posted there, some day, and i'm sure i'll figure prominently) where I met up with Nancy, Holly (it turns out Holly and I have run many times together, apart) and *Jeanne*. I drove down with Bex, who later, at the bar, was busy matchmaking (thanks!). Also my work colleagues A., and C., and A's wife, joined in the running frenzy.

Colleague C. with startlingly strange expression on face

It was a nice sized crowd. A few hundred crazy people. It was very cool. No, not cool. Freezing. No, below freezing. But funny, all of a sudden, after mile .5, it was blazing HOT.

We ran from the beautifully decked out Union Station

Union Station, Christmas 2005

past the Capitol Christmas Tree (oh just imagine it, don't make me go find a photo ... it looks like a ... great big Christmas tree, ok?)

down to the White House Christmas tree

Ellipse, 2005
where we stopped to be filmed by local TV station WUSA (channel 9), while we carolled, and I jostled for a place up front because I am apparently a sad pathetic publicity hound.

We ran past the National Museum of Art's skating rink

This is pretty much what it looked like. Honest. Remember, I was running at the time.

and startled many a poor pedestrian as a swarm of crazed, singing runners suddenly rounding corners descended upon them. No fatalities (that I know of) occurred. And 4.5 miles flew by. The thought of a lovely Irish coffee awaiting at Kelly's Irish Times was a nice carrot. (But "sorry, mum, no decaf," meant I was up til 1:30 a.m.; which is why I barely know my name today). Who knew running could be so darn much fun.

Tagged

By a. maria, who writes: "The directions are....."Write 5 random facts about yourself, and then list the names of 5 people whom you in turn infect. Also, leave a post to these people letting them know they have been infected".....

Such a taskmaster!! At first I thought they had to be five random SECRET facts about myself, but now I see that is not the case. However, since I've pondered this question for DAYS (ok, one day), I already have my facts, and yeah, they are secret, so keep 'em to yourself ok?

1. On Easter Sunday, 1997, my appendix burst. I was living in Richmond, Va., at the time, and was in D.C. visiting my boyfriend and his family. I went to church (stood through the whole boring thing while something in my abdomen was busy hurting like heck) and then went to Easter dinner at his parents house, drank wine, had dessert, all the while my appendix was busy bursting. I had to spend a week in D.C. recuperating. The thing is, I'm a girl and girls are so used to things hurting that we mostly ignore them. Until, oops! Ka-boom. Proving once again that girls are superior to boys.

2. On Christmas Day, 2002, I spent eight hours making an incredible (Jon, I hope you are reading this) "Chocolate Coffee Volcano Cake," hands-down the best cake I have ever made, that the evil Nigella Lawson called "infant-school easy" to make. (She did! Read it here!) It required the use of a blowtorch (I am not making this up).

(For some reason, men seem particularly drawn to Nigella. But I digress.)

The next day I landed in the hospital with what was the start of a several-year stint of back problems. Coincidence? I think not.

3. My ex-husband is blind. (Wait, that's about him, isn't it? Tough.) He's been blind from birth. Just so you know, and as my contribution to humanity, blind people do not have superior hearing or other heightened senses. And blind people can be stupid jerks, too, just like everyone else. Honest.

4. I was 5'8" and 150 pounds in sixth grade. This does not make for a happy time in elementary school.

5. I was painfully, painfully shy growing up (see #4). My eighth grade teacher told me that unless I spoke up in class, I would never get anywhere in life. That admonition "to speak up" in class kept me from opening my mouth in class for years. I still find it painful. Way to motivate!

Well, now, wasn't that fun?

I have to tag five other people? I believe Naomi banned memes from her site, due to some quite cogent points she raised about them. (However, if you've changed your mind, and feel like spilling your guts, have at it.) I hereby officially tag (whether they ever know it or not) 21st Century Mom; Holly; Kim; Plods; and Jack.

Enjoy!

Ta-Da!

The Jingle All the Way race is over and I, Jeanne, can now officially run 6.2 miles.

(What exactly was all that fuss and bother about earlier?? Beats me.)

I got there at 7 (for an 8 a.m. start). At 7, the temp was 24 degrees F (according to accuweather it felt like 21); by 8 a.m., the temp was 30, felt like 27, and I felt like it was 0. And by 9 a.m.? Who turned up the heat in this place??

Fifteen hundred people signed up; only 753 showed up (numbers are important, people, if you are OCD (no offense to those who really are OCD)).

But I know you are all on the edge of your seats, so here ya go:
Mile 1: 11:06 (yeah, perfect!)
Mile 2: 10:51 (yes! times are heading in the right direction!)
Mile 3: 11:01 (walked 10 sec. thru mile 2 water stop)
Mile 4: 10:41 (you go grrl!) late add: Yes, none other than 26.2 miles vs. Naomi again was there, delivering water and cheers! Since the world revolves around me me me, I forgot to mention this! Thanks, girlfriend!
Mile 5: 10:47 (hasta la vista!)
Mile 6: 11:46 (oopsie, little walking here)
.2: 2:08 ( and maybe a little walking here, too, until a kind spectator said "Come on, turn it on!" Not to me, but it got my ass in gear. So thanks, Mr. X!)

I ran most of the way with Mr. Rucksack, who was hatless, gloveless, wearing shorts and carrying a 50-pound rucksak, and could STILL talk. I told him he was a machine; he said we were all machines (I'm pretty sure that was a compliment).

Oh, and we all had jingle bells on our shoes. It was quite a lovely sound. And Haine's Point, which was once evil, is now lovely again.

Beautiful sunny day. Haine's Point is a flat peninsula in-between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River. So you are surrounded by water, wildlife, and silence, except for the sound of 1,400 jingle bells. Yes, flat. Very very flat.

Today's total: 1:08:22 (11:00/mile)
Which is pretty thrilling, because let's take a trip in the wayback machine, back, back, to:
July 16, 2005, 8k: 58:18 (11:43/mile)

I promise never ever ever to bitch and moan nonstop about not having a race strategy again (lie).


Dec. 11, 2005, Jingle All the Way 10k; members of my MCM 05 pace group; l-r: Jeanne; S.; A,; and unknown friend.


Washington Monument, Dec. 11, 2005, 7 a.m. God, I live in a beautiful city.

So I'm a happy gal.

Ice, With a Cherry on Top

And they said it couldn't be done.

They were wrong.

Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005:

Mile 1: 9:58

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

(Plus, I probably walked about four seconds that first mile due to a patch of ice. But let's not quibble.)

Mile 2: 10:48 (big-ass hill, with ice at top. And me, walking across it. See, I'm the cherry. On the top of the ice. On the hill. And the cherry is also me breaking a 10-minute mile. For the first time. The whole metaphor is impossibly clever, huh?).

Mile 3: 10: 39 (same thing, in reverse).

Total: 31:26 (10:28/mile)

And that, my friends, is all she wrote. (Except for this postscript: I was only scheduled to run two miles today but FORCED myself to run three because of that thing coming up on Sunday. And, as I was running, I told myself that whenever I don't get enough sleep (like last night, for instance, or skip breakfast, like this morning, for instance), I am going to have a hard time running.)

So really? I need to shut up.

Bliss

Capital Crescent Trail, 10 a.m., Dec. 6, 2005
—(Photos courtesy Sevans)

This is what awaited me this morning (only it was solidly covered with fluffy snow at 7 a.m., overlaying deadly patches of ice).

I'm from Connecticut, via Boston. Over the years, I have learned to tune out completely whenever our local D.C. weatherpeople mention the word "snow," which I believe they use synonomously with "rain" or "really cold" or "cloudy" or "Safeway is having a sale. Go now and buy milk."

But this morning it actually happened. And it was my first chance to try running in the snow, with my nifty new SportHill InFuzion Zone Three Running Pants (for temps from 0 degrees F to 40 degrees F), and their cousin the jaunty Sporthill Infuzion Hat (color="wintersky"):

With my ZONE three pants and that cute little hat, I was looking good.

But wait, something was missing.

Ah, I needed coverage from waist to neck! So, I put on my LLBean "Silk Pointelle Camisole," topped with my long-sleeved dri-max spring/fall top, covered by an old ski turtleneck shirt, covered by ... by my totally GHETTO green/gray puke colored sweatshirt that my daughter FOUND somewhere.

A final touch? The $2 throwaway gloves I bought for the marathon (and cleverly saved).

Thus sartorially decked, I set out.


10 a.m., after much of the snow had melted.

I was toasty warm.

And ... it was bliss. Utter, utter bliss.

I ran the path in its virginal state, hearing nothing but the crunch of my shoes and my own labored breathing.

(Susan, you didn't tell us how when the wind blows, the snow flutters off the pine trees to the ground, causing a momentary whiteout. I held my head up and caught the snowflakes on my face.)

It was silent. And white. And lovely. And I ran my three miles slowly, and I didn't care.

Call Me Melllow Yellow

I ran five miles yesteray and only walked 3 1/2 minutes out of a total of 54 minutes.

So, I think I'm good.

Actually, I think I ROCK!

And p.s. ignore everything in the post below, because you all already answered me once and I am starting to um, get on people's last nerve?

It's all good people.

I am now mellow.

Five Easy Pieces

So, my big giant 10K is next sunday.

Last Sunday I ran 3.5 miles, in 36:17 (10:22/mile).

Today, Saturday (in my spanking new running tights!), I jumped up my training run to 5 miles, and here's how how I did it, and I want to know what you—yes, I mean YOU!— think I should do (strategy-wise) next Sunday and yes I so know I am making a HUGE deal out of a little race but that's because I'm obviously insane.

Today:
Mile 1: 10:20 (I was trying not to go fast at all, but it's all slightly downhill )
Mile 2: 10:26
Mile 3: 10:38
Mile 4: 11:08 (slightly uphill rest of the way)
Mile 5: walk 3:45—I tried to only walk for 30 seconds (that was Nancy Toby's suggestion (and congrats Nancy on the PR on your 1/2 marathon!!)—and I can safely say that I can forget the 30 second break as a strategy)
Rest of mile 5 (running again) 8:36
(so total was 12:21)

Total time: 54:56 (10:59/mile)

What do you think? I've NEVER run 6.2 miles in my life. And today was I think the second time I've ever run five miles! (The last time was last summer, once, in some kind of daze.)

Why must I always make such a big deal out of these things? I really wish I knew. But meanwhile, while I go get psychoanalyzed, one of you coaches out there, please help me out with a race day strategy!

There's Good, There's Bad

Bad: Yesterday, while I was minding my business at work, someone decided to take a baseball bat and smash my car window in, and that of my colleague. I got off lightly; just a broken window. Colleague had his luggage taken (he was leaving work early for a trip to Memphis, which is how he discovered the vandalism), his radio stolen, and two smashed-in windows.

But the cops got a print off my colleague's hazard-light button, which the vandals apparently turned on. Because they are not so bright. So, this could also be good.

Bad: Apparently, we should no longer park in the secret, free parking lot we park in, the scene of the crime. Which is infuriating because monthly parking is like $90.

Good: Glass man came by my apartment this morning to fix my window, and it only cost me $100. Of course, this may also end up under Bad when my insurance company (ALLSTATE? Please???) cancels me.

Bad: Which meant I had to miss "silent day" (yep, I'm all about silence) at church today, in exchange for mad day sitting around waiting for glass man.

Good: Glass man showed up on time.

Bad: Glass man could barely speak English, and was dressed for a warm summer day. It's 24 degrees F.

Bad: He had to work outside.

Bad: I was annoyed that he couldn't speak English. At first.

Good: I gave him a hat and gloves. He was very thankful.

Really good: He asked me where I was from. I said Connecticut. He said I sounded European. He said I sounded ... English. (This is high praise to an Anglophile. And obviously, not the least bit true.)

Bad: I asked him where he was from. He said, "Kurdistan." (That's northern Iraq.) Very recent immigrant. My heart broke.

Good: I have a working car window again.

Really, amazingly, incredibly GOOD: A friend of the family's wrote to Number One Daughter yesterday and told her he and his mother were giving her $5,000 toward her tuition. Just because. You have no freakin' idea on earth just how good this is.

There's Good, There's Bad. Wait long enough and one or the other will show up.

Threads

I thought I'd collect all your great suggestions and put 'em in one place. So here's the rundown for cold-weather running gear, from the RBF (unofficial, of course, and in no order):

One More Mile
National Running Center
Title Nine Sports (love their Frog Bra!)
L.L. Bean
Goldman Brothers
Running Unlimited
Sierra Trading Post
What Nancy Will Be Wearing This Winter!
REI
RNJ Discount Sports (think this is Maryland only.)

**Late adds:
I came home from work to these two catalogs:
Athleta and
Activa Sports (I guess if you put an "a" on the end of the word, it means "for girls.")

Also:
TJ Maxx/Marshall's/Ross, for tops.
And it's apparently all about Target!!
Oh, and Sears, and J.C. Penny's!
And I found some stuff on Overstock.

So now? I'm overwhelmed. I hate and detest shopping.

But I'm so here for all of you!

(And p.s. I do realize there are real problems in the world, and this is not one of them.)

Brag

I woke up this morning, after eight solid hours of sleep, with a headache and the f-bomb on my lips. It was dark, and I was already mad at the world. Dunno why. I could NOT talk myself out of it.

Drive to work. Change clothes. Still mad. Out to trail.


I hate this. I'm just gonna hurt myself. It's cold. Why couldn't I be happy just walking every morning? Look at those normal people, walking, and laughing, while I'm sweating my ass off over here. Of course, the trail is practically empty. It's cold. Normal people are eating a nice breakfast, reading the paper. Which you gave up, in order to run. Me, a journalist, gave up READING THE PAPER. Just brilliant.

I look like a bag lady in these ghetto clothes. I have to buy some cool running clothes!! Have to! Except I hate running, so I shouldn't spend the money. Plus, I suck at this.

Whatever you do, do NOT look at your watch!! Don't do it!! You'll just get depressed.

OK, one mile down.

Try thinking of the nice warm shower you are going to take after this. It's only three miles! and one of them is downhill! You're almost there. God, why didn't I take up biking! Look at those guys coasting by. Bastards. I hate everyone. Yeah, nice warm shower. Except the locker room is like 15 degrees. So hot shower, then you freeze to death. More brillance.

Oh, now I'm running past the autobody shop. God, the fumes! Those people are RUINING the environment! I hate that place! I hate cars. Look at all those trucks pulling out onto the road, carrying vats of tar on the back so they can build more roads and ruin the planet some more. Did you read that article about ashphalt and runoff and the contamination of the Cheasapeake Bay? Yeah, it all starts right here. I am going to DIE from these fumes.

Oh great. Now I smell McDonald's. I'm like a mile away from here, and all I can smell is the grease. It's disgusting. It smells rancid. I hate everyone and everything.

Try composing that memo you have to write. You've got the first line ... s**t!!! I can't remember that opening line. And it was really, really good. That's just great.

Ok, you are so almost done. Only a half mile. Look, you are actually passsing someone. I don't want to feel good about that. That poor woman. That was you, like last week!! I don't want to feel good about passing her! She is doing her best, god bless her.

OK you passed her.

Only 1/2 mile left. No problem. I hate this part. I hate this sport! This is a piece of cake. You are so almost done. God, this is taking forever. Oh man, do I have to smell rancid McDonald's again?

Look, a runner smiled at you. You're almost there. Pour it on and get this the hell over with.

Finally. Finished. Ok, now you can check your watch.


10:11
10:25
10:18 Total 30:56 Average: 10:18/mile

Wait. That cannot possibly be right. But it is.

Tee, hee. That's amazing. Really. Maybe being mad makes you go faster.

OK, maybe—just maybe!— you can run three miles, but there is NO WAY you can run TWICE that. That is so not gonna happen. I am hot. And now I am cold. Now I have to stretch ... I hate stretching ....

etc.


Feel sorry for my colleagues today.