Running Scared

Happy Halloween runners! It's my favourite holiday of the year.

It's also school's favourite time to hit you with every assignment and responsibility at once, unfortunately. As such I've been a pile of apathy, hairpulling, laptop-techinician-ing and all-around ineffective 23 year old. Hence the lack of posts (and obviously the lack of runs) in the last two days.

Speaking of school, I believe today marks the offical end of the evaluative period of this blog - I wonder if my motivation to run will fall apart without the mutually reinforcing need to post on this blog. I would like to not think so; it's been hopeful period for me insofar as believing in my ability to get in better shape, but I also have an extensive history of only briefly succeeding with this sort of motivation.

But that's an aside. Tonight was a good run. A hard run though. In Toronto again, and so I didn't really know how to plan out my route. I tried to make it not so treacherously hill-infested as last time and failed miserably. I ended up running up and down one 2.5 km hill and then back up and down it a couple blocks down. Toronto hills are expansive. Knowing this though, I only planned out a 5k.

It was nice to run through rich neighbourhoods though and see all the magnificent decorations. Huge displays of cartoon nightmare characters and likewise looking kids everywhere. The only problem was that I way overdressed - a tech jacket shell and a knit hoodie. I kept running and trying to figure out awkard combinations of wearing them that would make me cool as possible. In the end I managed to shove the entire sweater in one of the coat pockets (the pocketspace actually goes all the way to the chest) and sort of only having it zipped at the bottom. I looked like a right idiot, but at least I could stay cool enough not to look even stupider (read: huffing and puffing like a geriatric). That's one problem with Toronto - there's lots of people everywhere when you're running. I can't keep the appearance of being and old pro at this up that often!

The stats: 5.1 kilometers, 29.50 minutes, 2 huge hills.
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Albums bumped while running: The Strokes Is This It?

Stay truely terrifying!

Born To Do It

There were the first signs of snow today floating around the air. Nothing that would stick to the ground, but enough to put the fear of god in me as far as how much longer I can keep doing this without having to buy all sorts of special gear. Though once I get out there, it's fine. I packed mittens this time (shout-outs-to-girlfriend's-Oma) but only wore them for a bit. What's good about it is that you have to get a good run going fairly quickly to not feel too cold. And then it just feels great.

Anyways, I did 5.7 kilometers tonight, in 33 minutes, which is basically my time from yesterday.

So the new maxim for this blog follows: small increments will reap great rewards.

I didn't see many fellow runners out this evening, which was interesting. I think it had to do with the aforementioned winter-fear. Last night when I was out around the same time (about 7:30) I must have run past at least eight, probably more, runners. I actually love every time I encounter another one - it always gives the isolated activity (which is a primary aspect of why I enjoy it) a sense of community, but more importantly, it makes you want to focus on your running form and really put it on for a few minutes. And once you get started into a run like that, its actually uncomfortable to slow down your heart rate too quickly.

This effect is especially true if the runners you cross paths with are really athletic and beautiful. It's part "I could look like that" part "jesus I better look good for a second here".

Albums bumped while running: Capsa and Rusko's Fabric Live 37.

Stay true.

Run Into Flowers

Had such a great run tonight. Almost made up for not going yesterday. Definitely had some guilt about that, failing my five times last week goal. But it's a process, getting into a routine like this, and sometimes life just interferes. Staying up too late for drunken talks = wanting to lie around for just an hour or two before family commitments the next day.

But tonight was really good. I mapped a route for 5.526 kilometers. Had my watch on for the run, but it was securely fastened under my breathable shell, and I decided to leave it there and just run on instinct. My route took me essentially close to around the entire perimeter of my uptown. I got to run by the universities, the park, my girlfriend's parents' house...oh, and then (read: somewhat terrible planning) up the longest incline to the highest peak in my neighbourhood, and then down a steep, windy, wet-leaf covered residential hill. But it was a good run.

I mean, I got back, and I didn't feel exhausted. I felt invigorated in a way. I was able to sprint most of the last stretch, and while there were a couple times that I slowed to a crawl, I never walked. In fact, I should mention that in all of these runs so far, I've never needed to slow for a walk. It's pretty incredible to feel your body respond to dedication so quickly - the progress is really reinforcing. As someone who generally feels so uncomfortable and at odds with the various malfunctions of their body, it's nice to appreciate what it can do for once.

Albums bumped while running: M83's Dead Cites, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts

Stay true.

28 Minutes

The best part about starting to run is that you set a new record every time you go out, even if you have to be tricky in rationalizing it.

Today I went back to a distance based objective. Set out a route of 5 kilometers (I would give you all the decimals, but my girlfriend closed the pedometer window, despite me asking her not to) and timed it. Tried to not pay too close attention to my time, just checked it every once in a while to see how long it had actually been, compared to how long it felt like.

And as the title of this post implies, it took me 28 minutes. Again, there were some decimals, but I haven't figured my father's old watch out completely yet, and I pressed the wrong button. So again, the distance based objective led to me pushing myself further, as it felt more tangible, and like I could better judge my gastank on how much further as opposed to how much longer.

During the final stretch of my run (just as I was getting to a hard-pumping part of the later portions of that LCD Soundsystem album I always run to, but had never heard before) my endorphins kicked in hardcore, and I was able to sprint faster than I had the whole time. I should have kept going with it, but partially it was the glee of getting near the finish line, and it was too tempting not to stop and check my time.

Tried to sprint more in general this way, as my superfit roommate gave me some advice on muscle growth from running. Also think that I may start trying to integrate time goals with distance goals more readily. Any suggestions running people?

Mostly I'm proud that I went running on a saturday night.

After doing homework all day!

Albums bumped while running: LCD Soundsystem's 45:33.

Stay true.

The Little Heart Beats So Fast

Another wicked bout of insomnia last night. Was up until 6 am for no reason. Was going to let it destroy all my plans for the day (and indeed I did not get any marking done) but after another meeting for my group project I decided that damnit, I was getting five runs in this week.

Headed out once it was dark, which is easily my favourite time to run, and just after it finished raining apparently, which is also another favourite of mine. I always fear that I will be too cold, but about 7 minutes of pumping blood cures that really quickly.

Again I went with the time goal, wanting to run for at least half an hour. My pace was pretty modest for the first 10 minutes, and while I did push myself a lot more for the middle third, I never felt like I hit any of my previous highs of exertion. But I just felt like I needed easing backing into the routine. It's ridiculous how easy even just two days off made it to throw off the rhythm. I saw how easily it would be to give things up like I normally do.

So anyways, I did a 31 minute run, and the distance I covered was 5.196 kilometers. So even though I felt like I wasn't pushing myself really (except for the last 5 minutes which were killer) I actually shaved some time off, and moreover, was able to do 5k with less effort.

When I got back I collapsed on the chair outside on our deck. I could feel the blood pumping in my head, in my chest, exactly to the 4/4 beat of the music in my headphones. Talk about a pacemaker.

Albums bumped while running: The Field's From Here We Go Sublime.



Stay true.

Rest/Stress Part 2

My plans to run today were destroyed by a recent tendency to hit the snooze button for an hour and then just turn it off and go back to sleep. I'm a long time insomniac of sorts - or perhaps just on a different sleep cycle. My normal bedtime is 4:00 am, and even when I have to get up early, I find it difficult to go bedwise any earlier. So I will get 8 hours of sleep if its possible (or 9 or so like I did today) but if I have commitments, sometimes as little as 4 hours a night. It's probably one of the biggest factors interfering with me getting active, as I usually have to use what is left with the day (as I can't really work at night anymore despite being up that late anyways) to get my external responsibilities completed.

And that's what happened today. Hours and hours straight of reading rhetorical theory on style and figuration, drinking bodums of year-old coffee that I found. This led up to my group meeting, and by the time I was done that it was...well, now.

At least I had a bit of a jog home, despite my lack of proper running shoes and wearing tight jeans. Tomorrow is another day. And if I'm good, I can still get 5 runs in this week.

Plus my left leg is feeling aces again.

Stay true.

Edit: All of my time stamps are messed up! I must have accidentally set the wrong time zone. This makes me look lazy in light of this post. I am not giving up on running at 8:00 at night, I'm giving up at 11:00.

Day of Rest

More like day of stress. Having been at school from essentially the time I woke up to nighttime as it is now, I haven't found the time to get out for a run today. As usual, there's the constant threat of being crushed beneath the stacks of reading that need to get done this week. There's also another wave of marking coming my way, which I'm sure will motivate me to run, as I will want to do anything but read undergrad assignments. I'm also just generally feeling discouraged schoolwise, as the ratio of negative-to-positive feedback has felt like the absolute inverse of my previous education. But at least I'm starting to see this whole running thing as a break from that anxiety, as opposed to a whole other layer of it.

Anyways, I hadn't planned on getting out today in the first place. After yesterday's 5k achievement, I noticed that the toe that was bothering me the other day was really hurting me. Like, almost causing me to limp when I took a stroll to the LCBO. My left knee too felt pretty stiff, and today has felt even tighter, so I figured I may be pushing myself too quick. Back at it tomorrow though, taking it slow to start maybe.

At least I got my usual daily hour or so of walking in though.

Stay true.