Days 214-216: Then vs. Now

DAY 214:
I didn’t feel like going to the Secret Gym on Tuesday. I didn’t feel like doing much at all, really. But then I thought I’ll go swimming tonight instead!

Oh, I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. I think I was on a swim team by the time I was 6 and I continued throughout high school. But since I left California and went to college, I haven’t had the opportunity to do much swimming. For starters, we don’t all have pools here in Washington state. In Cali, everyone has a pool. Here, not so much.

So, on Tuesday, I looked up the public swim time at the local high school’s pool and it worked with my schedule. Woohoo!

Then I got blindsided at work and I ended up having to take work home with me. I knew that swimming wasn’t going to happen.

But since I can’t will not work during my couple hours with T Junior on Tuesdays, I decided to multi-task. I would spend time with my son while getting my cross training in.

We went for a walk. It was still light out at 5 p.m. Hooray! But it wasn’t warm. I bundled him up, put him in the BOB and off we went for a 30-minute jaunt around the neighborhood. Spring is coming and I can’t wait. Here’s evidence of the unseasonably warm weather.

This is early for these trees.

Can you spot the moon in this one? T Junior pointed it out to me. Hint: it’s a sliver.

DAY 215:
After my disappointingly difficult run on Monday, I was really itching to get out and prove to myself that I could still run. Monday was so discouraging. I thought I’d gotten faster and, for some reason, I just couldn’t get my legs into gear. Not that 11-minute miles are bad, I just thought I’d improved. Plus, sometimes I get really hung up on time when I know it shouldn’t matter. It’s just that I’ve been running since July and I feel like I should be able to go fast!

I’ve actually been wondering a lot about this. When I joined the cross country team in high school, I had not previously been a long distance runner. I was fit — swimming, soccer and track — but I did not really consider myself a runner. So why did it only take me a few weeks to get so fast? I could run three miles in 23-25 minutes. My fastest was 21-something. So why is it taking me so long to get faster now?

I can’t think of anything special that we did then that I don’t do now. Fartleks – check. Distance – check. Maybe because I was running in a group. Maybe it was the hill repeats that I need to start doing before Mercer Island gets too close. Why is it taking me so long to get back to where I was? Please don’t say it’s because I’m 17 years older.

Anyway, it was so sunny outside my office window on Wednesday that I decided to run outside at lunch instead of heading to the gym for a treadmill and strength workout. I anticipated good weather and brought my Garmin with me.

Thank goodness I had an oversize t-shirt and my black Moeben running sleeves that Mr. T got me for Christmas. I didn’t really feel like wearing my tight capris and tight Champion shirt in front of my coworkers.

I clipped my iFitness belt underneath my over my baggy Washington State Football shirt (this didn’t always used to be oversized, by the way), and stashed my Zune, then I grabbed my sunglasses out of my purse and I was off.

I took the route that Mel and I discovered last fall and then went down a road that leads to her office. I wondered if I’d see her and then thought I should’ve texted her before my run to see if she wanted to meet up. Planning FAIL! Every runner I saw in the distance, I wondered if it was her, but as they got closer I’d think Nope. Not tall enough.

For some reason, I was running fast. I hadn’t planned on it, I just was. Every time I looked at my watch, my pace was in the nines! The first half of the run, I was heading into the wind, so I felt like I had to push even harder. Perhaps that is why I ran faster. On the way back, I had the wind’s help, so that could’ve contributed to my 9:20 pace on the last mile. Dude!

3.16 Miles – 2/17/10 – 30:26
Average pace: 9:38
Mile 1: 9:59
Mile 2: 9:40
Mile 3: 9:20
.16 miles: 8:56 pace

DAY 216:
Thursday was a rest day. T Junior and I went out to sushi for a friend’s birthday. It was fun, but bedtime came faster than I wanted.

I received the Sunshine Award from both TMB from Racing with Babes and Sarah from Brunette on the Run. Thanks for the sun ladies! I’m not sure who has/hasn’t been tagged because I haven’t had a lot of time left over in my days for blog-reading recently. I’m supposed to pass it on to 12 friends. Let’s see, who could use some rays…

Penny at Plannet Ynnep Running
Lifestudent at Marathon Leap
Lisa at Lisa Runs? Wait…What?
Amanda at 5Miles 2 Empty
Zoë at Run, Zoë, Run
Mel at Tall Mom on the Run
Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon
Robin at Running Circles Around Turtles
Mel at 2nd Chances
Allie at Running Fool
Ewa at Running Bunny
Robyn at Ramblings of a Wanna Be Writer and Runner