High School Reunion #1 Recap

First, a running update: 8 miles with the Fall group on Saturday...not too bad of a run...9:07 average pace, I think, with a couple of sub-9s in the middle. Not that I'm concerned about pace at this early point in the training, but I do like to know, and so far, I've been very consistent over the past several runs.

On Saturday we ran a great route down Allen Parkway to downtown, back up Memorial, with a quick jaunt through River Oaks. I got a little lost at the end when my brain wasn't functioning and I missed a turn (no thanks to one of my fellow runners who insisted we weren't supposed to turn, then looked at his directions and said "oops, we should have turned.") But as a coach, I should have known the entire route, and I did...I just wasn't counting on the heat and humidity to make me a little loopy at the end of an easy 8 mile run. I corrected the mistake with a little route modification, and we ended up getting in the appropriate mileage. It was a terribly hot and humid morning, and though we pushed the start time up to 6 am, I still think we need to start earlier. Once that sun comes out, its brutal. However, I was very pleased to see that our runners stopped and walked when needed and hydrated often. AND, I actually did the core workout post-run... sore abs = something got worked!

Since I didn't get a post written last week, on June 13 we had a great 6 mile run, followed by a farewell dinner that night for fellow Yellow fever runner and coach Ruthie...She will be greatly missed in our running community, as a motivator, trainer and friend...

Now if I can just get motivated to run more than once during the week...We seriously need a break from this heat/humidity. And I need to get to bed earlier so I can get up and run in the mornings and still make it to work early. Easy to say, not so easy to do...

Happy Father's Day guys. I was thrilled that I was able to surprise my Dad yesterday with a quick trip to Bryan for church and brunch. It was great!

High School Reunion Part 1: Saturday night was my 20 year high school reunion. I say "part 1" because I went to two high schools and have two reunions this year. The reunion Saturday night was for the high school I went to as a freshman and sophomore before my family moved to Aggieland, and I had grown up with these people, through pre-school, elementary school and junior high as well as my first two years of HS.

I have to say, I was a bit nervous about the reunion. I hadn't seen most of my classmates since my sophomore year, but I have reconnected with alot of them on Facebook over the past year. The event was pretty much what I expected, but many of my old friends who I was looking forward to seeing were not in attendance. But it was great to see my Facebook friends again, in person. I really enjoyed that.

For the most part, the group as a whole looked fantastic for a bunch of adults knocking on the door of their 40s. There were a couple of weight-related surprises and a couple of "dang, he's hot!" thoughts, but other than that, the snobs were still snobs and the sweet people were still sweet. Many, like myself, through maturity and plain ol' life experiences, are more confident and outgoing than we were in high school, and it was so much fun to hang out again. Others haven't matured at all from what I could tell, and quite possibly have regressed. But who am I to judge...you never know what is going on or has gone on in someone's life.

All in all, it was a good evening with few surprises, alot of laughs and some closure of the past. It is quite possible that I will never see many of those classmates ever again, and for the most part that doesn't bother me. I'm in touch with who I want to be in touch with, keeping up with who I want to keep up with. 20 years is a long, long time...so much changes, and so much stays the same. I personally ended the evening feeling good about who I am, who my friends are and what I have accomplished since high school. I did not long for anything that was in the past, any relationship or friendship. I'm happy right where I am now.

Happy Blogging Anniversary to Me!

I've been blogging for almost a year now. Ha! And some of you have been with me from the start. Suckers! :)

Running update: I ran before work again this morning. 4.7 miles. I really do enjoy this whole running-in-the-morning routine. Gets me going, and makes me get to bed at a decent time, too. This morning, I tried to do sort of a tempo run. Tempo runs are not easy, though one would think they would be compared to other training techniques. I just get into such a groove when I run, and am good at keeping a consistent pace. To notch that up a bit in the middle is difficult for me, but I'm trying.

I have a feeling I'll get in more runs during the week now that I'm doing most of them in the mornings. If there is one bad thing about my training over the years its that I easily flake out on my weekday runs because at the end of the day I'm too tired, or its too hot, or I have to work late, or I want to do something else, or all of the above. Running in the mornings doesn't allow me to make these excuses anymore.

Weekend in Bryan: Yes, I was back in Bryan this weekend. Still cleaning out my grandparents' house. We are making progress, but its hard to tell sometimes. We went to see my grandmother (MomC) and I'm pretty sure that she recognized me this time. That made me happy.

I took Friday off of work to get there a day early, and I'm glad I did. My mom cooked her awesome steak fingers for dinner on Friday...I haven't had a true home-cooked meal in forever! It was delicious. That meal has got to be one of my all-time favorites, right up there with her teflon pancakes (the syrup beads up and rolls off the pancake, no lie!) and breakfast cookie (the coffee cake that was missing the ingredient that makes it fluffy) Those two items have very special places in my family's hearts! Poor Mom, we'll never let her forget!

And something new for me...I went "mall-walking" with my parents on Saturday morning. I walked maybe 30 steps before it happened...I spotted an open store. Good thing I thought to slip my credit card in my pocket because, yes, I managed to keep alive my streak of buying something every time I set foot in a mall or shopping center. Pink and white Air Jordan walking sandal/flip-flop things. They are quite cushion-y and fashionable. I've never purchased Air Jordan shoes before. I'm not entirely sure Michael Jordan had in mind pink shoes when he teamed up with Nike for this deal many years ago. So my "mall-walking" adventure was really just another opportunity to shop. Who knew?

And, we saw Star Trek. Loved it! I've been a Star Trek fan my whole life (I know! I'm a bit nerdy! Gasp!), thanks to my dad, and this movie was a great prequel of sorts. Its fun to see how your favorite characters from something came to be. I enjoyed that about Star Wars I, II, and III, too, though those movies were not that great. I realize that is blasphemous in some circles. Sorry. Then, we watched The Longest Day, which I have never seen, and I capped off a long Saturday by watching the mighty Red Wings thump the Penguins. I love hockey. I just don't understand why the general American public has not taken to this sport. What's not to love??

The Bachelorette better get rid of the foot-fetish guy tonight. I just threw up a little in my mouth thinking about it.

I can see clearly now...

I have to say, this has been a great week. Let me tell you why, because I know you are dying to find out (and some of this could surprise you, who knows, who cares)...

But first, a quick running update: For the first time ever, I ran before work this morning. 5.5 miles in about 50 minutes or so. It felt great. I was a little concerned about hitting Memorial Park while it was still dark, but when I got there a little before 5:30, there were already quite a few runners out there, so I felt safer. I am going to try to make weekday morning runs more routine, because it sure beats running in the evening heat, after a long and tiring day at work. And, I'm quite energized. I actually felt human long before 9 a.m. for a change.

So...I've had an epiphany, seriously, a real sudden face-slapping epiphany, which is bringing about some much-needed changes in my life, my behaviors, my attitudes and my perspective.

For too long (way too long), I have let a lack of self-confidence teamed with seemingly endless stress (most of which I now realize I bring on myself) drive my emotions and my actions, and more often than not, I end up feeling just plain dumb, embarrassed, apologetic. I have sometimes behaved in ways that are unbecoming and immature, and I'm tired of not even recognizing myself through my actions half the time. Hey, I understand that we all have issues and faults and regrets - its human nature. But the difference for me, this time, is that instead of laughing things off only to turn around and do the same things over and over, act the same way over and over, have the same regrets over and over, well, I'm doing something about it. Finally.

I'm done with emotionally and physically unhealthy actions and attitudes. I'm done with trying to be the funny/sarcastic one, the life of the party, the one everyone likes and wants to be around. Truth is, I'm not! I might be a princess, but I'm also a serious Type A introvert. My extreme extroversion in certain circumstances, well, its a facade. It does not come naturally to me at all in most cases, unless I'm very comfortable with a sitiuation, person or group. I would rather sit around and drink water and have conversations and get to know people than be in the middle of the group that is drinking it up and being the loudest, which is usually where I've ended up because I thought that's where I needed to be, where I was expected to be. And looking back, its just plain unattractive.

I'm tired of reaching out to people or trying to develop/keep a friendship going when really there is no friendship, no reciprocation. I want people in my life who care about me, really care, through good times and bad, and people who allow me to care about them and appreciate it. I have a wonderful circle of very close friends, a fabulous family, and a cherished 'running family'. Its time that that is good enough. I don't have to be everyone's friend, and not everyone has to like me or care about me. My lifelong drive for acceptance has just plain exhausted me. Screw it.

I'm done being foolish and making bad decisions. Sad thing is, I'm well aware of exactly what I've been doing, because I've been doing it most of my teen and adult life...not giving myself enough credit, letting how others feel and think about me define who I am, basing my worth as a person, a woman, on how successful I am at work, in relationships, and in my hobbies.

And you know the #1 thing that has caused most of what I've mentioned above? Not appropriately moderating my alcohol consumption. There it is, plain and simple...its the common denominator, the one thing I can trace back to every stupid thing I've done, said, every meltdown, every self-defeating action and thought. It has been my shield, my barrier, too often, from my shyness and insecurities and worries and fears. And I'm done. Plus, it makes you fat.

So, my breaths have been deeper this week, my attitude happier, my focus sharper, my mind more peaceful. Honestly. Its amazing how things, perspectives, how you look at yourself and how you feel about yourself can change so suddenly. But its great! I have a renewed dedication to my health, my exercising and my running, in a way I've never had before. And I am confident that I will be able to handle life's stresses and bumps in the road, relationships, friendships, work and running with a maturity and clarity that I don't think I've had before.

Alrighty then.

Welcome, Hurricane Season!

I'll go ahead and say it now... Run for your lives! We're all going to die! I have a bad feeling that we are in for another one this year. Then again, I thought it might rain yesterday, and it didn't.

Running update: Six miles with the Fall group on Saturday (and I got in an extra couple of miles running to and from my house). The crowd seemed a bit smaller. Maybe it was the heat and humidity. I have news for you...its only going to get worse. I personally had a good run and kept a steady pace between 9:05-9:15. My color group (yellow) is supposed to run a 9:00-10:00 minute mile, so I'm on target for the faster part of our group, but I'm not in the lead pack. I think our lead pack is going out too fast, and did last week too. Its going to end up discouraging runners when the heat and humidity really show up. Now is the time to take it slow, get the distance in and not focus on speed too much...we'll all get faster through the course of the training season. If I'm keeping the pace that I noted above and can't even see the lead group in front of me, they are going too fast for our color group. Runners have even commented on this, and are confused about the pacing, so I just tell them to run with me...a fast but not overwhelming pace that is challenging but not ridiculous. Not that I want to lead the entire group...I'm fine with trying to maintain my current pace and meet some of the runners around me, and I think our pace is appropriate. If you want to run faster, go to the faster color group (green). It just frustrates me that we, as coaches, preach one thing and do another. Maybe we should have an in-between pace group, lime color maybe?

And the jury is still out on the Saturday running start times...runs begin around 6:40 a.m. now, regardless of distance. That means alot of running in the sun. I personally prefer earlier start times (like when its still dark), but I'm not in charge. I just need to remember my sun block. I already have a nice runner's tan. Its real sexy.

Hill work begins this week. I'm looking forward to it, because these workouts are great for building strength, speed and stamina, and burn alot of calories, especially in the evening heat. I'm going to do my best to get to all of the hill and speed workouts this season, because they really do help as long as you approach them appropriately to keep yourself injury-free. I'm sure the first couple of hill workouts will go like this - several runners will race up the hills and race back down them, or they will come to a dead stop at the top of the hill before the downhill portion. Wrong approaches. I will never forget my friend Jamoosh advising me in one of my very first hill workouts to maintain my pace up the hill but take smaller/quicker steps, get my knees up and pump my arms. I hear that advice in my head every time I encounter a hill. And running down a hill shouldn't be a free-for-all. Don't lean back, don't go too fast, maintain control while letting gravity help.

Clif notes - keep your pace while running up and down hills but adjust your running form appropriately.

Random thoughts:

Our generation's "let's do lunch" is "let's get a drink." Said with the best intentions but you know it won't happen any time soon unless you nail down a date and time right then and there. Just something I've observed the past few years and think is funny...

Also, as the old saying goes, "you are the company you keep" or "the company we keep defines who we are." Sad but true, people will judge you based on the type of people you hang out with. What does it mean if I hang out with my cat alot?