Five Thing Friday

I started this post a couple of days ago and never finished it. With that in mind, I’m using a crutch to finish and post -- and also delete a lot of my rambling (but not all!).

Thing 1: The Athens Half Marathon is Sunday. It’s looking like rain, I have a sore throat and I’m not as trained as I would like. All that actually makes me feel calm about the race. It’s really just for fun. No real PR in sight, but I hope to run a strong race. I plan to start around PR pace (9:20) and go from there. Hold on or get faster -- it’ll all be fine. Hopefully I won’t fade, but if I do, it’ll be okay too.

Thing 2: I started reading Ready to Run after a running seminar at Crossfit Independence earlier this week. I set up the seminar for the training group, and it was originally going to be an intro workout. It evolved into a running seminar, so I’m still interested in doing an intro workout. In any case, the book is about running for life, being a well-rounded athlete and not skimping on maintenance (i.e., mobility and strength are not optional). (Also, next week, I’m planning to join this box on a group run, so expect an update on that.)

Thing 3: The seminar also got me thinking about why I run, where I am with running and where I want to go. I am at the point that I can run slowly for a long time, and that’s an accomplishment. My easy paces used to be difficult for me, and I’m actually seeing miles that start with an 8 on a more regular basis. That’s encouraging -- and getting faster is what I want, but I also want to run forever (meaning, when I’m old, not necessarily ultrarunning). I want to be the “old lady” who finishes surprisingly fast. But I’m not doing the things I need to do to make that happen (and... we’re back to Ready to Run).

Thing 4: I need to update my iPod Nano for Sunday, but I don’t know if I should bother. If it’s raining, I won’t bring it. But embarrassingly enough, I want to purchase “Shake It Off” and maybe “Blank Space” (along with “Uptown Funk,” which I have absolutely no shame over). I like a mix of stuff, and I feel like those along with my standards -- “Bernadette” and “Like a Prayer,” for example -- would be fun. I should have time tonight to look at this. Maybe I’ll look at podcasts or books on tape, but typically the volume is so low that I wouldn’t be able to hear/follow those very well.

Thing 5: I am STILL tired from last weekend, and I’m hoping that’s all this sore throat is. I often get sick when I don’t get enough sleep. If I can get my ass to bed early tonight, hopefully that’ll help. The problem is that whenever I go to bed early, I invariably wake up confused. Sometimes I start getting ready for bed (again), like trying to take out my contacts, wash my face and brush my teeth.

And that’s it! I’m off to finish up my day and then enjoy the weekend. I have the training group tomorrow morning, a few errands afterward (including Panera for cinnamon crunch bagel for Sunday’s breakfast) and then we’re on our way. First stop: Weasel Boy for a beer and a growler. Then we’ll head to Athens. Have a great one!