Sunday, May 11, 2008

Roar!

The sight of Hosta bursting up from the earth in the spring always sort of ... scares me. It's very violent and powerful. The pointed, sharp-edged fat fingers, forcing their way out of their temporary tomb.

At the same time, it's just so... celebratory. Such a lively, happy, bright green. Ahhh, hello, world! Welcome back, sun and warmth. It's very inspiring.

Yesterday, my training plan called for an easy, long run of 10 miles. Seeking solace for my joints as well as a release from the boredom of the usual nearby sidewalks, I decided to try a trail run, at the nearby state park.

You know, the one I used for my mountaineering training, a few years ago? Ho! Easy run. Foolish mortal, how easily you forgot. It was a hills love fest. I had been seeking to keep my HR around 150 or so, but it ranged from 144 to 163, and those fluctuations happened quite often.

This would have simply made for a more interesting run, and certainly a very scenic one, had I brought some sustenance along. I'd figured to stop by the car -where my banana and water were- at least once during the run, but another thing I'd forgotten about the park was how large it was. The loop I thought I'd have to do twice, took me once, for the whole 100 minutes I need to run. So... at around minute 70 my energy started to wane a bit. Lead-legs greeting my every step up those nasty hills. I was very happy to see my banana and water, once I finished & returned to my car.

Fun, fun fun! Ah well. At least, after this 10-mile run, I was still somewhat functional, later in the day. I appear to be improving.

The ranger at the park informed me that there's a trail run race, there at the park, in July. A 25k and a 50k. At the start of the day I was intrigued. 25k is 15 miles. I could easily do that by July.

Later in the day, approximately 60 minutes later, I was less intrigued. It's hot in July. I'd rather be in the garden, watching the flowers grow.

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Friday, May 9, 2008

this year it's the magnolias


Most springs, it's the bright yellow of the forsythia that make me excited about gardening again. But this year, the magnolias are doing the job. They are just stunning, partly because I never remember where they are in the neighborhood, until they bloom. The tiny young ones are the best- why is it surprising that a 3-foot tall one blooms just as much (in proportion) as a 30-foot tall one?

The lanky, lazy blooms, from afar, always make me think of the little tissue ghosts that people hang from trees, around Hallowe'en.

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Friday, May 2, 2008

not really racing

Well, I ran the Get In Gear 10k last Saturday, in the heavy wind, light snow, and downright comfortable temps (around 35? Gotta love April in Minnesota!). My time was 55:23.

I'm not necessarily "happy" with my time, but I was very happy with my pacing: Every mile I ran, I ran just a little bit faster, starting around a 9.5-minute mile and finishing probably around 8. Considering that I approached the race as merely a training run for a slightly longer race I'm doing in June, my average split wasn't too bad. I just wanted to make sure I didn't come out of the gates too fast. 6.2 miles is no 3.1 mile race, like the several I did last summer!

So, since my 12k training plan wanted me to run 9 miles rather than 6, I cut a deal with my joints, and went to a spin class, the day after the race.

I am, however, exceedingly happy with how my 5-mile tempo run went, on Wednesday this week. I was aiming for 8:30 split, and hit about 8:30 on the first mile... then same on mile 2, then about 7:45 for each of the last three miles. Yay. The nice weather helped, I'm sure.

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