Some truly great runners swear by splitting their runs up - part in the morning and part in the afternoon. They claim it helps them to burn fat and build more lean muscle.
Yesterday, I had to cut my morning run short for reasons that I will spare you of, so I completed six miles before work and went for another two afterwards. I can't say exactly how it felt, but it certainly didn't feel good. It may have been the Nike Shox, which even though they are ultra cute, are not conducive to running. Or, it may have been the fact that it was one hundred degrees in the gym after work. But, I'm going to play it safe from now on...Finish a run when I start it, not several hours later.
Tomorrow closes out the training week, as well as a hectic week at the office. I am impatiently waiting to arrive on the beach in Maine. A wonderful long weekend of swimming, great food and a little shopping, of course. The weather looks sunny and hot - exactly what I was hoping for. Bags are packed and waiting by the door. Now, this is one of my greatest weaknesses. No matter where I am going or how long I am going for, it can never be just ONE bag, it is always plural. I don't know where I get this need for "stuff" from, but I envy those people who can go somewhere for a week and bring one bag that's smaller than what I bring to work everyday.
A great weekend to everyone - enjoy the summer while it's here.
My next post will include some pictures of the gorgeous scenery on the Maine coast.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Could It Finally Be Summer?
A good evening to all my blog fans.
I think I can say with confidence that summer is really here. Normally, by this time in August we would have had at least one or two heat waves. But, this has been the summer of Noah's Arc. I truly believe that with one more torrential downpour, the earth under my foundation will give way and my house will slide down the hill.
Even though we haven't reached ninety degrees since April, at least we've had a few sunny days the past couple weeks. I cannot tell you how badly I want to hear Scott Haney say "We're looking at the return of those three H's today."
After a few months of extreme busyness, I was ecstatic to be planning an afternoon out on the water kayaking with a very special friend last week. Original plans were scheduled for Wednesday, but cancelled due to inclement weather. Thursday rolled around and the sun was shining - a perfect day for kayaking. Putting that fourteen foot kayak up on the truck is not a fun task and is probably very comical to watch. But, once I had it up on there, I was so excited to get to the marina and start paddling wherever the current took us.
Kayaking is such a wonderful compliment to my usual challenging weight training and long runs. The legs get a rest for once and the upper body does all of the work. But, more than a workout, kayaking is a wonderful release for me. I am enamored with the ocean and all of its wonders. There is no happier place for me than to be on the water. All of the summers that I spent living on the boat created such an amazing experience that I will treasure forever. And now, I take advantage of any opportunity to spend time on the ocean.
We paddled out to Duck Island with the water so smooth and only a few sailboats inside Duck Island Rhodes. It was cool, but still sunny. We beached the kayak and traversed the giant rocks all the way around the back of the island barefoot (perhaps not the smartest thing I have ever done) before heading back in to the marina. A quick dip in the pool to wash away the salt and then back to the boat. Walking down the dock, I could see someone with a dock cart near the boat. A few steps closer and I could see it was Gabby. I haven't seen Gabby and AJ since January and I was so excited. Marisa, John and the kids were unloading the car and getting ready to run out for dinner, so we only got a few minutes with them, but it was wonderful to see them. We then went to Lenny and Squiggies (Lenny and Joe's) for a delicious fish dinner (lots of protein)! What an outstanding afternoon and evening - I didn't want it to end. But, as they say all good things must come to an end. Friday was soon approaching, which meant another day of work. I absolutely love my job, but I have such a hard time walking into that office when I can hear the sunshine and glistening water calling my name.
Friday evening was a bittersweet occasion. We held a going-away happy hour for Young Pat, AKA my twin. Pat got an offer at a Sikorsky subsidiary, Keystone Helicopter, and he and his fiance, Kate (such a wonderful girl), are moving to Pennsylvania this week. I will miss them both, but I look forward to having great friends to meet up with for dinner or drinks any time I travel to Keystone.
Saturday morning I had a ten mile recovery run scheduled. I ran a downtown New Haven route that looped back to Hamden by Southern CT State University. I ran at a good pace, but was exhausted around mile seven. I couldn't wait to get home and shower up. Mom and I were heading to the marina for the afternoon. We spent several hours sitting on the back of the boat chatting with John and Marisa and soaking up the beautiful sunshine. I rested my legs and got my vitamin D at the same time. I'm always sad when it's time to come home from the marina, but I knew I had a great deal of homework waiting for me today.
As the weekend closes and the work week (and training week) approaches, I am a bit nervous for my increase in mileage. My three mile runs become four miles and my seven mile runs become eight. The week will close out with a sixteen miler around the streets of Kennebunkport Saturday morning. I have already noticed that I cannot seem to feed my body enough - my stomach is often bloated because of the amount of food I have to consume to keep my muscles happy. From here it will be a struggle to hold on to my weight training regime. A few weeks ago, I thought this would be my last week, but I think I might be able to maintain it until the end of August.
Less than three months to go until New York. I still have many sunrise runs ahead of me, many days of sore legs and many days of triumph. But, they will all culminate early Sunday morning, November 1st as I stand at the start line and wait to hear that gun go off.
Good night, all.
I think I can say with confidence that summer is really here. Normally, by this time in August we would have had at least one or two heat waves. But, this has been the summer of Noah's Arc. I truly believe that with one more torrential downpour, the earth under my foundation will give way and my house will slide down the hill.
Even though we haven't reached ninety degrees since April, at least we've had a few sunny days the past couple weeks. I cannot tell you how badly I want to hear Scott Haney say "We're looking at the return of those three H's today."
After a few months of extreme busyness, I was ecstatic to be planning an afternoon out on the water kayaking with a very special friend last week. Original plans were scheduled for Wednesday, but cancelled due to inclement weather. Thursday rolled around and the sun was shining - a perfect day for kayaking. Putting that fourteen foot kayak up on the truck is not a fun task and is probably very comical to watch. But, once I had it up on there, I was so excited to get to the marina and start paddling wherever the current took us.
Kayaking is such a wonderful compliment to my usual challenging weight training and long runs. The legs get a rest for once and the upper body does all of the work. But, more than a workout, kayaking is a wonderful release for me. I am enamored with the ocean and all of its wonders. There is no happier place for me than to be on the water. All of the summers that I spent living on the boat created such an amazing experience that I will treasure forever. And now, I take advantage of any opportunity to spend time on the ocean.
We paddled out to Duck Island with the water so smooth and only a few sailboats inside Duck Island Rhodes. It was cool, but still sunny. We beached the kayak and traversed the giant rocks all the way around the back of the island barefoot (perhaps not the smartest thing I have ever done) before heading back in to the marina. A quick dip in the pool to wash away the salt and then back to the boat. Walking down the dock, I could see someone with a dock cart near the boat. A few steps closer and I could see it was Gabby. I haven't seen Gabby and AJ since January and I was so excited. Marisa, John and the kids were unloading the car and getting ready to run out for dinner, so we only got a few minutes with them, but it was wonderful to see them. We then went to Lenny and Squiggies (Lenny and Joe's) for a delicious fish dinner (lots of protein)! What an outstanding afternoon and evening - I didn't want it to end. But, as they say all good things must come to an end. Friday was soon approaching, which meant another day of work. I absolutely love my job, but I have such a hard time walking into that office when I can hear the sunshine and glistening water calling my name.
Friday evening was a bittersweet occasion. We held a going-away happy hour for Young Pat, AKA my twin. Pat got an offer at a Sikorsky subsidiary, Keystone Helicopter, and he and his fiance, Kate (such a wonderful girl), are moving to Pennsylvania this week. I will miss them both, but I look forward to having great friends to meet up with for dinner or drinks any time I travel to Keystone.
Saturday morning I had a ten mile recovery run scheduled. I ran a downtown New Haven route that looped back to Hamden by Southern CT State University. I ran at a good pace, but was exhausted around mile seven. I couldn't wait to get home and shower up. Mom and I were heading to the marina for the afternoon. We spent several hours sitting on the back of the boat chatting with John and Marisa and soaking up the beautiful sunshine. I rested my legs and got my vitamin D at the same time. I'm always sad when it's time to come home from the marina, but I knew I had a great deal of homework waiting for me today.
As the weekend closes and the work week (and training week) approaches, I am a bit nervous for my increase in mileage. My three mile runs become four miles and my seven mile runs become eight. The week will close out with a sixteen miler around the streets of Kennebunkport Saturday morning. I have already noticed that I cannot seem to feed my body enough - my stomach is often bloated because of the amount of food I have to consume to keep my muscles happy. From here it will be a struggle to hold on to my weight training regime. A few weeks ago, I thought this would be my last week, but I think I might be able to maintain it until the end of August.
Less than three months to go until New York. I still have many sunrise runs ahead of me, many days of sore legs and many days of triumph. But, they will all culminate early Sunday morning, November 1st as I stand at the start line and wait to hear that gun go off.
Good night, all.
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