Jan 27

FIT:
Hit the XC course again. Got out from work 30 min earlier b/c went to work at sunrise. Wanted to gauge whether I could handle 13 by late April. Plus, my body was feeling delightfully sore, arms and legs, from the step CD (the kind of step that's a literal step, like you see on 80's fitness videos) and from Jillian Michaels's Burn Fat Boost Metabolism CD. The first has lots of arms, and both have lots of squats. Both are pretty enjoyable, so I'll probably alternate. Anyway, soreness is almost like an itch, which is relieved by flexing to stretch it (I guess because when the agonist muscle works/contracts, the antagonist relaxes/stretches a lot? I don't know. The soreness feels good and strong, and it makes me want to go out and work some more. So to the course, third time in 4 days.

5 mi in 43:15 - 8:39 ave. Splits> 8:44, 8:36, 8:41, 8:34, 8:37... a bit inconsistent, but since this is an ill-defined course, I do slightly different routes (I may stay more towards the edge of a curve one time vs another), so it's understandable. I started running at 5:20pm, feeling somewhat stiff (due to soreness), so I was surprised to see yet another best for the loop (at least since 4 days ago when I started tracking my times for this loop). The reduced mud and increased sunlight/visibility helped, I think. The first 3 loops went by like normal, but starting with the end of 3, I could tell that my heart or diaphragm or something was working overtime, and I thought "poor heart!" I don't know if it was just accumulated tiredness from this week, or if it was that blood was being diverted to my tummy to digest the fibery hummus on multigrain bread (and half a grapefruit) that I had eaten on my way to the course. But my cardio system needs training, so that's good that it was getting worked. Endurance is the first step to a 13. I probably could've handled a sixth lap, but since my muscles were fatigued, I didn't want to risk them giving out and not absorbing the pounding that would've come with an additional lap. Wise choice, I say - live to run the next day.

Oh yeah, since I was out there so early, I saw their softball, track, and M and W lax teams out practicing. I happened to be wearing a soccer uniform (soccer shorts, jersey, and sox, even!!!) of their school colors, so I even blended right in. They probably wondered who I was, but I look like a high-schooler, and I was wearing their colors, so maybe they thought I was a new foreign exchange student or something - haha. The coincidence of the colors (and full soccer ensemble - the only clean tech shirt I had left was a soccer jersey), crazy.

While running, I listened to a Phedippidations episode on Jacqueline Gareau, winner of the 1980 Boston, whose victory is often overshadowed by the fact that someone had originally stolen the win by jumping in the race in the last mile. Steve mentioned how his Running Legends are marked by incredible grace and humility, and JG's no exception. Hearing her talk about why she likes running... she's really likeable and unassuming and gracious. Check out the podcast (www.steverunner.com). What is it that makes champions/incredible athletes like her like that? They have every right to think they're awesome, but they're so outward focused. It puzzles me. It makes them all the more admirable.