run

Week Eight, Day 1

Tuesday, August 29th, 2023

We have entered the penultimate week of training before the ever-elusive “free-run” portion of our chaos kicks in—week eight. I kind of can’t believe that we are here. I, for sure, have never made it this far into the app before, so there is something exciting and also daunting about this because I’m pretty sure that we are entering into, like, the 40-minute territory, which is fine. It’s totally fine. I feel….ready for this. Totally prepared. What with my impeccable technique and discipline. Unstoppable. I welcome the 40-minute era. Bring it on. 

I’m very curious how today’s run will go if for no other reason than I slept on the floor last night. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “But ally, you’re on vacation at your parents’! Don’t they have beds?!” To which I will say, yes. They really do. Very comfortable ones, in fact, along with a slew of couches that make lounging and resting just an absolute delight, but last night, we spent the better part of seven hours in the emergency vet waiting room with Pete – he is totally fine. We thought he swallowed a rock, there was no rock, and it took them the better part of seven hours to determine that, and we would have waited another seven because he is our guy – and I wanted to keep an eye on him, and since he is a pup who **SETS** boundaries, he doesn’t sleep upstairs with us. So I decided to stay with him downstairs on the couch, but my 5’9” frame was not able to stretch fully on said couch, so I ended up on the floor. Honestly? My back hasn’t felt this good in a while, and I didn’t wake up with my hips screaming out in pain, so perhaps a concrete floor with a nice fluffy carpet on top of it is the trick from time to time? 

Oh, and a tree also fell on our car. 

So. 

Yeah. It’s been an interestingly chaotic start to this little trip to the country, but everyone is fine, and we are all just trying to hang on and in. 

Real talk, though; this is the first day where I really contemplated skipping the whole thing. I know in the past I’ve gripped that I didn’t want to do it or I thought about not going, but today was the first day where I was like, ok, but what would happen if I didn’t go on it? And, like, I think the answer is nothing, right? Like nothing would actually happen if I didn’t do this today. But I want to go. Even despite the exhaustion and stress of the last few days, I’m kind of looking forward to the run. To have potentially 40+ minutes to myself where I get to just focus on the road and my steps. I don’t think Colby will be coming with me on the bike today to do my old crew route, so back to the center I go, which is fine. I think the topography of the center is actually pretty close to that of Governor’s Island, though the closer we get to the date of the 5K, the more I’m like, you should go out there and just do a run around the island just to get a feel for it. 

Oh shit, I just realized, I am exactly two months out from the 5K! That is exciting! Time really does, as they say, fly. I ordered the first part of my costume, a pair of shiny, silver chrome running shorts that were so unbelievably small. Seriously. I don’t know if I stumbled into the petit section of Amazon, but these were not correct. But that’s fine, because like I said, two months, bb! We got time to find the right running shorts that I will truly never wear again. 

Alright. Into my mom’s car I go – because, remember, ours had a tree fall on it 🤦🏻‍♀️- and off I am on my way to Unionville Center. It is weird to have to drive to the place I will be running. In the city, it’s like, open the door and go, but this makes it feel like more of an event. Thrilling, I know. Will I be listening to Hadestown again? Time will tell. Am I aware that I am like, five years late to this party? Absolutely. Is this new kick solely based on the fact that Betty Who is joining the cast and I’m a massive fan of theirs and am actively trying to budget for tickets? One thousand percent. Don’t judge me.   

Alright. Vroom vroom off in the car I go. 

POST-RUN MORTUM

Time Running: 38 minutes 

Distance Achieved: 2.57 miles 

Tunage: Hadestown – I’m into it, leave me alone. 

Let me tell you what, I can’t break 3 miles for trying. NOT FOR TRYING. Truly. There was a moment today when “Wait For Me” reprise started playing, and I lengthened my stride and was like, properly RUNNING, and I was like, psh, I’m going to run this mortum today, and I’m going to get to tell everyone that I broke 3 miles, and I got cocky and then when the run was over and I opened my app back up and my guy Run said 2.57!?!?! 

Shock. 

Disillusionment. 

    Confusion. 

            Gas. 

Ok, the last one was because I had some seltzer before I went out, but still. 

All in all, even though I can’t seem to break that elusive 3-mile marker, today was a great run. My legs, throbbing and sore though they may be – don’t get me started on my hips again – feel stronger. My endurance is leaps and bounds beyond what it was at the top of this, but please don’t make me leap and or bound. Truly. I think I would shatter like some sort of porcelain warthog against a marble floor. 

I’m wondering, too, if I need to stop trying to hit the mileage in a specific time amount. Not sure if that’s the right mindset to have, but I don’t see how it could be harmful, only because I could say that I want to run a 35-minute 5K until I am blue in the face, but at the end of the day, I can only go as fast as I can. And that is OK. I think the goal to keep the eye on here is just finishing the damn thing. I wonder, also, if once I start the free runs, I’ll get a better idea of how long it will take. And then can refine from there. 

Alright. I’m going to finish this smoothie and watch the latest episode of Sister Wives with my mom, because #vacation ::who am I kidding, I watch this show even when I’m not on vacation. It speaks to me:: and then I’m going to go paddle for a while. For the paddling makes me happy. If I could paddle this 5K, I’d be the happiest porcelain warthog there ere was. THERE ERE WAS.