Musings of the Mews

I could've had the time of my life yesterday. Could've... but I'll never know.

If any of you knew I was running the Mews Gear and Beer 5k yesterday, perhaps you stalked me looked me up on coolrunning.com to see how I did. If you did... I am ashamed because you saw my pitiful time... pathetic, I know. But before I bust a cap you get too upset, please know that unless you were in the top 50 finishers of the race, the results are pretty much bogus (with the occasional exception)... their timing system is archaic, highly inaccurate, and got progressively worse as the race went on.

Also, Kevin and I had agreed to run together and so of course we started out that way. He is apparently most improved and is now entitled to run on his own so at about .25 miles, he left me in the dust. Pft. Whatever. My friend Melissa and I ran together for the remainder of the race - but I did not have my watch on because Kevin wore his and again, he was SUPPOSED to stay with us. SO... my time was measured by the inaccurate race timers.

Now, we were not going THAT fast but... we certainly did better than the 9:54s, as recorded by the officials I am positive. Want to know how positive I am? I finished about 20 yards ahead of Melissa (because I am the jerk who sprints to the finish), and on the results on CoolRunning, I am registered with a time of 30:45. First of all, I haven't ran a 30:45 5k in... EVER. My weakest 5k was in the 29 minute range. Not that there is anything wrong with a 30 minute 5k - its just not ME. Secondly, Melissa is registered with a time of 27:09. Again, she finished (que bold, italics to indicate emphasis) BEHIND me.

Two lessons learned: 1) I will never not wear my watch again and 2) I need speedwork to get faster. Point taken.

This is the second time that the timing system at a race has peeved me. I feel like I am always whining after races but if race coordinators would get their "stuff" together, I'd be much happier. I paid $20 for frustration and a rather ugly tee shirt (though long sleeve earns bonus points).

Great job to my husband who allegedly finished in 25:05. Allegedly. And to my other co-racers... way to battle that hill!!

At least we got a cute picture reveling in the afterglow, before I knew about the time debacle.


p.s. Hi Internets. I've missed you.

MIA

NO, I am not about to bust out Paper Planes.

I am merely stating the obvious... that I haven't visited the blogosphere is a while. Busy, busy, busy. But all good.

I'll be back soon... I promise.

the year of change

New Years schmew years. Every year begins with me making some outlandish promise to myself, which is usually a modifed version of the same goal that I set the previous year. And, of course, it always involves health and fitness. Lose weight, exercise more, eat right, blah blah blah. We've heard it all before.

Well, like every other year, when 2007 rolled into 2008, I vowed that this would be my healthiest, most accomplished year. But, unlike years past, there was something different about this approach that assured me that I could actually achieve my resolution this year and I was 100% determined to honor this committment. Now, with less than two months left in the year, I can honestly say that I am really proud of how far I've come, in regards to both diet and exercise.

I started the year extremely inspired and decided that the first step to cleaning up my act was to avoid alcohol for 2 months to allow myself the mental clarity and peace of mind that I needed to plan out the rest of my year. Not drinking was definitely a challenge (and my friends were utterly confused) but I really enjoyed the change of scenery. And, honestly it just felt natural and healthy. (And rest easy, I've since resumed drinking.)

My next goal was to put focus on fitness. I knew that if I tried to make rash adjustments in both my fitness and eating habits, I'd burn out and fall flat on my face. So, I signed up for a half marathon and devised a rigorous yet realistic 4.5 month training program. It was definitely a bit of a challenge at times, being forced to stick to a schedule and "having" to run was painful at times. But, I stuck with it all and I completed the race in May - another mission accomplished.

My next challenge was to develop a workout schedule that I could stay with FOREVER. One that was forgiving and accomodating but challenging enough to keep my body engaged. Well, add another check mark on my ambitious list of To-Dos. Its taken me almost 10 months to fully adjust to a normal, regular routine but I think I've finally got a really good thing going with my fitness lifestyle. While I may not be as quick to blog about every training session or every long or short run, I am out there, almost everyday, doing SOMETHING active. I've been going to the gym, participating in weekly pilates and bi-weekly abs classes (as you all know). I've been hitting the elliptical before my pilates and abs classes and I've been running about 3 times per week. With no "goal race" in the near future, I am content with my slow and steady pace. Its realistic and, most importantly, its working for me.

Next up... How I tackled the diet dilemma in 2008 and what goals can I set for 2009?

Iron Man

One of my oldest friends, Patrick, is participating in IronMan Florida today and I am SO excited for him.

Patrick is a superb athlete in all pursuits. He's participated in half Iron Mans and at least a couple of marathons... so really, it was just a matter of time before he voyaged into full Iron Man land.

Patience and dedication have paid off. This is the culmination of a lifelong dream and many years of preparation.

This is not a eulogy, Patrick is very much alive. So let me get to the point...

Patrick, my friend - GOOD LUCK. You are an inspiration to me and I am so proud to be your friend and I wish I could be there to cheer for you. We are rooting for you from the homeland.

Kick ass and take names... I'll be tracking you!!!