Run Schmun

I'm registered to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in April. It was one of those situations where a bunch of my friends started signing up to create a team and everyone was talking about how much fun it would be, and I was sitting on my couch, and running a race with a bunch of your friends always sounds fun when you're sitting on the couch. It sounded fun while I was searching the web for a training plan. It sounded fun while I was typing up and printing out my training plan. It sounded fun while I was making my training plan all pretty and hanging it up in the apartment. It sounded fun until the moment that I stepped outside for my first run and then I remembered why it is that I don't do this.

That's sort of a lie - that I don't do this. I mean, I do. I have. There was a time period in college when I really considered myself a runner. I ran regularly 3 or 4 times a week. I was training for a half-marathon, and I would wake up early in the morning to go run. If I overslept, I thought about it during the day - I couldn't wait to get out there for my run. Running felt good, and I got to where I could run pretty fast. But then I was also anorexic. And seriously Type A, like Type A Plus. I never ran the half-marathon because I went into treatment, and I had to stop running. And then I just never could get back into it.

I ran a marathon a few years later, but I didn't train well enough and I hurt my knee. Last year I ran an 8K, which was good. But I promptly stopped running the moment I finished the race. I've been trying for 9 years to become a runner again. The babe thinks I'm insane - why keep doing this thing that I don't like to do? I've provided a number of reasons:

1. Exercise is important; I have to do something.

2. It's easy. Put on your shoes and go.

3. Yoga and dance classes cost money.

4. I liked it once. I'll like it again.

5. Everyone else seems to do it, and invite me to join.* That makes me feel special.

When I'm out there hobbling along, I'm often thinking of number 5, which sometimes includes cursing my friends. Why doesn't anyone send out emails asking everybody to join in a square dancing competition? Or to meet up and practice so that we can do 108 sun salutations together? Or to start a belly dancing troupe? Why running?

So last week in the midst of all the snow, I made a decision (thanks to a prior conversation with a fellow 10 mile teammate and some conversations with the babe) to let go of any pressure on this race and just start training run/walk style. It's how I got into running back in college - the Jeff Galloway way. So I've started doing my training runs where I run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute for however long I'm out there. It's been pretty nice. While I'm a disappointment to hardcore runners everywhere, I feel more relaxed about all of it. So Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, here I come. It might take me a day to finish, but who the hell cares?

* I know - I did invite my dad to do the marathon with me, and I invited my friend T to do the 8K with me, but that's beside the point.

(In)Sanity Gal is Fast...er than some people

Ran the race, biotches!

No offense. I'm in a profane mood. I'm in the journal house; the printer is taking forever; I'm substantiating during reading days.

Anyway, that's not the point.

T and I ran the 8K race yesterday, coming in 63rd and 64th (we actually were right next to each other, but I guess it takes them a second to punch in the numbers) out of 81 people, which I think is Not Bad At All. We ran it in 53 minutes and 46 seconds, which (in case you're fuzzy on your math), is less than 11 minute miles. And there were Hills. Big, long ones.

Some of you out there might think that's not all that special, but we think it's Kind Of Great.

I'm also in a Capitalizing mood.

(In)Sanity Gal Takes the Plunge

In a moment which may prove to aptly reflect my name, I registered today to run an 8K race on April 18th. My dear friend T and I decided to do it together, and last week we started running together twice a week.*

So, 8K is not so bad - that's 5 miles. Of course, I actually cannot remember the last time that I ran. I think that it was once during finals last year, as in last school year, as in almost an entire year ago.

We started with three miles. Which, in truth, seems sort of excessive for beginning, but there's really not that much time to up the mileage. And I only thought I was going to throw up for like an hour and a half afterwords.

The key exciting detail, which T pointed out to me today is this language from the race** website.

The Springburst 8K is a challenging race hosted by PGRC. The hills of Greenbelt National Park provide over 100 runners a chance to test their fitness levels before the summer racing season begins.

Hmm...it seems that in my effort to find a race with a date before finals, I forgot to read the description. The word "fun" is not in there at all, as in "Fun run for kids and adults!" Um, challenging? Test their fitness levels? Summer racing season? As in see if running in fact makes them feel as though they're going to die before the summer racing season begins? T thinks no. She thinks they're training for speed. Oh. dear. god.

I checked the results from last year, and it does appear to be the case. These people are actually runners. But...but....there were a few stragglers. So, it appears that if we can run these five miles in less than 1 hour and 4 minutes (assuming said stragglers race again and have been sitting on the couch eating cheetos since last year), then we will not come in last and I will not have to relive any unfortunate middle school track experiences.

* My dear friend E is also running with us but unable to do the race.
**Speaking of race, I think that's a misnomer. When I say "race," I actually mean "jaunt out with friends where I for some unknown reason wear a white piece of paper safety-pinned to my chest and hope not to get run over."