Tuesday, March 5, 2013

A Perfect, Sunny Run

Workout: 5 miles, 10:51 average, Pace Gloves

Today's run was a good one. Nay, a great one. Dare I say, perfect? Or is that just asking the run gods to strike me down and put me in my place? Too close to the sun and all that. Whatever. It was awesome.

There was nothing unusual about this morning. In fact, I felt kind of crappy. I slept poorly (but hey, don't we all?) and woke up with a bad sleeping pill hangover. I wasn't exactly raring to go. However, runs must go on, and so I sucked it up and started off 'round the neighborhood.

Can we talk about the sun? The sun was out. Again. Don't let anyone tell you Anchorage never gets any sun; they've obviously got a very selective memory. During the winter especially we actually have a lot of sunny days. Today is day four of absolutely perfect weather.

In case you forgot what the sun looks like. Don't stare straight at it - you'll burn your eyes out!

From the first step, I knew it was a special run. I settled into my 10:52 goal pace immediately and had no trouble keeping it right where I wanted it. I had my Pace Gloves on and felt light as a feather. Gazelle-like, even. Never mind the moments when I glanced at my shadow and noticed I looked like more of a lame hunchback. It was sort of like that bizarre movie with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow where Gwyneth Paltrow herself looks tiny, but then you see her shadow and it's kind of enormous. Trust me, that analogy works.

Anyway, I felt strong, light, and quick. So much so that I hit up my most-hated hill not once, but twice! This is where you praise me for doing something that's been done by billions before me.


And with that, I'm going to go annoy the rest of the world with my perkiness. So glad I could prove, as have so many others before me, that the best runs often happen at the most unexpected times.

Questions:
  • Are you getting as much sun as we are? I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a watch tan soon if this keeps up (it won't).
  • When was your last perfect run?
  • Run up any annoying hills recently?

11 comments:

  1. That's gorgeous, as usual. Living my run vicariously through you, at the moment. :)

    We get enough sun here, don't worry. PLENTY. And rain. Lots of rain. Can it be both super rainy and super sunny in one place? It is here. It downpours. Like, monsoons. Then the sun comes out, evaporates all that water back up, and it's muggy as heck. HEY! Wanna come visit now? :)

    Last perfect run...I really, really enjoyed my 10K race 1.5 weeks ago: good location, hit my desired pace, and everything felt smooth and easy.

    PS Nice work on hitting the pace *exactly*... [OK, that was overall, not moving, but whatever...]

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    1. I know, I'm a freak - the pace on my watch is much more important to me than actual paces (I'm working on it, I swear!).

      I totally think it can be very sunny and very rainy in the same place. On the East Coast, it was always extremely sunny (and humid) leading up to a huge rainstorm. I imagine that's what it's like where you live, only times ten. Not exactly my cup o' tea. Let me know if something crazy happens and changes everything about your weather - maybe then I'll head over there!

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  2. I had one of those runs on Sunday. I got to run some trails, the weather was perfect, and the trail didn't have too many hills, ha, but the ones that it did, I demolished. I've really been trying to add more hills into my plan and slowly, but surely, they are getting less hard (not easy...but less hard). It's definitely a love-hate relationship.

    In Colorado it was ALWAYS sunny but here in DC, it's grey a lot.

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    1. Kudos on the hills - I saw the trail report and those were pretty insane! Way to embrace the pain (rhyme unintentional).

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    2. Ha catchy! Hills are so rough, but totally worth it. I'm sure you have some killer ones where you live, though! I had a professor back in Colorado who used to run up the 14ers (14,000 feet mountains). I struggled to hike them at the speed of a sloth, ha.

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  3. We've had the most amazing sunny and warm weather in CA but the rain has finally come back! Yay for great runs! Your sounds totally awesome :) And I SERIOUSLY doubt your shadow looked anything but fit and beautiful :)

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    1. Ahahah, why thanks! I don't mean to say I looked large or anything, I just wasn't the graceful gazelle I pictured in my head. I feel like this is a common experience for runners.

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  4. We are just starting to get some sun here in NY, but that just means we'll get a snow storm/blizzard JUST as we start to think spring is on the way, haha. Happy you had a great run! I love coming in from a perfect run, it keeps me happy for at least an hour.

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    1. You called it - aren't you guys getting hit by a storm right about now? Hard to keep up with all the snowpocalypses these days.

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  5. Nice! It's been so long since I've had a run like tat. Mine have felt hard and forced these past few months.

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    1. Oh no! Well, I'd say you're due for a great one sometime soon. I've actually had really good luck with my runs recently - I've hardly had any bad ones and most are quite pleasant! Tuesday's was the first super awesome omg amazing run in a long time, though!

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