Thursday, April 4, 2013

All Take, No Give

Workout: 9.5 miles (8 tempo at 9:35-ish), Connects

Today was an incredibly satisfying day. 

And a beautiful night. This was taken at 9:45 p.m., FYI. Things are getting light up here.

I was dreading today all week, for work/school-related reasons. Oh, and an 8-mile tempo on the docket. I was intimidated. But you know what? Today was busy, non-stop, and coffee-filled just as I expected, but instead of feeling like curling up in a ball and dying when it was all over, I feel fulfilled. That sounds like something you'd read in Fifty Shades of Grey (Gray?). What I mean is, I am happy tired instead of dying tired. It's a subtle but important distinction. Instead of feeling defeated, I feel rejuvenated.

I was really worried about doing my tempo just before a midterm because my insides have been known to malfunction for hours following a harder/longer workout, but it was literally the only time I could fit it in so I decided to risk it. I set off from school intending to run on the "road to school" but it soon became apparent that it was too icy to run there. Sidewalks are almost completely clear of snow now (this is, like, the fastest breakup I've ever seen, although we're supposed to get 2-5 inches of snow on Saturday) so I thought I would be okay without Yaktrax, but unfortunately it hadn't warmed up yet. Bummer.

I ended up running in some terribly ugly places and having to stop at some of the longest red lights I've ever experienced (wait, I take it back - Washington, D.C. has the longest stoplights), but I finally located a gloriously ice-free sidewalk I got to run on uninterrupted for the last three-ish tempo miles. It was gravel city (seriously, there's inches of the stuff covering every surface, everywhere), but I guess I can think of it as extra padding.


My pace was all over the place at first because I was constantly slowing down to traverse ice sheets and then speeding up to make up for lost time, but once I found my little sidewalk paradise my pace was very solid and I had to hold myself back some. Surprisingly, this run felt significantly easier than Sunday's 10 miles, which itself was a great run. I was listening to music, which I never allow myself to do, and I brought a handheld with me (with a li'l bit of Nuun), so that might have had something to do with it. I was really pissed I didn't have time to finish with an even 10 miles. I had way more than another half mile in me. Damn you, knowledge!

So that was that. Mid-week 10-milers are scary, even after a rest day, and when you throw the word "tempo" in there it's terrifying. Instead of defeating me, though, this run left me feeling refreshed, energetic, and ready to tackle the rest of the day, which I totally did.

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I was going to go on another "Ahhh, grad school, what do I do Ahh Ahhh Ahhhh panic attack Ahhhh oh, chocolate, gimme" rant, but I'll cool it for today. I was hoping to have my mind made up by the time I leave for Norway, but making a decision is next to impossible when you don't have all the relevant information. It seems I'm going to pull a Jeano and wait until the last second (no joke, I have an email from my mom dated April 30, 2006 saying "Where are you going to college? You have to tell them by tomorrow." I couldn't give her an answer because I didn't know yet. My indecision then was more about apathy than anxiety, though). My latest piece of news is that even if I don't receive funding to the "better" school, I'm guaranteed it from the second year onward. So great, it's an even harder decision now. Let's hope the schools I haven't heard from yet reject me as I suspect they will, because I think my head would explode if I had to consider somewhere else. I will say that I'm definitely leaning towards one over the other, but every hour or so I suddenly panic and change my mind for a few minutes. It's really fun. Wow, I guess I actually did just go on a rant. Sorry about that.

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I'm still on partial blog lock-down, "lock-down" obviously referring to reading other people's blogs and not writing on my own. Sorry! I've really been all take and no give lately. I've got a few pretty long layovers on Saturday (and Sunday. and Monday), though, so I'm hoping to get caught up with your lives then.

Let's throw some questions your way:

  • Which do you prefer: tempo runs or intervals?
  • What time is it getting dark where you live these days?
  • Are you a last-minute decision-maker, or are you a planner?

10 comments:

  1. Yay!!! I'm so glad your tempo run went well!! I feel like my tempo runs are always all over the place (not pace wise, but feelings wise). One week it week feel AWESOME like yours did and the next it just feels like such a struggggleee. The long runs (like your last 10 miler) are supposed to feel tough - tougher than your tempos even - because you are running them when your legs are the most tired. That's why they don't give you a rest day between your tempo and your long run. So I guess that just means it's working, right??

    You'll figure school out. Go on your trip, get all your info, and just pick which school feels right in your gut. Is there a reason other than the funding that would keep you from going to the "better" school that you seem to REALLY want to go to? If it's your top school, and you're guaranteed funding the second year on (and hopefully you get partial funding the first year?), I say go for it! You can always be a Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant your first year to make up for some extra cash..or even take out some dreaded student loans (they have quite low rates right now). Just take deep breaths, you'll figure it out!

    I'm a planner. When I applied to undergrad, I had folders for every potential school with all of my information on them and a color-coded rating system. It was bomb.

    I think it's maybe getting dark around 8 here now? I really wish it would start getting lighter in the morning, though...it doesn't really get light until about 6:30am, which is really putting a damper on my morning runs.

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    1. As always with me, it's complicated. My current concern with the better school is that they seem to be unable or unwilling to find any students that are willing to talk to me about the program. That suggests (to me, at least) that they're not that happy with the program. Of course, it could just be that they're busy. But I'm worried about that, and also about the very real possibility that faculty won't have any interest in working with me. But whatever. And of COURSE another school in Vancouver (so beautiful!!!!) has been thrown into the mix so I'm just going to ignore the whole thing for a few days and let it stew.

      "Doesn't get light until 6:30..." I don't know that there's any universe out there in which I would be awake at 6:30, so it's hard to empathize with that. I've got plenty of sympathy for you, though! I'm sure it'll come soon enough.

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  2. Dang, you are really picking up the pace and mileage! A 10 mile tempo run, holy hot damn. Amazing. Tempo runs always frighten me. Whenever I start them and set my Garmin, I feel sick with pressure and often yell at my Garmin when it reminds me I'm "at" or "behind" my pace. That thing can be a real jerk sometimes. Awesome job though on your run!

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    1. Uh huh, I'm the same way. I start thinking about it days in advance and it consumes me until I just do the damn thing and I'm fine. Silly running. I hope you don't use the garmin pace beep reminder thingies (I think that's the technical name) - those things are a paaaaaaain! NOBODY tells me what to do! Except the Hanson brothers. I'd follow them to the end of the earth.

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  3. Awesome run! It sounds like you really kicked butt all day. Good luck with your grad school decision! Big, life changing decisions are always tough, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision. :)

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    1. Thanks! I'm not so sure of that myself, but I'm glad someone believes in me!

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  4. First of all, kudos for not freaking out over some weird pacing at the start. Although, I will point out that the point is the run at a tempo EFFORT, not to walk/slip/sprint so that your Garmin reads the right numbers. *ahem*

    I think I prefer tempos. Haven't been doing much speedwork lately, though - looking forward to getting some started soon!

    Gets dark here about 7-7:30, depending on the cloud-cover, and how dark you consider "dark". Benefit of living at the equator? Sunset time basically never changes. We're 12 hrs light/12 hrs dark. Awesome in the (non-existent) winter, but I doooo miss looooooooooong summer days!

    PS If you're writing blog posts for us, then that's not "all take, no give". You GAVE us a post! =) Happy travels, and enjoy your trip!!

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    1. Aha, thanks, coach. I KNOW it's the effort that counts but really, let's face it, for me it's totally the numbers. At least I admit it!

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  5. Awesome run,
    I guess I would prefer the LSD over interval training.
    I normally do them early outside, when hardly anybody else is up.

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  6. Nice work on the tempo run! And that pic is awesome!

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