Slow Death via Sore Thighs (Yeah, this Title Sucks)

So, remember that time I was spouting about all that b.s. about minimalist running not using a lot of quads? Well, that was dumb. I can now verify that it, in fact, uses quite a bit of thigh muscle. My 8 miles was a bit difficult. Also, Prospect Park is hilly.

Things started out fine. I was all bundled up...

Too bundled up, in fact. Sh-t got hot real fast. I'm sure people were wondering who can possibly sweat so much in 40-degree heat. Hi friends, I'm Jean.

and hopped on the G towards Prospect Park. For the first time in ages, the train was pretty much empty.

Hi shoes!

Then I started running, and from the first step, sh-t hurt. I kind of panicked and started making excuses like "well, the training plan only says 6 miles" (although I'm doing longer long runs to make up for only running 5 days a week) and "I'll just do 3 today and run long tomorrow..." Generally when I play mind games like this, I give up. But after some back and forth, I turned on one of my favorite podcasts, Jordan, Jesse Go!, and suddenly realized my legs didn't feel so bad anymore. I wasn't roaring along, but I wasn't dragging as- either. I ended up finishing with a 10:03 average, which I was more than happy with. I even got to take some time to enjoy the scenery, like this confusing set-up:

I think they're being a little optimistic about the weather.

Also, they save people who fall through the ice with ladders? Weird.

And then just a nice fall scene:

In the end, it was a very satisfying run. It was a major confidence-booster, and didn't even feel that hard after I got over my "oh God, I hope nobody sees me faceplant when my legs give out" mindset. I'm also glad 8 miles doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. Since I switched to minimalism and had to start from square one mileage-wise, I built up to 8 miles again only a month and a half ago, and at the time it was pretty rough because my body wasn't totally ready to handle it. But today, everything felt fantastic and I felt strong the entire way. Good job, me! Way to be positive (for once)!

I got back to my apartment after some subway shenanigans (I didn't realize the Metropolitan-Grand stop was the same as the Lorimer stop so I jetted all the way to Nassau/Manhattan and walked home) and bought a sandwich at Hanna Foods, one of the best sandwich places I've been to, probably ever. They also give their sandwiches ridiculous names like Kanye Interrupt, Nightman Cometh (any "It's Always Sunny" fans out there?), Meet the F-ckers, and Beeyoch Cafe, which is hilarious, especially when someone meek wants to order a "¡Your Girlfriend's a Whore!" (upside down exclamation point necessary). I bought a "Who Killed Gertrude Stein," which was oozing with hot turkey, swiss, bacon, avocado, and some other things I probably forgot. If there is a heaven, it is Hanna Foods. Of course, I ate the entire thing in 3 minutes flat, which may not have been a great idea. But whatever, at least I'll die happy.

Off to Christmas-ize my life!