Not a great running week.

This past week was not a great one for me getting out in running, in part because I'm not training for anything right now. Because of this, I'm a lot less regimented about going out to make sure I meet my weekly mileage (...or kilometerage?), so this week the weather was not great (as in it was raining) so I took a lot of the week off from running, which was nice in that I wasn't forcing myself out when I don't want to go, but I'm hoping it doesn't become a habit, since I want to be faster this upcoming year, and not getting out of shape is probably going to be key to that. Still, it was nice to have some time off.

Yoga is going well. It's very relaxing, and it's nice to do something kind of...just for fun. I mean, yes it does have the benefit of getting me to stretch on occasion, but on the whole it's just something to do for fun.

I'm thinking about getting a pair of trail shoes for the winter since there are the occasions when the sidewalks aren't plowed in the winter, and it would be nice to wear something with a little more traction, and are waterproof/resistant (unlike last year when my feet would get wet). As well, I'm thinking about doing some trail runs in the upcoming year, and while trail shoes aren't required, it would be nice to have them, again for the better traction. Still, these things cost money and do I really need another pair of shoes? In theory I've already committed to a pair of vibrams in the spring (or whenever Novacks gets a new shipment in. So much for getting used to them a bit by walking around the apartment in the winter). I did leave my number for them to call, but I'm not sure how on top of that they are. I'm hoping they do call, since I don't really want to stop by all the time to see if they are in yet. We'll see, I guess. I need to get a new backpack at some point so I'll be stopping by anyway in the future, so I guess I check again then.

Awards, and running with no particular goal

First, as I think I mentioned, the race series put on by one of the running stores in the city gives points in each race for how you did in your age group, and at the end of the year you can potentially win a prize! Well, thanks to my dedication of showing up to every race, I managed to squeak into 3rd in my age group which meant that I won $50! Which is pretty awesome! I didn't really do that well in my age group (I think the highest I ever finished was 3rd, and for the rest it was 6th or...lower? higher? whatever, the direction away from 1st), but I still went to every race, so I got bonus points, which pushed me passed someone, and made sure I wasn't caught by the person behind me. On the plus side, it means I can improve next year, and hopefully finish higher. I also, sadly, did not win the trip to Vegas, but I DID meet Katherine, which was pretty awesome.

So now that my season is over until January or so, I have to figure out how to stay motivated through the next couple of months of running. On the one hand, I'm glad to not have to train for anything, and just go out for fun, but on the other hand, having a race does make sure I get out and actually do the run. Hopefully, the goal of running faster next season will get me out the door at least 3 times a week.

And for a bit of a rant - I don't quite understand the 'weekend warrior' term for running, particularly when it comes to longer distances, since, while I don't actually know as I haven't tried it, I'd imagine training once/twice a week on weekends for a race would be unbelievably hard. I mean, ok, my long runs are usually on weekends, and my weekday runs are fairly short when I'm actually training, but it's not just a weekend event. I spend a lot of time running, and while I'm not fast, I don't like the idea of people thinking I only run on the weekend, because I know I've devoted a fair amount of time (and money) to the sport. I don't know. Maybe it's just in my brain.

Have a lovely weekend.

Halloween Run, downtime, yoga

First - I ran a 10k on Halloween. I didn't dress up (or as I say "I dressed up like a runner!", which doesn't count), but I was in a points race (the race is part of a race series - depending on how you finish in your age group you get points, and at the end of the year the top...5? get prizes), and I wanted to get in the money. Anyway, the race went ok, although I when I saw my time I wish I was a little faster. That being said I ran a PB* of 50.41 (I think?), which I was pretty happy about.


Overall, I've been happy about this race season - I didn't have any real injuries, and I achieved my goal at the beginning of the year of starting to run again. AND I ran my first half-marathon. So this year was sort of a get back into it year, and I think it went well. Hopefully next year I can start improving.

That all being said, I'm glad that my season is over - I was starting to get a little burnt out, and having some downtime where I'm not training for anything will be nice. I'll still go out and run so I can hopefully get better, but it will be nice, I think to not feel like I have to drag myself out for a run because I have to go for one. I know that I always feel better after I've started, but it has been taking longer, and longer for me to psych myself up to go out, so I'm happy to not have a race hanging over me making me feel like I have to go run.

Finally, I think I'm going to start yoga during the winter - I tend to be crap about stretching, and hopefully the yoga will help me with that. There's a place just around the corner from me, so hopefully it will work out. I've been saying for ages that I wanted to try it, so I'm finally going, or at least trying it out for a few weeks. I'm not terribly good (as in I'm not very bendy, and not very good with balancing), but it's fun (for now) which helps.

* Ok so it was my first 10k, so it would have to be a PB, but whatever