Birthday run

I know it's not technically my birthday anymore, but I didn't have time to write yesterday about my run. I'm not even sure I have time today, but I'm doing it anyway. As you may or may not know, yesterday was my birthday and I decided to start it out with a run. It was a good run, not spectacular, since it's been a week since I had run last. I definitely felt a little rusty. I saw Rosemary on the track while I was running, so that was cool. The blisters were fine, except near the end, when sweat was getting into them and it didn't feel that great.

I'm including these pictures of my nieces, Elliett and Ivy, at the Salt Lake City Kids Fun Run because they're just so cute. I'm still bummed that I couldn't be there to participate with them, but I will be there next year! The first one is them before the race and the second is them after, where they got free ice cream! Sure can't beat that.

Port Authority is the portal to hell

Yesterday I took a little day trip to DC, just to get out of the city and do something different. Normally I do not have Saturdays off from the Crew, as those are pretty much the busiest days. But I had asked for this one off so I could have a joint birthday party with a friend that has the same birthday as me. Well, neither one of us are really good at the planning stage; we're more of the talking-big stage. I didn't want to waste my free Saturday, and I definitely didn't want to pick up anyone's shift, so I decided on a little mini-trip.
I decided to go Greyhound, since it's cheap for a person of limited finances--$39.50 for a roundtrip ticket. I wanted to make the most of my day in DC, so I purchased the ticket leaving New York at 3:45....in the AM!! Early, I know, but this way I would get into DC at 8:40 and have tons of time to do what I wanted. Then I wouldn't have to come back as late. Oh, how simple and naive were my thoughts!
I got up at 1:15 and left my apartment at 2:20. I'm one of those people who worries about not having enough time to get ready and so gets up earlier than needed to make sure there's time for everything. Plus, you never know how long you'll have to wait for a train when it's 2:30 in the morning.
I've been to Port Authority before, but not to the place I went yesterday morning. The stairway smelled like urine, the floor was dirty and strewn about with bottles, trash, and sticky liquids. Gross. I would deter any sensible person I know away from it. In fact, I would pretty much anyone I do and do not know. It's just not a great place to have to spend three and a half hours of your time! That's right, I said three and a half hours! It seems as though Greyhound sells more tickets than there are seats. Or else there was an incredible back-log of prior departure times missing their buses, hence making my bus, that I didn't get on, full of people who had tickets for a 1:30 departure. Having never rode Greyhound I can't confirm either one. All I know is that I stood in line for 30 minutes before we were informed that another bus would be here in an hour to an hour and forty-five minutes. Or, roughly, the 6:30 bus.
Around six it was announced that everyone at gate 74 with a destination of Washington D.C. would now have to move to gate 71. Did people politely move in an orderly, line-following way to gate 71? No! It was a mad dash to gate 71, with people pushing and shoving hoping to get a better position. No order, no line, just craziness and chaos. And when a bus finally showed up, and people who had been in line behind me when there actually was a line, were getting on the bus. At this point I was tired, frustrated, and considering just stepping out of the crowd and going home. I clearly wasn't getting on this bus and I had now lost out on three hours of my day in DC. If that's how I was feeling I couldn't imagine how the people who had 1:30 departure time tickets were feeling; they waited over 5 hours, and now people who had priority seating (something that I know see is totally worth the extra 5 bucks) for the 7 am bus were getting on before them. I almost felt bad if I got on before one of them; I was just going for pleasure but what if they were going for something important?
But a manager showed up to tell us that another bus would be here in three minutes. I somehow, miraculously, got on, and, along with everyone else on the bus, immediately fell asleep. Not as if sleeping on a bus could be considered good sleep, but I was allowed to close my eyes so it was passable. And at 11:20 am I finally got to Washington D.C.

Blisters

This morning I got up, not quite as enthused as yesterday, but, nevertheless, up, and put on my runnin' shoes. I was ready to hit the track for my third run this week. And then I put on my shoes. You see, yesterday was such nice weather that I broke out my sandals, the ones I've had since high school, the ones that I love, the ones that give me a weird circle sun-tan on my feet. Every year when I break out my sandals for the warm weather I always must re-break them in, a ritual that costs me dearly those first few days after but is well worth it when my feet are blister free the rest of the summer. So yesterday was the breaking-in day, and while my feet sure looked cute with my skirt, they were also in pain. I was half tempted to take them off and walk barefoot home, but anyone who has seen the sidewalks in my neighborhood knows this would be an icky choice. I made it thru the day, aided by loosening them before leaving the Apollo which helped a lot, but there's no way I could've made it thru a run this morning. I was actually kinda bummed. Perhaps I'm getting the running bug after all.....

Another run

This morning I went for another jog/run. What was so amazing is that I was actually looking forward to doing it. Yes, I did sleep in, but once I got up and changed into my running clothes with my pink running shoes I was excited for it. Maybe because the weather is actually getting warmer and I was able to wear my shorts instead of ugly blue pants.
Nothing new really to share about the run; I did the same pattern of running the straightway and walking the curves. This time, though, I really ran my hardest on the straightways. Then I decided to run the entire fifth lap. Man, was I tired after that! Whenever I do that I can't believe that I've actually ran, well, jogged, a 5K. Running around a track, though, is really boring. The thrill of an actual race and running through the city and seeing the finish line with your family waiting are quite big motivators.
When I ran on Monday then went to work I felt really tired. Isn't it supposed to make you feel refreshed? Maybe it's because it was the first run in a couple of weeks. Hopefully today I don't feel tired. But seeing as how I don't have to go to the Crew today and help pretentious rich people I think I'll be okay!

Race-day pictures

Pictures from last year's race; me in my the morning of the race in my cool race shirt, the trax station where I caught the trax to go downtown, and the finish line of the race. Did I mention that I'm super bummed I can't make it this year?

I am a runner?

This morning I went for a run on the track at Riverside park. I use the term rather loosely, as I don't really run so much as jog; some might even call it a brisk walk. Maybe I should give myself more credit. My current plan of attack is this: running/jogging at a decent pace on the straightways and walking on the curves. A friend once told me this was a good thing to do to build stamina and strength, and since he was an actual runner who did marathons and everything, I have decided to try it. I don't think it should actually be the way you run every time, but for me it's working. If I can build the strength and stamina now then one day I'll be able to just run a 5K and finish in less than 30 minutes.
This Saturday is the Salt Lake City marathon, and for the past two years I've run the 5K associated with it. I'm super bummed I can't make it out this year to make it three in a row (scheduling conflicts that didn't get resolved until it was too late, darn!) so I've decided to make the best of it and run in Central Park that morning. Every year I tell myself I'm going to really train for it, and I even convinced myself in January that I could prepare for the half-marathon, the next tier up from the 5K. Then I'd really be a runner. But, as usual, I was all talk and no action and here I am in April and there's clearly no way I could run a half-marathon.
I think I'd like to use this blog as my running journal; maybe if I know other people are reading about it I'll be more determined to actually do it. We'll see. Spurts of motivation define my life, followed by periods of gross inactivity.
And that's what's goin' on!