Crunchy ‘Nanas

Me.

As it’s chilly and rainy today, I decided to run at the gym at lunch. Everything was going fine until I realized I’d left the water bottle in the back of the car (which is just lame anyway as I’d listened to it rolling around in the back of the car the whole drive). As I’d already changed, there are water fountains in the gym and I only planned to run 3 miles, I decided to skip getting soaked by a return trip to the car and just get on with business.

I ran 5 kilometers – 3.1 miles – so hardly a marathon, and I am zonked. Completely wiped out! I feel like I ran a race, yet a very bad race – slower than normal and without the happiness, nor the feeling of accomplishment. And no t-shirt. At one point this evening, I decided to put my head down for 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, while I tried to get the thoughts buzzing around my head and the queasiness to subside, I happened upon a realization. I am not used to running in the “heat”. Most of my runs are now done at a couple degrees above freezing, if I am lucky, with icy wind whipping at my face and layers upon layers of clothing keeping me warm.

California girl gone soft! (Or hard, depending on how you choose to look at it.) Today, I got warm. I sweated warm sweat. It was like old times. You know, when it was summer and I was there, running in the warm sunshine, sweating warm sweat, drinking water during the run.

Yeah okay, drinking water during the run, not just before and after it. Lesson learned: next time, it’s back out into the pouring rain to get the water bottle.

But really, 3 miles?

This was yesterday’s sunrise. It was so gorgeous, I just popped out of bed and ran for the camera. I can’t say whether I actually put my glasses on to take the picture or not, but I like the colors anyway.

Two hours later, the clouds blanketed the sky and it was completely gray and snowing. I dressed myself in my running gear and sat around the house all day in my really yellow warm hat, letting the snow (which didn’t stick) and rain pass before being pushed out the door by Crunchy husband. He couldn’t join me because he’s nursing a broken shoulder blade after being hit by a car while riding home from work last week. (Apparently, it really does happen like in the movies: car and bike collide, rider goes over the handlebars, across the hood and onto the ground in front of the car. Scary!) I think it was just a convenient excuse to stay warm, read the paper and eschew all house cleaning duties.  Ha ha! (But, actually I am really sad for him. Grown man can’t tie his own shoes.)

I had a calm, quiet 3 miles around the fields, chilly but not freezing. I felt like I was moseying along, stopping to take pictures and such, so I was surprised to see my time at the end of the run (28:00). Maybe the cold makes me run faster?

I am certain I am lizard trapped inside a human’s body. When it’s cold, I wake with the intense desire to find a warm rock in the sunshine. Except, it’s too cold for that, even if there were nice basking boulders around.  British summertime officially ended with the time change on Sunday, and like clockwork, one season has catapulted me into the next, characterized by teeth chatter, numb extremities and well, doing as the Brits do (yep, I drank tea today, Earl Grey, in fact!).

But one thing I’ve found is that running warms me up, at least for an hour or so, and I’m not picky, I’ll take that hour of warmth when I can get it. I’ve been feeling a bit unwell for the past month or so, but this morning I fought the urge to slack on a run with the best arsenal going during the chilly season: warmth.

So with the dangling carrot of heat to encourage me, I pulled on the mittens and the really yellow warm hat and hit the road. The sun was bright which helped, as did my new discovery. I love running to music, but I hate using headphones when I’m in the road. I once came up with a compromise – one headphone, the hedge-side ear. But, this morning I figured out something even better. My new phone has speakers, yo! No headphones required. I felt a bit strange at first, I’d never do it at the gym obviously, but then I realized there was no one around and it’s not like I hoisted a boombox up on my shoulder for the run, so I let David Byrne sing freely from my breast pocket.

“Strange overtones in the music you are playing…it is strong and you are tough, but a heart is not enough…”

Tra la la, all down the lane. I liked that. I liked that a lot.

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Miles traveled for October’s 30-mile Challenge: 27.5 miles down, 2.5 to go

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Now playing: Strange Overtones – David Byrne & Brian Eno

This trip to California, I’ve been trying to balance playing with my niece and seeing family and friends with getting some things on the to-do list done. Crossing things off, I came to item “check out running for water”.

Now, I grew up in drought territory, so from an early age I had some semblance of the idea that clean, usable water is not an unlimited resource—despite having it piped straight into my house. If it’s yellow let it mellow…turn off the flow when you’re soaping or shaving in the shower…don’t let the tap run while you’re brushing your teeth or washing dishes…

But, I’ve always been lucky enough to have it, literally, at my fingertips. I’ve never had to trek it from miles or worry that it was clean, which is not the case for millions of people around the world.

A few weeks ago, someone left a comment on a CRN new members post about the Blue Planet Run Foundation’s 30-mile Challenge. On my end, the challenge is simple: run, walk, or cycle 30 miles in October and pledge $1 a mile to help fund a safe water project at a school in Tanzania.

In some ways it’s too bad my to-do list didn’t say “check out running for water starting October 1st” because at this point, I am a little behind, but I figure it’s better late than never and easy to make up the mileage. Please join me!

It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out how sand gets into my car and into my house, especially during the summer months. I can expect no less when I splash out among the rockpools, trudge across the sandy beaches and then return home, without, you know, rinsing my shoes and feet or anything. (Why on earth would I want to do that?)

It doesn’t even take a genius to know how sand originally got into my running shoes. I’m pretty sure our run along Sandwich Bay to the River Stour estuary a few weeks ago did the trick.

But, I cannot figure out how sand keeps re-appearing in my right shoe. Every time I remove my shoe and sock, out comes half of Thanet. I stick my hand inside. Nothing there. I vigorously shake the shoe upside down. No golden grains pile onto my floor. And yet, I can nearly guarantee you, the next time I remove my shoes and socks, I’ll have more grains for our living room sandbox.

I’m okay with that. It reminds me life is good.

At about 9 pm England-time on Tuesday, I grabbed my non-virtual partner, laced up my running shoes, and hit the road for the latest installment of virtual training. Crunchy husband and I don’t run at night very often, so it’s always fun to have these opportunities to go out when the world’s chillin’ at a slower pace. The air was cool, and felt fresh– the farmers were watering the fields next to our path.

It was a pretty uneventful run, which I think is what we both needed, quiet time to decompress from the day. We simply ran from our house down to the Monkton roundabout and back along the fields. At one point a bat fluttered by. It could’ve been a black bird, but we decided it was a bat because a) it sounds cooler and b) with a bat cave about a quarter of a mile from where we were, it was certainly possible. On the way home, a hunting kitty looked up at us, annoyed. I think he thought we were going after his mouse in the field. We passed as quickly as possible, which at that point wasn’t very quickly at all, so he could get back to work.

The best part of the run was the sky. I like to run with my camera, but I didn’t on Tuesday because I figured it was going to be dark, and it’d be a waste of energy. Oh mama, was I mistaken! The artist JMW Turner once said, “the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe.” I haven’t visited too many places in Europe, but let me tell you, the sunsetting skies where I live now are something else. The dusky sky on Tuesday made me regret my decision not to bring the camera. The pink strips of cloud and jet stream glowed in the wake of the setting sun. It was beautiful. (Sunsets are probably the only time you’ll hear me use “beautiful” and “pink” in the same description.) It was the perfect cap to a peaceful and calming jaunt out.

Virtual Training Run# 6 Stats:

Distance: 4.0 miles (no 10k for us at 9 pm!)
Time: 36:29
Pace: 9:06 min/mile

For recaps of other virtual runs from around the world, check out these blogs:

1. e-rod – Freeport, Bahamas
2. Jaymie – Alabang, Philippines
3. DATC – Philippines
4. Caloy – Davao, Philippines
5. Stephanie – New York City, USA
6. Hitme – Quezon City, Philippines
7. Jinoe – Makati, Philippines
8. Chefsy – Philippines
9. Chaia – Australia

I just received an email: virtual training is back in action. Yahoo! The deal-i-o is simple. We all run, or bike, or swim at a preset time, so that we’re all training together around the world.

Virtual Training Run #6:

DATE: 29 July 2008, Tuesday (US East Coast)
TIME: 6:00 P.M. (US East Coast time)
DISTANCE: 10 km/6 miles (or whatever you wish)

Unfortunately, 6 pm Eastern means 11 pm in England, which is way, way, WAY past my bedtime. Plus, I have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to help coordinate surfing, beach art, and Beach Blast activities tomorrow (I’ll be all day on the beach- life’s tough, I know!), so I may be running the “pre-wave” tonight when I get home, and then thinking of you all as I fall exhausted into bed.

Wa-hoo!

I am always faced with a mental challenge when I go to the gym: run for a couple miles on the treadmill liked I’ve set out to do before heading out to the pool. Usually, I get there and the pool looks so nice and inviting, beckoning me to skip the smelly ‘mill and just go for a swim. I can be easily tempted to divert all attention to its flowing waters. But, today I stayed strong and didn’t give in to temptation. I was good and did the two miles I bargained for. And yes, I am pleased with 2 miles because treadmilling is so-oh-oh snoozin’.

And can I say I am totally diggin’ this chick called Lykke Li? I’ve been intrigued these past few weeks since I read an article, but I didn’t rush to buy the cd. But, then we were at this independent shop in Brighton over the weekend and they were playing the album and the lady was nice enough to point it out when I asked what they were playing and really, if you are in an independent record store and you know you’ll probably buy it eventually anyway, you just do it, you know?

I’m not disappointed with my purchase. The album’s very catchy. You kind of have to get past her little girl-ish voice, but I think I’ve done it. It totally kept me going on the treadmill, all 17 minutes glorious minutes. “I’m Good, I’m Gone” kind makes me think of Feist’s “My Moon, My Man” and Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” mixed together, kind of funky.

And she swallows her ts (“li’l bit”) like someone else I know.

The weather here teases and taunts me. I’ve sat huddling, shivering, willing the winter to run its course and warmer months to drop in for a visit. It’s not that I don’t appreciate rain, because I do very much, but we haven’t actually had that much of it. It’s just been cold. I do not like cold. I like to be able to feel my fingers and toes when I run. I like to be able to turn the key in my car after a trip to the beach. Snow on Easter was exciting because it was pretty and novel and different. But now I say, bring on the heat!

The flowers have been out for weeks, but the air temperature has still been bitterly chilly. But yesterday, I felt signs that Mother Nature has started to warm her oven. I got (overly, as it turns out) excited about being able to run in shorts today and shaved my legs. All for nothing. The gash I took out over my Achilles’ tendon? ALL FOR NOTHING! I woke up to rain and it’s cold, cold, cold again. I am a cold-weather wuss, I know, but I am so ready for spring and summer.

I am, however, feeling a bit pertinacious today, so I think I’ll wear them anyway. And freeze. Just like I imagine this man was doing on Easter:

*Note: I have to graciously eat my words. (They are delicious.) After posting this, the sun came out, the temperature rose, and not only did I run in shorts but I shed my warm hat and gloves. It was wonderful.

Then, as if I thought it couldn’t get any better, the temperature hit 17, yes 17!, as we drove into London for Youssou N’Dour.

It is 9 degrees C here today. Woo-hoo! We went out for a beach run at low tide on Saturday and it was so cold. So, incredibly cold. It is hard to run when you can’t feel your feet. Really, really hard. The balls of my feet, the only parts I had any feeling in at all, kept feeling like they were pounding boulders. The day’s saving grace was the bright sunshine. It didn’t warm me, but it did make me feel happy so I didn’t turn around a mile 0.01. By the end of the run, I was hot and bouncing. (I think part of me was really excited about getting into my wellies and going out on the rocks!)

In other good news, I am now an official card-carrying member of the Deal Tri Club. Work it! I’m hoping I will meet people that I can connect with and have fun with. Sometimes I feel like I have all this pent up social energy and nowhere to direct it. I am hopeful.