Was so cold today, I really felt like skipping speed class...but I am a sucker for knowing a group will be there without me. We did two 2-mile tempo runs (5k pace) around the lake, which was really intimidating. It was so cold that my upper right quad muscle ached during the warmup, sure sign of bad things to come. But I tried really hard to keep it comfortable, which is not always easy for me. 

Ran with Maggie & Danielle, which was great. Learning from older (they would kill me for saying that) women/runners is really so valuable. They both enjoy their workouts immensely & really make it a positive, fulfilling experience.

The sky was this haunting color of rose tonight, perfect for my luring of the coach...which NEVER goes anywhere.

Distance: 1 miles warmup & 1 mile warmdown, two 2 mile tempo runs (14:44 & 15:10), plus 4 mile bike ride

State of Mind: Held back, feel like I wanted to give more...still do

Attended my very first PPTC board meeting tonight...my god, it was quite the adventure. H & I ran down there & showed up very much on time. Sat through an hour of questions & updates followed by nearly two hours of Mary Wittenberg. For someone that sounds so despised by the general public, I felt that she was very eloquent & professional. Every question was followed by a very personal & thoughtful response, even the most insanely strange questions.

A lot of the usuals were there...including K who officialy made the board. Afterwards, B, H & S all went to a billiards place to get much needed drinks & dinner while watching the NCAA finals.

Distance: 2 miles, hardly
State of Mind: Don't like feeling under worked out & over drained by nonsense

Here's a photo from yesterday's race that H snapped, the hubs looks so beat up.

Ran the Urban Environmental Challenge 10K in Van Cortland Park up in the Bronx today. Was nice to get together with some PPTCers & the hubs on an extremely beautiful, sunny Sunday morning.

Course was identical to last year...trails full of rocks, leaves & the every-so-often patch of mud. Started off too fast, as usual, but fought my way to finishing third overall female. My legs definitely felt yesterday's run, but in general I felt strong & stable. Even bettered my time last year by about one minute.

There is something so grounding about running trails, just feels natural & reminds me of growing up with nature surrounding me. Part of me feels like I retired a piece of myself when I left that life & moved to NYC, something that came out today for a moment.

H ran well, first overall female. She is something else, so relaxed & pleasant yet with such a fighting spirit. The hubs did great, looked beat up & happy. And B came out to cheer us on, which was a treat since I miss running with him.

Distance: 10K, finishing in 50:48 (remember this is a trail race full of hills)
State of Mind: My face feels burnt, my legs feel dead & my mind feels like fighting the natural calmness that comes over me when I physically beat myself up

Ran WAY too much today, was planning on doing 6-8 miles to rest for the Van Cortland trail race tomorrow...but I got a little carried away. I think I mainly needed a nice long run to clear my mind from my work week, but I need to learn how to manage myself better. Thankfully, a lot of the run was done at a very comfortable place & we stopped more than a few times to catch up with the group.

It was really nice to stay in Brooklyn today, there are so many interesting areas of Brooklyn that I want to explore during our summer runs.

Today, we did a loop around Greenwood Cemetery, back through the park & ran up & around Ft. Greene Park. It was fun running with different people today, from Gil to Brienne to Katie. Plus the usuals.

Distance: 12 miles (atleast 8 done at a very comfortable pace + 2-3 stops)
State of Mind: Upset for running too far today, why do I let these things rule my life

I think I say this after every single practice, but yoga is seriously so amazing. In so many ways. I truly feel like it has saved me, over & over & over again. Practice tonight, with Ali, was truly beautiful.

I got to class late, had a stressful yet adventurous day at work. Jess & I barely made it before it was full but got perfect seats right in the middle of the madness. Definitely the good type of madness.

I have to say that in between the breath is where I always want to live. If I even deserve that.

Distance: n/a
State of Mind: Comfortably confused

I had a much better day today, strange how everything comes full circle. Run was nice tonight, smaller group because of the rain but I am not one to avoid running due to weather. Growing up on the base of Mt. Rainier taught me that you enter the outdoors no matter what.

Distance: 5.2 miles + arms & core
State of Mind: What would I do with myself without running