Apparently, if I'm feeling discouraged about something, I should blog about it. After my post the other day whining about my difficulties running, I went out that afternoon and finally conquered by 25 minute run! I came home feeling amazing, took a shower, and wanted to pass out, but it's ALL GOOD because I did it! Back on the wagon, guys.
So, now I'm going to blog about wedding dress shopping, because it's probably more intimidating than a 25 minute run. When Ren was here, one of our goals was to go to David's Bridal and try on some dresses. Granted, without having our venue completely pinned down, it was unlikely that I'd buy anything at this juncture, but it would still be nice to have a few things in mind and see what does and doesn't work on my body.
Our grand plan to was drink, try on dresses, and drink some more as a follow up. We headed into Manhattan and found the David's Bridal, and as soon as we walked in, I was hit by a wall of white that was very intimidating. A desk was set up by the door for people to "register," but I averted my eyes and ducked to the left side of the store, to the safe haven of bridesmaids' dresses and unassisted shopping. Ren tried to harass me over to the other side of the store, but I mumbled that I thought I was backing out, and eventually I convinced her that it was true. We made a hasty exit and ended up at a Goodwill shop across the street. She tried to talk me into one of the abandoned 80s-style wedding dresses there, but don't worry, it didn't happen.
Of the wedding-planning experiences I will undertake in the next year, dress shopping is both one of my most anticipated and most dreaded. I love playing dress up, as anyone in my family can tell you. E can even complain at length about how many outfits I try on before I leave the house, and how often I spontaneously change clothes midway through the day. When I was little, my mother promised to make me a "wedding dress" and veil out of the white lace shower curtains she was getting rid of, and I was disappointed when they never appeared. I am also a sucker for a gorgeous dress. That said, I don't have the cash to drop thousands of dollars on a 1-day dress, so a lot of things I love on first glance get immediately dismissed for monetary reasons. Apparently, I have expensive taste. I'm not even going to inquire about the designer bridal gowns I was ogling lustfully in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue today. God they were gorgeous.
On the other hand, though, I am not really excited about an over-attentive salesperson cooing at me while I stand on a pedestal in some fancy frock. Coupled with my desire to put on a show is a moderately severe introversion that doesn't appreciate the attention of strangers. So, the dress shopping experience itself will likely be stressful. Also, that white dress? I'm not really excited about it. I mean, I get it and all. I'm the bride, I'm supposed to be in white. But there's something about that awkward implication of "purity" -- an arbitrary categorization, to be sure -- that, even though I haven't really believed it since I was about 9 years old, is lurking in the back of my head and squicking me out. E's not a fan of the white dress phenomenon, either, and wants to see me in blue, my favorite color. This whole brides-wear-white thing has only been around for a hundred and fifty years, anyway, so it's not exactly as far-reaching a human cultural tradition as, say, marriage.
Which brings me to my most enduring frustration with the wedding dress search: I cannot find a dress in a suitable color! I'm interested in, in this order, grey, champagne, very light blue and white dresses. And even though practically every starlet on the red carpet at this weekend's Golden Globes was in grey or gold or peach, it apparently hasn't trickled down to normal folks' fashionz yet, because I can't find anything anywhere. I'll settle for an ivory dress (which would allow for the awesome wedding shoes I want), but in the meantime I will keep up the search.
And maybe someday, I'll brave a David's Bridal. Maybe. But for real, there might have to be alcohol involved.
Showing posts with label couch to 5K. Show all posts
Showing posts with label couch to 5K. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Getting nowhere.
I started running in November, and had pretty great momentum through December. One of the perks of being a grad student is a pretty flexible schedule, overall, which allowed me to run every other day, outside, before it got dark, even when the time change kicked in. Then, during finals week I had about a million assignments due all at once, and I took the week off from running. Immediately following that was a whirlwind of cooking, cleaning, packing and traveling for the holidays, and the day we returned to the city I was laid out with a week long illness that left me completely drained and exhausted. So, three weeks off. Ultimately, this wasn't entirely negative (I ended up with a 3.8 GPA for the semester, had a delightful and delicious holiday, and was able to recover fully without straining my body), but it did set me back in my running.
Since then, I have been stalled on Week 6 of the Couch to 5K running program. I seem to have lost a lot of the enthusiasm I had going into this, and am often forcing myself outside to run. Once I'm on the road, I am constantly calculating how long I have to run til I get to stop, and I often find myself going too hard at the beginning and then psyching myself out, so I am gasping for breath and panicking about whether or not I can finish. The last time I went for a run, I had to stop because I thought I was going to throw up, even though I hadn't eaten in a few hours. I've had one truly successful run in the last 2 weeks, where I got home feeling great. Otherwise I've come home gassed and discouraged, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a few hours.
The other tricky thing, going forward, is my schedule this semester. It's going to be getting dark early for another few months (though it's already lighter noticeably later!), and this semester I have class all day til 6 pm on Mondays and an internship on Wednesdays and Thursdays, all day. Somewhere in there I need to work on campus, and hopefully (HOPEFULLY) I will be getting a part time job off campus for other times. This schedule will probably requiring me fixing my running schedule to 3 unchanging days per week, rather than running every other day every week. Also, I might have to get over my fear of running at night and start packing some mace and running without my beloved podcasts.
In terms of this immediate block, I think those podcasts might actually have something to do with it. During the podcasts, their creator comes on to tell you when to walk, when to run, and to offer some encouragement along the way. In general, I have found his podcasts to be extremely helpful, and I kind of feel like he's my buddy, running along with me out in California. However, right now I think the podcasts are kind of hurting my running, because I spend the run trying to figure out when the hell he's going to tell me I can stop running, rather than focusing on form and breathing and speed. I might have to take a little break from the podcasts til I get over this current hurdle.
I am planning to register for a race or two in the next couple of months to get myself motivated and to help me get accustomed to the race setting. I'm evening toying with the idea of signing up for a half marathon in April, with a plan to run/walk it as best I can. Before I jump the gun with this, though, I should probably focus on today's run -- and at least get through it.
Since then, I have been stalled on Week 6 of the Couch to 5K running program. I seem to have lost a lot of the enthusiasm I had going into this, and am often forcing myself outside to run. Once I'm on the road, I am constantly calculating how long I have to run til I get to stop, and I often find myself going too hard at the beginning and then psyching myself out, so I am gasping for breath and panicking about whether or not I can finish. The last time I went for a run, I had to stop because I thought I was going to throw up, even though I hadn't eaten in a few hours. I've had one truly successful run in the last 2 weeks, where I got home feeling great. Otherwise I've come home gassed and discouraged, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a few hours.
The other tricky thing, going forward, is my schedule this semester. It's going to be getting dark early for another few months (though it's already lighter noticeably later!), and this semester I have class all day til 6 pm on Mondays and an internship on Wednesdays and Thursdays, all day. Somewhere in there I need to work on campus, and hopefully (HOPEFULLY) I will be getting a part time job off campus for other times. This schedule will probably requiring me fixing my running schedule to 3 unchanging days per week, rather than running every other day every week. Also, I might have to get over my fear of running at night and start packing some mace and running without my beloved podcasts.
In terms of this immediate block, I think those podcasts might actually have something to do with it. During the podcasts, their creator comes on to tell you when to walk, when to run, and to offer some encouragement along the way. In general, I have found his podcasts to be extremely helpful, and I kind of feel like he's my buddy, running along with me out in California. However, right now I think the podcasts are kind of hurting my running, because I spend the run trying to figure out when the hell he's going to tell me I can stop running, rather than focusing on form and breathing and speed. I might have to take a little break from the podcasts til I get over this current hurdle.
I am planning to register for a race or two in the next couple of months to get myself motivated and to help me get accustomed to the race setting. I'm evening toying with the idea of signing up for a half marathon in April, with a plan to run/walk it as best I can. Before I jump the gun with this, though, I should probably focus on today's run -- and at least get through it.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sniffling is not conducive to running.
For the first time since a mysterious summer flu that knocked me out of commission for a few days right before our big move, I am sick. Stuffy-headed, blocked nose, nighttime cough, body aches kind of sick. As I mentioned previously, my mom, sister and I drove up to my older sister's house on Christmas Day, where my super-adorable 16 month old niece was sniffling and sneezing and covered in baby snot. I woke up the next morning with a sore throat, and have deteriorated since. This morning was slightly better, and I'm hoping another few nights of solid 8-hour sleeping will set me right before the New Year.
In the meantime, however, I am just yearning for my sense of taste back! We were lucky enough to receive a slew of cooking items (bakeware, serving utensils, margarita glasses, a standing mixer) for the holiday and I am dying to try each and every one of them, but not while everything tastes like, well, cardboard.
The illness has also forced me to continue my running break. I took 2 weeks off for finals/holiday travel & cooking & shopping & craziness, and now, right when I was stoked to get back into running, I'm unable to breathe through my nose and am coughing and sneezing every five minutes. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be able to load up on cold medicine and get back on the road, because I miss it! And I want to get through Couch to 5K so I can be focused and prepared to start 1/2 marathon training.
Luckily, I anticipated a rough winter for training. My initial plan when I started running in November was to do Couch to 5K and then launch immediately into 1/2 marathon training, with juuuust enough time to finish a program and fly down to Orlando for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March. It would have been a tight fit and would have required that I miss no days of training and accelerate both the 5K and 1/2 marathon training programs a bit. As it started to get colder, though, and when my knee started acting up and school started getting more intense with end-of-the-semester stuff, I realized this was impractical. So, I decided to focus on finishing the Couch to 5K program, even if I had to redo some weeks/miss some days due to weather and scheduling and other such nonsense. I'd maintain that level through the rough, cold months, and then in early spring I'd start a 1/2 marathon training program, with the goal of running a 1/2 in May or June. At that point I'll decide whether to just maintain the 1/2 marathon level or to really push myself and start training for a full marathon, and in January 2011 I hope to participate in either a 1/2 or full marathon during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. This works out wonderfully because I'll be just finishing my MA, and will be ready for a long weekend in the House of the Mouse. Plus, every account I've read of running in a race at WDW has been overwhelmingly positive -- it's a generally flat course through the Disney theme parks, with entertainment at every mile. What's not to love?
I finally bought a compression shirt today at Target, so I can run outside without getting wet and freezing to death. The rain over the weekend melted all the snow that was making the sidewalks and intersections miserably impassable. Now I just need my lungs to cooperate so I can breathe properly and get out there to pound the pavement.
Tomorrow: A glimpse inside my refrigerator! Inspired by the fact that I just finally cleaned it out/scrubbed it down and it is now full of deliciousness I am about to convert to cooked deliciousness!
In the meantime, however, I am just yearning for my sense of taste back! We were lucky enough to receive a slew of cooking items (bakeware, serving utensils, margarita glasses, a standing mixer) for the holiday and I am dying to try each and every one of them, but not while everything tastes like, well, cardboard.
The illness has also forced me to continue my running break. I took 2 weeks off for finals/holiday travel & cooking & shopping & craziness, and now, right when I was stoked to get back into running, I'm unable to breathe through my nose and am coughing and sneezing every five minutes. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be able to load up on cold medicine and get back on the road, because I miss it! And I want to get through Couch to 5K so I can be focused and prepared to start 1/2 marathon training.
Luckily, I anticipated a rough winter for training. My initial plan when I started running in November was to do Couch to 5K and then launch immediately into 1/2 marathon training, with juuuust enough time to finish a program and fly down to Orlando for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March. It would have been a tight fit and would have required that I miss no days of training and accelerate both the 5K and 1/2 marathon training programs a bit. As it started to get colder, though, and when my knee started acting up and school started getting more intense with end-of-the-semester stuff, I realized this was impractical. So, I decided to focus on finishing the Couch to 5K program, even if I had to redo some weeks/miss some days due to weather and scheduling and other such nonsense. I'd maintain that level through the rough, cold months, and then in early spring I'd start a 1/2 marathon training program, with the goal of running a 1/2 in May or June. At that point I'll decide whether to just maintain the 1/2 marathon level or to really push myself and start training for a full marathon, and in January 2011 I hope to participate in either a 1/2 or full marathon during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. This works out wonderfully because I'll be just finishing my MA, and will be ready for a long weekend in the House of the Mouse. Plus, every account I've read of running in a race at WDW has been overwhelmingly positive -- it's a generally flat course through the Disney theme parks, with entertainment at every mile. What's not to love?
I finally bought a compression shirt today at Target, so I can run outside without getting wet and freezing to death. The rain over the weekend melted all the snow that was making the sidewalks and intersections miserably impassable. Now I just need my lungs to cooperate so I can breathe properly and get out there to pound the pavement.
Tomorrow: A glimpse inside my refrigerator! Inspired by the fact that I just finally cleaned it out/scrubbed it down and it is now full of deliciousness I am about to convert to cooked deliciousness!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Where I am running...
When I was in 5th grade, some of my male friends made a secret club. As you may have assumed, this club had an imaginary "NO GIRLS ALLOWED" sign on its imaginary clubhouse door. In short order, my budding feminist self had my girlfriends in a right tizzy over this outrage: You cannot discriminate on the basis of sex or gender!, my 10-year-old self would have said if she had had the worldly knowledge to do so.
Instead, I just demanded that they let us join. "Okay," said their ring leader (I still remember his name and his lisp and his red-haired, freckled head... in fact, I am about to Facebook him), "You can join. If you each beat one of us in a race."
Here is the truth: I have never been a runner. I have never been an athlete in any way, shape or form. Climbing trees and playing games, sure, but unlike my sisters I was never on an organized sports team and was completely content to keep it that way. So when these boys challenged me, I knew I had to use my brains to beat them and gain access to their club.
We went out to the soccer field during recess. The boys said, "We start here, we end here," and lined us up. I was racing a boy who in 6th grade would awkwardly become my first boyfriend (he painted my name down his leg on field day; I was mortified). And then, someone shouted something or other, and we were off. I was doing okay, keeping to his pace, when suddenly i cut sharply to the right... AND RAN STRAIGHT ACROSS THE FIELD TO THE FINISH LINE. Yep. While my opponent ran allllll the waaaay around, I was defending my decision on the fact that they had only said where we would start and where we would stop, but they didn't define the actual course.
In the end, we were denied membership in the stupid club with the stupid boys, so we made our own and it was ten times awesomer. Yeah.
So anyway. That was probably the height of my running career. The next year I ran a 10-minute-mile during the annual fitness tests (ugh, kill me), and it was all downhill (except I guess that expression doesn't really work here... it was more like a brick wall) from there. I have, through the years, toyed with the idea of being athletic, but it has never stuck. Then, this fall I watched the end of the New York City marathon, and suddenly felt inspired. No, not to run a marathon (ARE YOU CRAZY?!), but to run a HALF MARATHON!!! Luckily, my best friend was ready and willing to pretend to be a runner with me, and we started the Couch to 5K Running Plan together. I'm currently about to finish Week 5 of the plan and while I am nervous for a 20 minute run tomorrow, I'm excited to power on through.
It's strange to have run 3-4 times a week for over a month, now. I've finally started to enjoy it, and I think I get why all you running nuts go so crazy for it. I feel more focused, and I look forward to my runs as a time to focus on myself and let the rest of the world melt away.
Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll finish the Couch to 5K program and maintain that over the winter, and then in the spring we'll pick up our training again and start working on our 1/2 marathon. The eventual goal? A 1/2 marathon (or maybe a full? AM I CRAZY?!) in Disney World. I am really excited. If only my 10-year-old self could see me now...
Instead, I just demanded that they let us join. "Okay," said their ring leader (I still remember his name and his lisp and his red-haired, freckled head... in fact, I am about to Facebook him), "You can join. If you each beat one of us in a race."
Here is the truth: I have never been a runner. I have never been an athlete in any way, shape or form. Climbing trees and playing games, sure, but unlike my sisters I was never on an organized sports team and was completely content to keep it that way. So when these boys challenged me, I knew I had to use my brains to beat them and gain access to their club.
We went out to the soccer field during recess. The boys said, "We start here, we end here," and lined us up. I was racing a boy who in 6th grade would awkwardly become my first boyfriend (he painted my name down his leg on field day; I was mortified). And then, someone shouted something or other, and we were off. I was doing okay, keeping to his pace, when suddenly i cut sharply to the right... AND RAN STRAIGHT ACROSS THE FIELD TO THE FINISH LINE. Yep. While my opponent ran allllll the waaaay around, I was defending my decision on the fact that they had only said where we would start and where we would stop, but they didn't define the actual course.
In the end, we were denied membership in the stupid club with the stupid boys, so we made our own and it was ten times awesomer. Yeah.
So anyway. That was probably the height of my running career. The next year I ran a 10-minute-mile during the annual fitness tests (ugh, kill me), and it was all downhill (except I guess that expression doesn't really work here... it was more like a brick wall) from there. I have, through the years, toyed with the idea of being athletic, but it has never stuck. Then, this fall I watched the end of the New York City marathon, and suddenly felt inspired. No, not to run a marathon (ARE YOU CRAZY?!), but to run a HALF MARATHON!!! Luckily, my best friend was ready and willing to pretend to be a runner with me, and we started the Couch to 5K Running Plan together. I'm currently about to finish Week 5 of the plan and while I am nervous for a 20 minute run tomorrow, I'm excited to power on through.
It's strange to have run 3-4 times a week for over a month, now. I've finally started to enjoy it, and I think I get why all you running nuts go so crazy for it. I feel more focused, and I look forward to my runs as a time to focus on myself and let the rest of the world melt away.
Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll finish the Couch to 5K program and maintain that over the winter, and then in the spring we'll pick up our training again and start working on our 1/2 marathon. The eventual goal? A 1/2 marathon (or maybe a full? AM I CRAZY?!) in Disney World. I am really excited. If only my 10-year-old self could see me now...
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