Filles de Fer

 The city took away the water fountains in the park I run in! Booooooo.

I know it’s cold out. I know the park isn’t super popular this time of year. But seriously? Why would they take down the water fountains? My 6am run was kind of ugly: no water + 23 degree weather + the sidewalks being torn up for construction in several places = I’m a sucker for punishment. My pace is improving, though. Nike+ runs shall be uploaded when I stop being such a slacker.

Anyone know how stair-climbing workouts measure up to hill-training? I’m doing a 65-story stair climb race in my office building next week, and I know it’s probably got some benefits, but I’m curious about what those are…

Cold weather runs = not really that fun. I did a 2-mile run outside last night (28 degrees) and this morning (34 degrees), and was definitely wheezing after each. I left my iPod at home, so I can’t upload my Nike+ graphs from those runs yet, but for such short runs, my pace was miserable.

And…I’m still going to go on another one tomorrow. Hopefully this is one of those things that gets easier after a while. If not, well, I guess I just like the hurt.

It’s official…I’ll be running in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in May 2008! I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m running another race before then (looking at a couple for January/February), but the Pig is definitely happening! I’m excited, because I grew up in Cincinnati, and the course is really great. Lots of hills, though!

Check out some other Flying Pig blahgs here (including mine, which may or may not have some of the same content that I post here…haven’t decided yet).

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was thinking about trying out the Personal Fitness Planner over at the Fitness website. I gave the 10-day free trial a look-over, and…it just doesn’t seem to fit my needs. I’m sure it’s awesome for other people, but it just seems too much like a glorified grocery list for my liking. No, thanks. I was hoping for constructive nutritional advice rather than a prescribed meal/exercise plan.

So I have to take a couple of weeks off of running till I can see the doc about the pain in my hip.  It’s been two weeks and even w/ reduced mileage to nothing, it’s still not getting better.  I’m hoping it’s not a stress fracture bc that would not be good.  This girl had a stress fracture in her hip, and she kept running.  This eventually led to her having screws put in her hip and being on crutches for awhile.  We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope it’s nothing major!  Therefore, I must find some other kind of physical activity to partake in.  Maybe this is a good time to start up swimming!

I’ve been posting quotes for the past few Mondays, and while those are all just fine, it’s time for some song lyrics. These are from Dashboard Confessional’s “Reason to Believe,” from Dusk and Summer.

Oh, sweet lungs don’t fail me now.
Your burning has turned into fear.
It drills me in my every step,
I’m moving quick but you’re always on my heels.

Just one more breath, I beg you please.
Just one more step, my knees are weak.
My heart is sturdy but it needs you to survive.
My heart is sturdy but it needs you.

Breathe, don’t you want to breathe?
I know that you are strong enough to handle what I need.
My capillaries scream there’s nothing left to feed on.
My body needs a reason to cross that line.
Will you carry me there one more time?

Steady lungs, don’t fail me now.
I feel you bursting but you won’t let me die.
Fill me up with every step,
I’m feeling sick but I’m leaving it behind.

Just one more breath, I beg you please.
Just one more step, you are not weak.
My legs are sturdy but they need you to survive.
My heart is sturdy but I need you.

Breathe, don’t you want to breathe?
I know that you are strong enough to handle what I need.
My capillaries scream there’s nothing left to feed on.
My body needs a reason to cross that line.
Will you carry me there once more?
Once more.

I have reason to believe that I have victories to taste.
I can feel them on my teeth, upon my lips, and in my chest.
I can roll them on my tongue.
They are more subtle than defeat.
I feel the tension in my lungs,
And every move is fueled by my resolve to…

Breathe, don’t you want to breathe?
I know that you are strong enough to handle what I need.
My capillaries scream there’s nothing left to feed on.
My body needs a reason to cross that line.
Would you carry me there one more time?

I had a dream last night that I fell off my bicycle. The person riding behind me crashed as well, and my hair got caught in the gears of their bike. I wasn’t seriously injured, but I couldn’t get up until I cut my hair. It occurred to me at this point that the reason my hair got wrapped around the gears in the first place was that I wasn’t wearing a helmet.

What a strange dream, eh?

Today, I’m heading up to Oxford, Ohio to watch a hockey game. I didn’t go to Miami University, but when I was in high school, I used to drive up to MU to use the library. At the time, I was a cross-country runner, and in my completely limited worldview, I thought that the only people who really ever went running outside were other cross-country runners. When I would go to Miami, however, I noticed that there were a LOT of people out jogging. Obviously, they weren’t all members of MU’s cross-country team, but what were they doing running? I remember feeling completely naive (and laughing my ass off) when it finally occurred to me that people run for fun or for exercise, or for whatever other reasons they might have, not just to train for an event.

(George Sheehan has something to say on the subject, but I left my copy of Running To Win in Chicago, so I can’t quote him properly until I get back)

This is one of my cardio playlists. When I’m rockin’ the elliptical, I need songs with fast tempos, or at least a fast beat in the background:

This playlist runs just over an hour and a half (1:33:10), which is about as long as I can stand the elliptical machine.