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Triumphant!

When I last wrote on here, I had just finished my first 5k, and was excited that I had continued to run.

Fast forward 8 months, and let me fill in the gaps.

S and I decided to try running a 10k, so we downloaded an additional training program which promised a 10k in six weeks. By the 3rd week I was a wreck. I couldn't run more than 4 miles, and I was feeling horrible about myself. So I took about a month and a half and just ran what was comfortable: two intervals of twelve minutes, 20 minutes of straight running, etc. Until September rolled around. S and I went to Essex for a weekend wedding extravaganza. In attendance were all of his college friends, and no one I really knew, so I took the opportunity to wake early and run along some trails and less-travelled roads. i ended up running 4.15 miles, and feeling awesome about it. I took that as the assurance I needed to start building my milage.
I started waking up around 5 am every other day, and once on the weekend. I slowly built my milage from 10 miles a week to what it is now: 25 miles a week! That breaks down to, on average, five miles three days a week, and a long run of 10 miles on Sundays. I've run 10 four times now, and I feel amazing about it.

Unfortunately, S needed to stop running in July due to a pretty severe plantar faceitis injry, and is just now starting up again with me. He's marvalled at how good my form has become, and how much faster I am. I've gone from averaging an 11 minute mile to just under 10. in short bursts (I've run a few short intervals with him), I'm averaging about 8:30/mile.

After my crazy long runs, S makes my my favorite meal ever.

Two eggs over-easy, with sharp cheddar on top, apple butter underneath, on toasted brioche (in this photo, the brioche was made by me! My 2011 new years resolution.)

The most satisfying, filling, warming, delicious meal.

Here's hoping I keep going.

Birthday extravaganza!

In honor of National Running Day (which was June 2nd), I ran my first attempt of week three of 5K 101. That’s 30 minutes of straight running, preceded and followed by five minutes of walking. I was surprised by how easy it was. Around the sixth minute I had the thought, “it’s going to be impossible to do this for a whole half hour,” but by the time I got to Harvard, I was thrilled. I made it a point to run as slowly as possible in the beginning, which was difficult, since the soundtrack for week eight is really quite invigorating. By the time Todd told me I had finished 19 minutes, I decided to push it a bit for the last ten, checking my pace every so often on my Nike+ app, which told me I was holding a 6mph pace quite steadily. I felt so good that when Todd told me I had completed my 30 minutes and could cool down, I just kept going. I ended up running for about 33 minutes, and with my warm-up walk, I covered over three miles.

I’m so pumped for the 5k S and I are running on Sunday. It’s going to be my first road race, my first 5k, my first of so many things, and I'm thrilled. I never believed I could be this person.

Tuesday was my twenty-eighth birthday, and I went to yoga to celebrate. It was an “intermediate” class at O2 Yoga, so I was a bit worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I’ve been to many yoga classes, but who doesn’t question themselves? So, it’s 80 degrees in Somerville, I’ve raced home from work to make this class, and I took S’s new mat with me, since mine is old and has little cushioning. As soon as we get into our first downward facing dog, I know I’m going to be struggling. My hands were so slick with sweat that I was inching forward on my mat, needing to jerk myself back every few breathes. It would have been comical if it weren’t so frustrating. About halfway through the class the instructor noted how hot it was in the room – huzzah! It’s not just me! – and apologized. She tried to turn the fan on, she tried to prop open the door, but no, I was too far away from all efforts to have it make any difference. So I sweat my way through a 75-minute class, and cooled off on my walk home, where I was met with a beautiful bouquet of ranunculus, Queen Anne’s lace, and white lilacs from S.

We capped the day with an amazing dinner at T.W. Food, a tiny restaurant in Cambridge where we had gone for dinner for his birthday two years ago.

The best memory of the dinner was dessert: for me – a strawberry gratin. Rhubarb compote on the bottom, macerated strawberries, and custard on top that had been broiled a bit. All covered with a lemon sauce – kind of a sweet/sour assault on the taste buds. For S – Scotch and Cigars – two beignets, a canelle of tobacco ice cream, doused in a scotch sauce, and a demitasse cup of ganache. Decadent. The dinner itself was a delight, with delicious bread served with fresh butter and a garnish of large-flake salt, two great appetizers and entrees, an amuse bouche, and financiers with the check.

Divine. Added to my annual birthday song from my husband, and it was an amazing day.

Sunday, lazy.

After breakfast we went on an adventure. Our goal was to explore a Middle Eastern market, in the vain hope of finding green, fuzzy almonds. They're only available for a few weeks a year, but we didn't know what they were when we spotted them in a store near Foxboro.

Today we ended up in Burlington, ostensibly to go to H Mart and Market Basket, but also to go to this Halal grocery store. The little plaza that we ended up in did indeed have a Halal marketplace, but it also had “Spice Land,” “Foodland” and “China Merchandise” (now specializing in Indian groceries). Each shop was wilder than the one before. Spice Land had good prices on microwaveable papdum, but Foodland had amazing mangos. China Marketplace was the most amazing, we decided, with an aisle labeled “Flower Pot Vases” that contained mostly pan-Asian noodles, just as an example.

H Mart was another story completely. It was Family Fun Fest (apparently), so there were a dozen tented tables in the parking lot giving away samples of daifuku red bean cakes, teas, sausage (for S) and fruit. Inside were another dozen sampling stations. I was actually uncomfortably full by the time we left. No room left for a sample of Vermont Curry (my favorite. It’s made with honey. Nothing else to say.).

After coming home and unpacking all the groceries, I ended up going to Mudflat. I finished glazing a bowl and a vase, putting the final coats on (my bowls have at least four glazes right now), I trimmed a large bowl, which took about an hour, and threw a few new pieces. I have a fair coming up next month, and I realized I only have about eight mugs to sell.

Aside from the need to make pieces to entice people to buy, I simply love the act of throwing. The hot water, the mud and grit under my fingers, the cool clay slowly moving away from where my fingertips press. It’s like a dance sometimes. I move, the clay moves, I try to respect where the boundaries are, and we reach a subtle balance. I appreciate the process almost more than the product sometimes.

Art therapy dogma. Ugh.