Trying to re-motivate myself with all the suggestions!

A lot of  you have made good points in your comments. (Alien, you hit the nail on the head.) Keeping  motivated these past few weeks has been pretty difficult. My running partner from the summer, Lis, her injuries have continued – she just found out today that on top of the shin splints, she also got the IT Band Syndrome in both knees. We’re still not sure if she’s going to be able to do the race in a few weeks.  The days have markedly seemed to grow shorter, all of a sudden (at least it feels like it.)  And not having another race for a few more weeks, while running in colder (and feeling much colder) weather has been hard for me to get used to.

But last night, I decided to switch bikes again at the gym, and I felt like it was easier to do than the past few weeks.  Maybe I’m finally fully recovered? Maybe it’s the Phytomax pills finally kicking in?  I had fully intended to do a speed workout tonight at the gym, but I only ended up leaving work around 7:30 p.m. and I was completely starving! I’m teaching some kids tomorrow how to do Canadian legal research – go ahead, ask me anything, I might be able to work through it!  🙂 

The good thing about the last two days is that I have realized again how much I loved doing foreign legal research like I did at my last job.  I am truly hoping that as my workplace goes through its re-organization in the coming months, that I will be able to do that kind of work again, and not be limited to just a few countries as has been the case for the past two years or so. In a way, I feel like a sponge, but I also feel like I am learning more with this type of subject specialty work than what my current title lends itself toward.  

Earlier this week, I downloaded some new music off of i-Tunes, and got the book UltraMarathon Man, from my library.  After reading Jill‘s review of it, I immediately put in a request for it.  Thanks Jill!  Oh, and I put Spirit of the Marathon on my Netflix queue, can’t wait to see it – thanks Lisa for suggesting it!

By the way, here is a link to the music video to one of the songs I just got Chocolate, by Snow Patrol. I LOVE Snow Patrol – their music has always helped me run in the past, how in the world did I not  hear this song before?!  I just need to come up with a new mix now for the Seacoast Half-Marathon.  I think I could use suggestions from all of you as to good music!  PLEASE!!

Below is another song I downloaded, not one you’d run to, you’ll see. But I find the singer’s voice haunting, let me know what you think.

Into Dust, Mazzy Star

 

Oh, and when I got my home, even though Bill is out with friends, he put two magnets on the top of our stove grill – 13.1 and 26.2, from the Support Store.  I so wanted one of them before the marathon but he thought it’d jinx me!  YAY!!!!!

Ok, gotta get back to my handout for the kids tomorrow – hope everyone else is able to get out there and running!

 

Going dark for the next week, thankfully, vacation.

Yep, it’s true, I’m going on vacation, and to say I am ready for it is a giant understatement. The suitcase came out yesterday and it’s already mostly packed.  I didn’t run tonight – didn’t even get home until after 9. I’m writing now because I know that even if I were to try to sleep, I’d probably lie awake for a few hours, and then sleep only an hour or so at a time. That’s been my pattern for the last few weeks for some reason, except on the weekends when I feel like I almost was getting too much sleep. (Bill insists that is not possible, to get too much sleep – I think the jury is still out on that.)

By the way, these songs are on my most 25 played on my Nano – the first may start a bit slow but toward the middle and end, it definitely picks up. The video’s not one of the best I’ve ever seen but the song is one of my better running ones.

Snow Patrol, Open Your Eyes

And, on the more mellow side of things, Patty Griffin, Heavenly Day.  My suggestion is that after a run, lie down on the grass and look up at the clouds like she says in the song. I did that recently, and I felt instantly much younger and less stressed. Guess I should have done that a few times or listened to this song a few more times this week at work.  I’m happy to say I’ve been to at least one of the places shown here.

I’ll be back online sometime on the 28th. Keep on blogging so I have a lot of reading to catch up on when I get back! And of course, happy running.

I’ll be sure to post some pictures (with Bubbleshare, now that thanks to Penny, I know about that and wordpress looks to support it) of the Cape, maybe some whales if we see them, especially for you landlocked souls, and the New Charles River Run.  We may go to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket for a day, not sure yet. Anyway, it’ll be nice to unplug for a little while, ya know? (Please believe me when I say you don’t want to know what real estate on those islands costs. It’s a whole different world, that we just visit by ferry.)

Thanks to everyone for reading, especially these last few weeks when I was down on my running. Knowing that there are others out there going through it at the same time makes things a little easier, and of course the moral support is wonderful.  Thank you.