Tag: well-being

Marathon Recovery

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 37.4mm, f/3.6, 1/30 sec, ISO1600
 “Marathon Recovery” Cedar Park, 2022

It’s been five days since I ran my neighborhood marathon, but today I decided that my body had recovered enough that I could go out for a run. I took it easy, just running a couple of miles, but I felt sluggish and my legs felt heavy. It seemed like I also lost my usual running form at the beginning, which was more amusing than concerning. 😂 It was a very short run but it was so nice to get active again!

Since Tuesday, I’ve been eating a lot of sweets and also having a drink or two each night. I guess I still was hanging onto that hunger you get after a long run. Or maybe I was just being lazy and overindulging? That’s probably it.

Anyways, it’s back to running! As for participating in the Austin Marathon, I still haven’t decided. It’ll be a game-time decision, probably.

Personal Marathon

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Yesterday I completed one of my bucket list items, which was to run a marathon.

I am actually registered for the Austin Marathon that is happening in February, but with the Omicron variant going crazy right now, I’m not sure that I want to join the masses and run in it. That has been on my mind lately.

I realized that it’s convenient and easy to say that the virus is the reason I don’t want to run in the Austin Marathon, while the real reason might be that I am just not confident that I can run that distance. So to eliminate that possible reason, I decided to just run my marathon early and prove I can do it. Now I can have a clear conscience if I decide to not run in the big race.

Another thing I was thinking about (and I should admit to myself) is that I’m not really into running in organized races or events. I’ve run in several 10K and 5K races, and they aren’t that fun to me. People have said that running the marathon is fun because people are cheering you on. That actually doesn’t sound fun to me. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I prefer to run in my own little world. I guess that’s just the way I am.

Well, I have over a month to decide if I want to race in it or not, but right now I’d give it a 20% chance of it happening.

Weekend Distance

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/200 sec, ISO32
 “Under the Tracks” Cedar Park, 2021

The marathon training schedule I am following suggested a 7-mile “long run” this weekend, but I felt like I should up the mileage from last week’s distance so I went for a 14-mile run along Brushy Creek Regional Trail. I felt really good, especially because at about the halfway point (where I turn around and head home), there’s a water fountain and bathroom. What a huge difference that made!

Anyways, it was only 49° F when I started so I wore my Uniqlo leggings on and my old thrift-store Adidas pullover. With that combo, I am pretty comfortable running in the 50-60 degree range. Yay.

Regarding the training schedule, I think I will follow the schedule for rest days, but will use the recommended distances as a guideline. We’ll see how that goes. 😄

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1700 sec, ISO32
 “Sunrise” Cedar Park, 2021

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Birthday Run and Katsu Curry Dinner

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1900 sec, ISO32
 “Critter Tracks” Cedar Park, 2021

Today happens to be my birthday, and to celebrate, I took the day off from work. 😄 So with time on my hands, I was wondering what to do… maybe go for a ride on my motorcycle? Maybe go for a long bicycle ride? But after all, I decided to go running. I’ve discovered that I really love it!

I ended up running on Brushy Creek Regional Trail and I felt so good that I completed my half-marathon challenge on Strava. It’s a really good feeling to know that at 53, I can still increase my distances and get stronger. I hope I can stay healthy for a good long time!

I admit that part of my motivation for running so far today was because I knew that I was going to feast on pork katsu curry for dinner. Normally I request oyakodon for my birthday dinner but I’ve been craving curry for a while now!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO800
 “Katsu Curry” Cedar Park, 2021

All in all, I had a very nice birthday. I’m looking forward to my next year!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 2.71mm, f/2.2, 1/900 sec, ISO25
 “Let’s Run” Cedar Park, 2021

‘Tis the Season

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO80
 “Jack” Cedar Park, 2021

Some days, I feel like I could just run forever and today was one of those days. Maybe it was because I decided to run on streets I haven’t run before, but I felt so good and actually ran faster than I have in a long time. I don’t know if it was the proverbial runner’s high, but it was magical!

And part of what it made it so fun was that I saw a lot of really cool Halloween decorations. There was one house that had a huge skeleton with fire in its ribcage, but I didn’t take a photo because they were still setting it up. Next time!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO64
 “RIP” Cedar Park, 2021

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