SUCCESS!

I won! I came in first of all the women: 58:40 for a 10k with 1100 elevation gain.
not bad for my second race and week 8 of training.

and! It was so, so much fun. I met a fellow runner at a party a few weeks ago and we headed over to Redwood Park in Oakland together. It was freezing, but so sunny and beautiful.

I ran so easily, just exactly like I was built to run. I walked on some of the uphills and stuttered downhill (I need to learn to run downhill. I think that it has to do with stronger hamstrings and glute medes and a willingness to lean into it, but I'm not sure). I didn't even know I was in lead until the 10k path crossed the 50k (yea, I know. amazing. and crazy, altogether at the same time) path and a bunch of people started cheering. and then I passed a family and one of the girls called out, "first woman, first woman!" and I slowed down and looked back and asked if she was kidding. Nope.

I had enough left that I sprinted the last 200m in and, surprise!, was chased down by some office to get a cap and a medal.

its kinda hilarious and kinda amazing, I think, that I just did that. I was BUZZing afterwards, so wound up with energy and excitement. I went to a party last night and all I could do was talk people into running with me. And then around eleven pm, I crashed. I had no more energy left and just stopped talking. good thing the people I went with were ready to leave too.

wow, I can't wait for the next one!

snow forecast in the bay. wtf?

I signed up for a trail race in two days. I have yet to run six miles but I'm not really worried about that--I'm worried about the COLD! now they're forecasting snow? I hate being cold and I really don't have the gear for it. I run in cotton yoga wear and really old shoes. hmm. I guess I'm going to have to make a trip to sports basement.

5k results

14th in my age group! nice. 24:44. 7:59 pace.

the race!

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! a festival with legs! I get that running is addictive, but racing takes it to a whole new level!

I biked to Golden Gate Park from my house and met up with my friends at the start line. We weaseled ourselves in to the front of the pack and took off.

It was hard, I haven't run at all since I started the antibiotics, but that's probably for the best. Rest is, after all, when you gain strength.

I'm not sure what my time was but it was so much fun!

I did see a few people with form that screamed "injury in waiting" at me. I wanted to go up to them and give them my card and tell them that I could fix it. maybe I'll make shirts for the next one?

Ok, and now back to the thesis. I need to find more balance with this thing. I keep working on it all at once and then not at all. a lil bit, every day.

ugh. the catarrh.

I've been sluggish and feverish and this chest thing that I've had and never quite gotten rid of is back with a vengeance. I checked in with my naturopath and also with my chi nei tsang practitioner, and both yelled at me to go get some antibiotics. (I have a huge resistance to antibiotics. I moved home from NYC when I was 25 because I was so sick. nothing left, type of sick. skeletally thin, hair falling out, yellowed eyes, creaky, broken body, couldn't remember my sister's name sick. Sick. I had a PICC line in and hooked up to an IV twice a day. Granted, the antibiotics saved my life, but they also gave me a whole host of other problems and I'd be happy to never go back on them again.)

ok, ok, I said and dragged my feet over the the medical clinic. I shoulda just listened to my mom and gone days earlier.

I just got back from the doc's armed with antibiotics and mildly concerned because my doc was concerned that it won't go away.

I'm super bummed about this because these two amazing artists who run got me signed up for my first race. A 5k, but still. I signed up and everything. And its this Sunday and I will STILL be on antibiotics. eeeergh. I'm going to make it work, somehow.