life takes over...

I am still alive, and still running, but just barely (that was for the latter, but it goes for both, I guess). The semester started and damn, it's just the first week and I already feel overwhelmed with stuff I need to do but don't have time to do. During the week I have no days that allow running, which means I can run on any of the following days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday morning, Wed morning. It's a really bad schedule. I've yet to figure out how to do it. Where do I fit 3 days in and not have them one after the other? I guess my best bet is Wed morning, Thursday and Sat, but it's not gonna happen this week. I can't get up and run tomorrow morning. I just can't.

Oh, and I was going to say that if you are reading this (I doubt anyone is) then it's just my running blog. Even with school and everything, I still post a lot more often on my xanga account. I can email the link to anyone interested (if I know who you are), but you need a xanga account to be able to read it.

10.75 km

Long slow run today. I ran 75 minutes, and it ended up at 10.75 km, which means my pace was a bit off, but not too bad. It felt great to be outside. Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and everyone it the whole damn town was walking in the park behind our house. They were all there to rub it in, cause I was inside feeling cold even though all the windows were open, and I could see them all through the open back door. Mom's away from work, and my dad and brother went to visit Safta (Grandma) and then to the beach. Life is so unfair. I better get a good grade tomorrow. I think it'll be ok, I just need to stay calm. Anyway, it was so nice out today. I wore a short sleeve shirt for the first time in months, and it felt good. My legs felt good too, Yeah, good run.

8 km

Running yesterday was really nice. I ran 8km and made really good time. I did it in 52 minutes. That's just about the pace I ran my (one) race. That makes me feel like maybe if I were running it now, I could run it faster. Although, running in the evening is much easier, so maybe not. Anyway, good run. I have a couple of new fun songs to listen to while I run. "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty, "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado. I've noticed that I listen to crap music while I'm running. OK, not crap, but more mtv stuff than usual.

6 km and then 10 km

Test tomorrow - good luck to us all.

I ran 6 km yesterday. It took me 41 minutes, which isn't bad. The run actually breezed by. I was listening to MuggleCast and it was all very interesting. I can't wait for the last book. It's so exciting.

Today I ran 10 km. Took me 70 minutes, which is also not bad. Running today was also really nice. The time also flew by. I didn't feel like I was running for over an hour. It felt good. I was listening to GeeksOn and those geeks are so freaking funny. I'm going to try and run 11 km sometime this week or next Sat. It's going to be a really busy week though. Oh well.

5.4 km

I saw this while running, so after the run, I got my camera and went to take some pictures. What you are looking at is the memorial for IDF soldiers from our town that were killed in the line of duty, serving their country. It's basically a wall with very bright lights illuminating the names. Yesterday it rained, and now there's a puddle. The lights are so bright that when I get off the bus and turn the corner I'm blinded by them. They must also be hot. Just look at it.

So cool.

I just realized that yesterday I ran 5.4 km in 35 minutes. That's actually pretty fast for me. It's almost the pace that I ran during my 8 km race. Obviously there's a huge difference between 8 km and 5.4 km, but there's also a huge difference between running in the heat and sun and running at night, through puddles. I was too nervous to keep running yesterday. These tests are getting to me. But I will run a long run on Sat. I will not skip my long run.

15 minutes of cold

Of course, the second I started running it started pouring. I could have done without the rain, it was so cold already. I only did a small loop, 15 minutes and then ran home. I would have gone home earlier, but I didn't have a key and I knew no one was home. So I kept running a little bit, then went home and stood in the doorway. My dad and brother came home a few minutes later, so I didn't have to wait very long. I did get to look at the thermometer while I was waiting. 9 degrees C (48 F). That is just too cold to be running around soaking wet.

45 min

Yesterday I ran 45 minutes and it ended up being 6.7 km, which is not bad really. I wasn't going to run because it was rainy, but dad told me that today was supposed to be even more rainy, so I bit the bullet and got out there. It didn't really rain at all during those 45 minutes. And, I wore a hat, which was a first for me. I just wanted something to keep the rain off my face, and the only thing I found was the hat I was given when I was digging. Whatever, it worked fine, and for some reason the back of my neck felt less cold than usual.

The good things about running in the rain (the short list):
- running
- less people
- less cars

The bad things about running in the rain (the short list):
- puddles
- cars splashing through puddles
- people look at you like you are insane (but wait, they always do that)
- my father tries to convince me to run with an umbrella

Harry Potter and 10 km

Forget running, the last Harry Potter book will be availible July 21st. How can I possibly think about anything else?

Actually, I ran 10 km yesterday while listening to MuggleCast. They were talking about the yet unknown release date and I was thinking "no way we're going to get the book before 2008". I was wrong. I must admit, if it weren't for Harry Potter, PotterCast and MuggleCast my runs would be a lot more boring. Running through town in circules is not much fun.