Halloween Meets Steampunk

Distance: 7.5 miles
Song of the Run: The Munsters Opening Credits Song

Weather: 48 degrees and breezy

Run Notes:

A tired run this morning.  I felt like quitting about 4 miles into it but felt I had to stick with it to work off the Halloween peanut M&Ms I ate while carving up pumpkins last night.  Glad I stuck with it though, it turned out to be a beautiful morning after yesterdays storm.  The sun, when it came out, lit up the yellow, red and orange leaves.  It will be sad when the leaves are gone.  It made me think of butterflies and I realized how much the leaves are like them. They are so vibrant for just a few days before they fade and drop to the ground. You need to enjoy them while they are in their glory.

Muse of the Day:

Halloween is just a few days away, hence the song in my head this morning.  I am going to spend the day making a costume for my 16-year old daughter.  Remember? Last week I was protesting the sexy costumes selling in the stores.  Well, since she didn't want one of those (and neither did I) we went to the fabric store to get something to make her into a dinosaur.



As we trolled Joanne Fabric she changed her mind and decided to be a conservative Steampunk.  Steampunk for those who have no idea, and I didn't until recently, is "sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s."  I think of it as the Wild Wild West meets a Victorian punk with a sci-fi edge. So we got material for a waistcoat which is what I will sew up today, and she will use different elements from her wardrobe for the rest of it.



I went back to the store yesterday to get lining fabric and ran into another mom and daughter figuring out fabric for a genie costume.  The daughter was 20-years old.  I told the mom I was relieved to know I'd still be making costumes for some years to come. I will be very sad when the day comes when she no longer needs me to help her in these ways.  Silly, but it keeps us close and I cherish the time I have left as I know she will be leaving for college in a year and a half.  


I love Halloween, we get into it in a pretty big way. We have a party for my daughter and her friends.  They hand out candy, go to the haunted house around the corner, eat a lot of junk, and watch scary movies..it is been a fun transition from ticks or treats to a more grown up celebration. 

We were merely freshmen

Distance: 12 miles
Song of the Run: The Freshman - Verve Pipe

Weather: 40's with rain looming

Run Notes:
I didn't mean to run so far today but I needed to work out some demons.  That is the beauty of running, it can take you out of yourself.  

Muse of the Run:
I am sure who ever invented the leaf blower probably never intended it to be used by the every day suburban.  On this somewhat blustery day I passed two individuals blowing their leaves out into the street. It seems so pointless to blow them into the street and not pick them up.  Especially on a day when you know they will just blow back into the same area.  i wanted to go up to these people and say, "really? Exactly what are you trying to accomplish with this pointless endeavor?"

What a complete waste of energy and a burden on the environment!  Doesn't anyone remember what a rake is for and the effectiveness of a little elbow grease? 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Distance: 8 miles
Song of the Run: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Weather: 44 degrees

Run Notes:
Warmer today, with some sun that quickly disappeared before I finished the seventh mile.  Ran some trails today.  On one trail, which I thought would lead me over to a road, I was confronted a dog.  I am not afraid of dogs and this one didn't seem particularly aggressive, however, it kept barking at me.  I came toward it and told it to go home.  It kept moving forward and even though I was ready to go the other direction I didn't want to turn my back on it.  Its owner finally got it back into its yard and I was able to go on.  Guess I don't need to go back that way again.

Muse of the day:
I went to the Halloween superstore yesterday to look for some costume elements for my daughter and was shocked.  Under the guise of "Halloween Costumes" I found the undermining of feminism.  Every costume was sexed up.  From cowboy to super hero, to fairies.  And in the middle of it all were teenage girls picking out these slutty-looking costumes.



I guess more than being shocked I had to ask WHY?  Why has Halloween, the celebration of mischief , tricks, candy, ghouls and ghosts, become the evening where women dress smutty.  Do I sound puritanical, because I'm definitely not.  It is just the fact that we are teaching girls that in order to have a good time you have to dress provocatively.  


No wonder teenage pregnancies and STDs are on the rise.  So much for eight years of Bush conservatism.   

Can't girls have fun without feeling they have to look trampy?  Isn't that really what Cyndi was singing about?

Taking it Easy

Distance: 4 miles
Song of the Run: Pretty Fly (for a white guy) - The Offspring 
Weather: 53 degrees

Run Notes;
A weight day so I took it pretty easy today.  

Brisk but bright
moving along slowly
The sun is golden on the water lilies.

Have a great day y'all!

Autumn is here and it's snowing!

Distance: 7.5 miles
Song of the Run: Auga de Rosas - Lila Downs

Weather: 34 degrees

Run Notes:
So after experiencing some creaky knees from the half marathon I decided to take a few days off.  I was going to run yesterday but the weather prevailed with rain, wind, and snow.  It felt good to be out this morning, although it was a bit chilly.  I like running when it is cold, provided I am dressed for it, besides it was beautiful out.   To top off the morning, as I was running by the supply ponds some of the younger swans were working out their wings flying around low to the water.  Did you know that when swans fly their wings make an incredible swooshing sound?  It's fantastic!  I just had to stop just to watch and listen.  I know I can make it through the day now.

Autumnal Snow

Yesterday, I went leaf peeping with my family.  The three of us in a car for 2-3 hours and we survived.  At first it was stressful and full of questions:  where are we going exactly, where should we buy gas, and why did my 16-year old not complete her homework the day before? Once those questions were answered and my daughter finished rolling her eyes at us, I think we had a good time.  Although it was raining we saw some beautiful leaves, discovered a restaurant what we want to visit in the near future, and even gave the girl a chance to practice her driving skills (scary!).

We stopped for lunch and while we were inside the cafe it started to snow.  Big, fat, fluffy snowflakes!  I have to say we were all giddy with the excitement of it. It was coming down in such big flakes you could see them falling out of the sky and zooming towards the car.  It looked like slow-motion warp speed.  (An oxymoronic sentence if there ever was one)  It was hard to keep your eyes on the road and not become mesmerized it. 

Snow and it is not even Halloween yet!  This makes you wonder what the winter is going to be like. It may be time to finally break down and get a snow blower!

 When we got home I made the first pumpkin pie of the season.  Let the fall begin!!!

 

Half Marathon Results

Distance:13.1 Miles

Song of the Run:  So What - Pink

Weather: Cool

Run Notes:

The morning dawned into a beautiful day.  A little chilly as we left and made our way to Hartford but warmed up enough for a sleeveless singlet to run the race.  As a matter of fact, the first few miles were almost hot and muggy. 

I had never run the ING Hartford Marathon / Half Marathon and was not sure what to expect.  It turned out to be a great race.  I liked the course which took you through the city and down along the riverfront park.  There was a lot of support by volunteers and you felt that if at any time you needed assistance someone was close by.  Lots of water stops, however not a lot of potty stations.  My family especially liked the course since it looped out and back through the downtown area so it was easy for them to cheer me on from different locations along the course. 

My fears about not being able to finish the race were unfounded.  I was able to finish although I did hit a wall around mile 10.  This seemed strange to me since I easily run 10+ miles each week.  I was glad when the gu kicked in.  What really got me through was mental calisthenics.  I concentrated on the song of the run, which is about kicking ass, and tried to stay on breath.  It worked but I have to admit I was tired by the end and glad it was over.  The post race food was great thanks to Whole Foods and the beer was one of my husband's favorites.  

I took Sunday off and perhaps that was a mistake.  I woke up with sore knees which have persisted so far this week.  This is unsettling to me since I feel I trained for the race and up to this point have not had any problems.  So I am taking it easy this week with short runs.  I may not have many run options this weekend as it is supposed to be rainy with some sleet and flurries.  Yup that's right folks flurries - in October.  I think I need to stock up on warm running gear.

 

Next Stop - Half Marathon

Distance: 7.2 Miles
Song of the Run: Shattered (Turn the Car Around) - O.A.R.

Weather: 52  degrees, breezy


Run Notes:
What a beautiful autumn day!  Mild and cool with light breeze.  The most fantastic thing about this morning was the quality of the light.  I may have mentioned before how golden the light becomes during fall.  

So this is my last run before the half marathon on Saturday.  I am nervous  about the run, for reasons I do not  fully  understand.  I know I have  trained for it and am ready for it  physically but I just can't seem to get my head in the game.  I drove the course, or what I could of it, yesterday and it looks relatively flat and fast.  Perhaps it is just the word marathon that is stopping me.  I have run a marathon before and I remember the last few miles as difficult.  I was tired and wanted nothing more than to stop.  This is different though.  My body is okay with it, I just need to wrap my head around it.

Wish me luck!

Distance: 4 miles

Song of the Run: Seasons of Love from the musical Rent

Weather: 62 degrees, a beautiful fall day!

Run Notes:  

It was so hard to make myself get out for my run today.  I am just tired.  My husband worked late last night so I stayed up to wait for him and did not get to bed until 1AM.  Then got up this morning at 6:30A.  However, I was rewarded for my efforts.  As I passed the supply ponds I came across a mature swan and its signet.  The signet is full grown but has not changed colors as yet.  Quite lovely!

I ran 8 miles yesterday and plan another longish run tomorrow and then a short one on Thursday.  I will take Friday off to prepare for the half marathon on Saturday.  I am a bit worried about the upcoming race.  I am confident I can do the distance but not so sure about how I will feel at the finish line.  I guess that is a good comparison for life.  You really don't ever know how the race will end. 

Singing Styles

Distance: 4 miles
Song of the Run: Love Story - Taylor Swift

Weather: 55 degrees, sunny


Run Notes:
A nice short run to work out the legs after the long run yesterday and much warmer!  

Singing Styles

Mariah Carey is hitting the morning talk shows.  I guess she has a new album out.  (Okay, I they are not albums anymore. )  Her style is it a little too over produced for my taste. I find the constant trilling of her voice annoying.  I think she has some pipes.  If she would just pull back and let just the quality of her voice drive her songs she would be much more appealing. 


By contrast, Barbra Streisand was hitting the same circuit earlier this week.  Here is the epitome of a singer who is confident of her talent. I guess that is the difference between the two.   Of course, Barbra has a better voice, but she also knows how to use it.  She is so sure of herself that she does not need over amplification and to drag a choir out as back up.   

Finally, little Taylor Swift in my head this morning.  Her style is cute, very cute, young and romantical.   I don't think she has the vocal quality of the other two but her songs are catchy.


It just goes to show there is a style and appeal for everyone and you have to give kudos to all the singers for finding their niche and holding to it.

Cold Weather

Distance: 12 miles
Song of the Run: Beat It - Michael Jackson

Weather: Chilly! 45 degrees

Run Notes:
Wow!  It was cold this morning.  I braved it and went with a short sleeve jersey, gloves, and capri-length running tights.  I never felt frozen but it did take several miles before I felt really warm enough to take off the gloves.  The strangest thing was the numbness of my right arm.  I mean really numb.  I couldn't move my fingers to take off the gloves on that hand.  My left arm was fine, thank goodness, otherwise I would have freaked out and imagining imminent heart failure.  Anyway, I needed to keep rubbing down the right arm in the attempt to get some warmth in it but it never completely happened.

I thought it interesting that Michael came into my head as the song of the run.  I guess I should explain the "Song of the Run."  I do not listen to music when I run; I am not plugged into an ipod.  One of my earlier blogs I talked about the disadvantages of doing so.  What happens with me is as I start my run I get a song stuck in my head and it helps me through the hardest (the hills) parts of my runs.  Sometimes they are songs I heard on the radio, or blasting out of my daughter's room in the morning, but every now and then it is a blast from the past.  Usually, it is just a phrase from a particular song but it the rythm keeps me on pace.

Today, although cold, was a great day for running.  The native foliage by the supply ponds have started changing colors and the swans were gliding along the shore.  So now it is time to get on with life; work and a parent's night to attend.