9 minutes, 43 seconds
9 minutes, 43 seconds. That was my mile time this morning. For all you runners it really sucks, but for me it is awesome. My time 3 weeks ago was 11 minutes, 04 seconds. For anyone who is already on vacation, that's 1 minute and 21 seconds faster.
I actually didn't sleep much at all last night- I think I was so nervous or stressed out about running today. But I finished! And I barely walked at all! (I guess that means I am REALLY slow....)
I signed up for the next bootcamp which begins on June 4th at which time I will run it again, twice. And I will report back.
I am still awaiting any running tips for dummies.... most importantly how to prevent or eliminate sideaches. Or what the hell I am supposed to do in general relative to breathing, pacing or anything relevant. I am clueless.
I would like to thank Outkast, Pinback and Jay-Z for getting me through my mile!
Not-so-Soggy-Portland
I am attempting to break the world of considering Portland to be so damn rainy. I always say, "It rains about as much here as it SNOWS in the midwest." The following are the results of a study conducted San Francisco-based WeatherBill, Inc. The study ranked 195 cities in the contiguous 48 states by the amount of rainfall they received annually over a 30-year period.
The 10 rainiest cities in the U.S. by amount of annual rainfall include:
Mobile, Ala.: 67 inches average annual rainfall; 59 average annual rainy days
Pensacola, Fla.: 65 inches average annual rainfall; 56 average annual rainy days
New Orleans, La.: 64 inches average annual rainfall; 59 average annual rainy days
West Palm Beach, Fla.: 63 inches average annual rainfall; 58 average annual rainy days
Lafayette, La.: 62 inches average annual rainfall; 55 average annual rainy days
Baton Rouge, La.: 62 inches average annual rainfall; 56 average annual rainy days
Miami, Fla.: 62 inches average annual rainfall; 57 average annual rainy days
Port Arthur, Texas: 61 inches average annual rainfall; 51 average annual rainy days
Tallahassee, Fla.: 61 inches average annual rainfall; 56 average annual rainy days
Lake Charles, La.: 58 inches average annual rainfall; 50 average annual rainy days
PS- The Pacific Northwest's first location ranks #24- Olympia, Washington. So there! Come and visit already! It was sunny and 77 degrees today....
Labels: Portland, rain, weather
The Longest Mile
So, I ran a timed mile this morning. Now I remember WHY I haven't done it for 15 years. I was forced to do it in my junior high school gym class and that was the last time. I am racking my brain to remember what my time was back then...
Some people are runners. They have "practiced" all their life, they know how to breathe & how to pace themsleves, they were in track in high school, they run occaisional marathons. Those people have fit lungs and DON'T have big boobs.
And some people are NOT runners. Like me. I hate running. I had a sideache halfway through and I thought I was going to throw up when I was done. Oh joy! I am used to sprinting, like you do in soccer and softball. Running at the same pace for more than 30 seconds is just not my cup o' tea. I think I will have nightmares about running tonight.
I suppose you are wondering what my time was. I am embarassed to say that it was 11m04s. In my defense, the first quarter-mile was UPHILL, ok? And the entire course was not flat. I walked probably a quarter-mile of it.
I guess I consider myself a fairly fit person, which is why I am so disappointed in myself. I go to the gym regularly and I eat healthy, for the most part. Apparently I am not as fit as I thought I was. Oh well, more reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow.
The only reason I am remotely proud of even doing it is because I actually FINISHED (I debated walking the entire thing) and because I get to test myself again in 3 more weeks. Hopefully I will have improved. (I hope there's a holiday to celebrate in three weeks in case I don't improve.) I'll let you know how I do. In the meantime, if anyone has any tips for "beginners," please pass them on. Muchas gracias y feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Labels: run, running
