All right, here we go. Just back from run #33, following my new 10k prep plan. I realized, as I sat down to write this post, that when I looked at the plan last night to see how long this first run was supposed to be, I thought, oh man, only 1.5 miles?! Pshaw! This plan is going to be SO EASY!
Let us recall, friends, that 32 runs ago, I couldn't even dream of being able to run 1.5 miles. My entire routine, walking most of the way with short, 60-second bursts of jogging, was only 1.5 miles, including warm up and cool down. I am still shocked by my progress when I stop to think about it.
Another new thing today: I ran a completely different route. Usually, I run southwest from my house, 2 blocks down to the beach and run the path along the beach (Shoreline, for those of you familiar with Alameda). Today, I ran northeast, up through a park and then along residential streets the whole way. This is notable for me because again, 32 runs ago, I would have been WAY too self-conscious to run where there was the potential for so many non-running other people.
Yeah, maybe even 10 runs ago. Maybe even fewer than that. I haven't altered my route until now for that reason, even though I've wanted to. Today, I shattered that little paranoid glass ceiling. It was quite nice, and got me close to the gorgeous Gold Coast neighborhoods of Alameda, with their multi-million dollar mansions and beautiful old trees. I love looking at those houses, and have hoped to chart runs along those old streets for some time now. Other side of the tracks: here I come!
Today's run came in 2 full minutes under pace, and I'm crediting serendipitous music selections for that. Before the 5k I loaded up my phone (I have no ipod. It's me-- I'm the one) with a bunch of old-school stuff to keep me well-distracted. Um, I mean focused.
First up was "Love Me To Death," an absolutely filthy song by The Mission UK, my favorite band from my late-high school goth days. Wayne Hussy's voice still gives me the warm-and-tinglies. Oh lordy, what a sexy man. I certainly understood what the song was referring to when I was 17, but let's just say I appreciate it on a -ahem- deeper level now. Yes, kids, that's an actual record playing in the video. This was the first CD I ever bought, before I even owned a CD player.
What else? "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson. Oh Marilyn, how I love you. It's all relative to the size of your steeple.
But today's winner is the song that single-handedly got me home on a 13.6-minute mile pace: "Ca Plan Pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand. I double-dog-dare you to listen to that song while running and not keep the pace. Funny thing is, in looking up the translation just now I realized that this song is about a complete loser, "the king of the divan."
A divan is a couch, right? And here I am, following my post Couch-to-5k running plan,driven to a brisk pace by some guy from 1978 France, reminding me of where I came from and just how far I've come. I am no longer the Queen of the Divan. Thank you, Plastic Bertrand. Thank you very much.
Love the jacket.
Love the irony!
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