on the shore of the ultimate sea

The Team in Training guys are great–coaches, motivators, mentors, all of ‘em. So much so that this has been a breeze. Should I step up and do the full marathon? I guess we can decide that down the road. But here’s how it’s going so far.

6/9: 2.43 miles at 30:00, 12’30″ pace, AM

Phew. Get the lead out, slo poke. For my first run in a while (maybe six months) I took it slow and went up to Prospect Park and back with mylady Juno. I dislike running, so much so that she had to practically pull me out of bed to get going. But once we were moving, my blood started circulating, and it became an energizing start to the day.

6/11: 3.34 miles at 30:09, 9’01″ pace, PM

I think I might run a little better at night. I pushed myself and ran a little further and faster than Tuesday. Similar track as last time, up through Prospect Park. The night was warm and foggy and as I ran I’d go face-first through low-hanging branches and leaves and get a cool splash of condensation.

6/13: 6.2 miles at 63:10, 10’16″ pace, AM

Today was my first practice with the group. We ran out to Red Hook. We started early, but it got hot quickly and by the time we got out past IKEA and Fairway and onto the old cobbled streets I was wishing the NY waterways were safe to swim in. It would be unfortunate to get a terrible disease training for a run to help cure terrible diseases. Over six miles, eh? That’s the longest I’ve ever run!

On a related note, I got some new shorts that are definitely running shorts, meaning shorter-than-any-other-kind-of-shorts-except-Daisy-Dukes-shorts. “Pics or it didn’t happen,” you say. Hold tight, my threshold for humiliation is gradual.

UPDATE: Look at this killer photo of Team Crain BKLYN. What a group of crazy athletes! (from left: Abbey Klaassen, me, Tim Dalbey and Angela Carola)

6/15: 3.5 miles at 32:58, 9’21″ pace, PM

Good run, up to Prospect Park and around through some of the paths, then cutting back onto the main path to head home.

Ran without headphones; not listening to music wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be–there were plenty of birds chirping and sounds in the park to keep me listening.

Want to help? Leave some words of encouragement in the comments or sponsor me!