Specifically, I've always liked to think of myself as a very determined, stick-with-it, if-I-say-I'll-do-something-then-I'll-do-it sort of person. (Well, I suppose, who doesn't like to think of themselves that way...) But at the same time, I'm not sure that aspect of my character has really been put to all that much of a test. I mean, when I think about it, most of the medium/long-term projects I've undertaken that have required some degree of determination to get through have also happened to be at things that I am both fairly good at and enjoy doing. And those conditions, well...not exactly a fiery furnace in which to test one's mettle.
Anyway, I was thinking of this because this week I went ahead and actually registered for The Race. I know that - both here on the blog and in person to many of you - I've been saying I was going to do this, but I feel like registering was really the key thing: now there's really no way for me to walk back any verbal claims about deciding to try to run this. Well, I guess we'll just have to sit back, wait, and see what the next few months reveal about me.
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[Update: In the spirit of some sort of anti-competitiveness I've decided to stop referencing each run with its relation to my goal pace. And, really, It was kind of absurd to do that in the first place without ever saying what the goal pace was, no?]
Monday: 40 minutes on the stationary bike.
Tuesday: A fast set of 6 x 800 meters, followed by a slow, 1 mile cool-down jog. I think I rather like doing these once a week intervals.
Wednesday: 6 miles...it's very strange to me that I'm starting to think of 5 and 6 mile runs as only "medium" length endeavors.
Thursday: 4 miles, with a ~0.5 mile warm-up/cool-down run to and from the gym
On Friday, a nice, restful day.
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So, the semester has finally started...although, as the one class I'm taking has only met once so far, it's not like things have gotten all that busy just yet. Still, I'm pretty optimistic that this semester is going to be a good one: I think the class ("Phase Transitions" - with a professor I've taken a class from before and thought he did a good job) will be a good one, and I'm sure with only one class it won't be that much of a problem to keep up with the research.
Also, lately there have been some crazy rumors swirling around about actually attempting to make a turducken for Super Bowl Sunday. I can't quite decide whether I'm terrified or deliriously excited. Probably both.
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Saturday: 6 unpleasantly fast miles. Definitely hurting at the end of this one.
Sunday: 11 miles! I don't mean to boast, but holy mackerel - I just ran two digits worth of miles!! Also, today I discovered that doing these long runs with somebody else is far, far more enjoyable than logging miles on the treadmill. Who would have thought, right?
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Currently reading: Finished "The Broom of the System," and I have similar thoughts about it now as I did two weeks ago. Very good book, but not nearly as polished or as fun as Infinite Jest. Still, it was neat to see a lot of the same themes and motifs appear in his earlier work, and all in all I enjoyed reading it. Anyway, I've now just started Michael Chabon's "Manhood for Amateurs" - it came recommended from a friend, and essay collections are particularly well suited to being read during the semester.
Current estimate of my odds of running a marathon on May 1st: For actually registering and for pushing past the 10-mile mark on Sunday, I'm giving myself a ten percent boost here. 75%
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