Super Sunday

Boyfriend is in the library all day today, so I took the day on MY terms.

I woke up at a bright 7:30 after nearly 10 hours (!) of sleep. I read some internet, then decided that the best way to get my run back was to enter a local 5K, preferably one with less than or equal to 3 females in the 25-29 age category. After a quick jog to and from the bathroom, to make sure my shin splints were absent. They were.

I arrived at the park in Fanwood at about 9:00 for a 9:30 race. I love this area the more and more I explore. Fanwood is very suburban and diverse, with a little Main Street. The park was full of a few hundred joggers of all ages, many of whom knew each other previously or were part of jogging clubs, fundraising clubs, and even the local fire department. (I thought about striking up a conversation, several times. I'm really a social butterfly in my head.) I put down my $25 and took number 385.

At 9:20, the race director announced that everyone should walk over to the starting line, as the race was starting in 10-15 minutes. I used that opportunity to use the bathroom, which I soon found out was not a great idea. I then discovered the 10-ish minute walk to the starting line, which I had to sprint the last quarter mile of. I was definitely warmed up and ready to go by the time I reached the starting line, with about 30 seconds to spare.

The race started out great, which I should've known was a bad sign. I settled into the crowd and completed my first mile in about 9:50. Right on pace for a sub-30 finish. A big hill popped up, but it was a bridge, and the rest of the area looked flat. It wasn't. There were more hills, and at the halfway point, I was really hurting. I tried to pick up the pace for the last mile, and then the last half mile, but didn't have enough left in me for either. I kicked on the last 2-tenths for a 32:01 finish. Not good, but it got me out of my running funk this week. Surprisingly, I finished in the top half of gender and division. I was 4th in my division. I could've gotten a medal if I finished in about 30:20. Next year. Next year, I think I can win a medal!

I grabbed half a bagel and a banana after the race and headed right to ballet. We had a substitute ballet teacher today, and she was fantastic. She had been teaching dance for many, many years. Not only was it enjoyable to watch a short, round, extremely flexible 50-something woman with wonderful turnout, but she had all the teacher skills: differentiation, personal feedback, and classroom awareness.

After ballet, I picked up some bagels and cider, and had just enough time to sit in my car with frozen yogurt for 10 minutes before my massage. And then my massage. It successfully turned both my body and brain to mashed potatoes. I drove home and enjoyed a well-deserved nap.

I plan on ending my Super Sunday with some Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chicken-and-potbelly-sausage and peppers on a kaiser roll, and maybe a glass of cold Muscato.