Today’s run: 4.72 miles, 46:49 minutes. Yesterday’s run: 5.6 miles, 53.23 minutes. Last Saturday’s run: 4.53 m, 50:54 min. YT: 782.55. The weather’s finally turned. Last two runs were below 40 degrees. Still working the 3/4 length tights though.

I didn’t disappear, I just crashed two hard drives in a row. No computer at home, no time for blogging at work. So, silence on the blog!

I saw 127 Hours last night, the movie about Aron Ralston saving his life by cutting his arm off in a lonely desert canyon. It wasn’t quite a classic, but very well done. Tense but ultimately cathartic.

“It may not be pretty, but surviving is grit and determination in its highest form. I learned that I’ve got the capacity to do a hell of a lot more than I thought I could if I have the proper motivation.” – Aron Ralston

Today’s run: 4.16, 43 min. Yesterday’s run: 5.71 m, 55:28 min. YT: 738.92. WT: 9.87.

Today was the first run below 50 degrees. I decided to stop briefly and fool around with my new Hipstamatic app. In doing so, I realized that, even when my runs are slow, I almost always push myself. Faster, faster, faster. Good to remember runs are about play and adventure, too. Even on a Tuesday morning.

Today’s run: 3.52 miles, 38:06 minutes. YT: 588.02. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Me: OK, you drank an entire pot of coffee. Time to run!
Body: No.
Me: Yes.
Body: Um…. No.
Me: YES.
Body: If you wanted me to run today, you should have reconsidered white wine at lunch AND dinner yesterday.
Me: OK. I’m definitely behind the glass at lunch. But I think I can blame you for the dinner.
Body: You know it doesn’t work that way.
Me: Sure it does. They’ve known since Schopenhauer that the body can act on impulses completely separate from the conscious mind.
Body: You just made that up.
Me: Yeah, it’s possible. Look…. We’ll only run two miles.
Body: Eh.
Me: You know you’ll feel better afterwards.
Body: Meh.
Me: And maybe we’ll have pizza.
Body: Done.

15 minutes later, 1 mile in…

Body: This isn’t really so bad.
Me: Hey look, people kayaking on the East River. That looks fun!
Body: You know.., maybe we should run 3 miles? Who runs two miles anyway? We’re way beyond 2 mile runs.
Me: Word.

Another mile later….

Body: OK, time to turn home if we’re running 3.
Me: But this is the prettiest part of the park! If we don’t finish the loop, we’ll miss it.
Body: Whatever.

In the home stretch…

Me: Body?
Body: Yes, Sara?
Me: I think we can blame the dinner wine on the waitress. She wouldn’t quit pouring.
Body: Done.

Today’s run: 3.92 miles, 44:54 minutes. YT: 434.11. Today I ran in the sea – not next to near, over, or beside. The sea I mean isn’t at Bethany beach. It was the sea of humidity that washed over NY today. I was completely wet when I got home, and I think it was less sweat than water being pulled out of the air onto my skin.

Happy at Bethany Beach

Today was my first day back at work after vacation and I was large and in charge. YAY vacation – but even more, YAY morning run. Once again, running rescued me from a night of poor sleep and the threat of a sluggish day.  And to think, I ALMOST DIDN’T GO!

Constantly reminding yourself how good you’ll feel after your workout is a great way to make sure you don’t skip it. Why would you want to waste a day when you could feel absolutely spectacular?

Today’s run: 5.25 miles, 57:08 minutes. YT: 285.35. Maintained a steady pace and felt stronger than I did on any of last week’s runs – no trace of alcohol in my system and I ate a few bites of leftover omelet so no empty stomach. It does make a difference. Noteworthy: I got my mileage back up above 20 miles per week again finally. Back in the game!

I slept late, so started running late, so went to work late, so worked late. But sleeping 7+ hours AND getting the run in was the right thing. It’s always the right thing.

Power Yoga founder Bryan Kest, in one of his early ’90s videos, admonishes you, “This is your yoga for the day! Don’t rush it! It’s a gift! Enjoy it! Do it right!” (He teaches the class wearing acid washed cut-off jeans; oh how yoga has changed.) I often hear that in my head when I run: This is your run for the day. You only get one chance to do it right. So don’t fight it; make the most of the time. Savor the gift.

Today’s run: 3.7 miles. 39:37 minutes. YT: 269.7 miles. Great, great run. I worked myself into a frenzy replaying the gentle yelling match I had with Umberto, my building super. It seems that the new, younger residents of the building (of which I am one) have been using their brute strength to force open the interior security door; he had to fix it 3 times. THREE TIMES!! But Umberto: If some blonde lightweight from LA can PUSH the door open, IT’S NOT FIXED!! This was my second direct view of the tensions in the LES between old and new, and I tried my best to be patient, viewing it in that light. The first involved a local activist on a street corner at 2 a.m.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes me happy.

Sunshine. Rain. Love. Twist endings. Hugs. The freedom to make and recover from impulsive decisions.

But I also believe happiness is a state of mind. I mean, don’t tell me to smile while you push me onto a bed of nails. But apart from extremes, dandelions in the concentration camp and whatnot, it’s more or less true. You can choose to be happy.

How do you do that? Go for your run. Screw excuses. Screw obstacles. GO. That’s an active choice to be happy. It’s saying, “I choose to do what makes me feel good. I choose to protect it and let everything else flow from that.”

It’s standing up for your belief in the best-case scenario for your life, not the rainy day version – whatever the weather.