Vaca:
Two weeks ago on Monday I went on vacation to Florida with my sister. It was a blast. Monday was spent traveling and checking out a Tampa Bay game.
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| Tampa Bay Game -- Very fun |
Thinking back to before I left, Work has been incredibly busy for the last few months and I don't think I realized how much it might have been affecting me. Our first full day in Florida was designated to be a pool-side day. That morning while I was working away the white-wash of a new england winter it dawned on me that my to-do list from work was still rattling away in my head. It was the fouth consecutive day not in the office and it was still going, unbelievable. Wide awake, I found a sunny spot, laid down on my towel and forced myself to mediate on one of my most relaxing memories -- a lazy summer day at my family's camp. Two minutes in, I woke up 45 minutes later. Definitely a good start.
My sister and I headed off to Key West for a couple days. Taking full advantage of being tourists, we scooted around the island, watched the sunset with drinks and between us took a tour of the island and went parasailing (that was my contribution).
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| Directional Sign to important places. Portland, ME 1786mi |
Towards the end of our time in Florida, my Aunt and Uncle hosted a gathering for the Lessard side of my family that live in the balmy south. We told stories, toasted to my late mother (it was her birthday), and had a great time. Talk about a wonderful evening.
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| Giffords hosting the Lessards on their lenai in Florida |
10K:
Before my trip I began planning to run some races this summer. First on the list was a 5k the Saturday after I got back from Florida. I had this crazy thought when I first saw the race, "Wouldn't it be cool if I ran the 10k, ha ha ha," because my goal for the summer of 2011 was to run 10k. Now, I've run 5 miles on a few occasions, and ran close to that a few times in Florida but how could I possibly... I arrived yesterday and started to fill out the race-day registration and without really thinking about it I filled in the 10k portion. I immediately walked away excited and dreading what was about to happen.
6.2 miles. The longest I can remember running in a long time, and I did it. My feet, back and legs hurt today but a few really good things happened: I found a pace I could keep up (~11:20), I didn't hit a mental wall and was able to keep pushing, This was the first time that running has felt like biking to me. Just a little background, biking has always been automatic for me. I could get on a bike and just go. I would be tired, sweaty and gross but it was never a "I just can't do this."
Next planned race: 5/29 Red Hook 5k, Portmouth, NH
I might try to find something sooner.
New oes-shay: (I needed a rhyme ok?)
On April 10th I talked about the benefits of forefoot striking and briefly mentioned the Vibram Five Fingers. Well, I took a long walk across the river with Digby today and am now the proud owner of my very own pair! I'm rather excited to try them out tomorrow.
