GAME ON

Since my last post and that spectacular (hardly) 7-miler, we've had two great workouts with Team in Training, one independent interval workout, and another "easy run" that I wuss-ed out on after getting a stomachache from Cafe Metro's finest Turkey Chili. As I've mentioned on the blog previously, that I'm running and working out with the advanced group is still a pretty big source of humor--and, not gonna lie, pride--for me. I realize I sound like a bit of a dork here, but I love that my body is able to not only withstand what the coaches throw at us, but actually do pretty well with it. Mentally, I can't begin to explain the kind of satisfaction I'm deriving from becoming more of an athlete each practice.

I mean, let's not kid ourselves. Remember when I looked like this? That was my high school graduation more than five years ago. Despite the ridiculous Hello Kitty grin plastered on my face, I was unhappy with my body and completely out-of-shape. I keep this photo on my Blackberry to show friends that there's some sort of legitimacy to my body dysmorphia-lite. Moreover, the pic is inspiration enough to get up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, schlep to Central Park, and bang out 8 miles in 40 degrees with light rain falling. 

Which is exactly what I did today. Today was the second of our "distance" runs - we kept it at a comfortable just-sub-8:00 pace and did the middle 4-mile loop twice. Ran with a really fun group of 7 other people or so; entertaining conversation made the whole thing pass by quickly and I was really pleased to finish feeling still-energized and able to keep hauling ass. The trick, I'm learning, is that slowing down at the beginning makes the later push substantially easier. Next week we're up to double-digits, people! A highlight was running opposite and high-fiving my amazing co-worker and friend Lindsay Schuster, who recently signed up for the Vancouver Half. Look out for more on her progress here, too. 

Where was Celeste, you ask? Oh you know, NBD, just enjoying the sun and art in South Beach for Basel. 

Bastard.

Back to business: the past two workouts have been pretty great. On Tuesday night, we learned about speed intervals. After a brief warm-up, you haul ass for two minutes, recover for three, and repeat the process for a total of six go-arounds. A very different kind of running for me and really enjoyable, particularly with TnT coach Steve kicking our asses in the process. Repeating it alone in Central Park a couple of days later felt awesome. I'm starting to get the hang of some of these nuances and it's exciting for someone who used to be a hot mess couch potato.

If it isn't readily apparent, I'm stoked at this point. Onward, ho(es)!