Day 315, 50 To Go

November 11, 2013

I'm feeling a bit off.  It is actually Monday, November 11th and I am writing the blog for Monday, November 11th.  It is quite strange to be on time and not behind due to endless procrastinating!  It feels pretty good too!  Sure, the chances of this lasting more than a couple of days is about 3%.  I am probably lucky that I don't write for a living because I would never hit my deadlines.  Its not like I am usually the type of person to be late for things.  That is probably not true.  If I think about it, I am probably late for most things.

Speaking of being late, I had to work today.  I was late for work today because I had a parent/teaching conference for my son, Derek, who is in Pre-K.  Yeah, not the most important parent/teacher conference I will ever attend, but it was the first for my boy.  The good news is that he is doing great and he is near the top of the class as far as being advanced (for someone in Pre-K).  I think that has to do with the fact that we read to him every night and I have fantastic DNA.

The conference was at 8:30 (when I am supposed to start working) so of course I was late for work.  I took a very short lunch to make up for the time, so all is good there.  You know something that I am never late for?  Races.  I am always super early for races because I hate feeling rushed.  When you have the stress of being rushed, it raises your HR and floods your body with Cortisol (stress hormone) and it can affect your performance.  Some people thrive on stress, but I think it has to be the right kind of stress.  Being late is never the right kind of stress.

Honey is from Brazil, and as a culture, they are late for everything.  For instance, if you have a party that starts at 8pm and you invite a lot of Brazilians to your party, the chances of anyone showing up before 11pm are zero to none, unless they happen to be married to an American who will freak out because they are so late. 

Just a little insight into another culture for you today.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 30:00

Distance: 3.43 miles

Pace: 8:44/m

Max Pace: 7:35/m

Calories: 347

Avg HR: 130

Max HR: 140

I felt light and smooth today.  I didn't push too hard and I enjoyed my run while listening to NPR.  Yeah, I wasn't in the mood for music today.  Instead, I felt like hearing about what is going on in the world.  I think I need to try listening to an audio book when I run.  I bet that would be a nice change from music and NPR and ESPN Radio.  I'll give it a shot...first, I have to buy one.  I am kind of against the whole genre of audio books because I LOVE to read, but since I have so little time to actually read, I need to be open minded and try it out.

Let's take a look at the next locale in the 10 Can't Miss Running Adventures from Runnersworld.com:

Boise Hills, Idaho

The undulating terrain of the Shingle Creek Trail forces runners to slow down as they take in the desert landscape.

I have to be honest.  I don't think I will ever visit this running location (as if I am going to visit all the others...but I want to!)  I'm not a huge fan of deserts.  I have been in a desert on the Big Island of Hawaii, and it was interesting, but it is not the most beautiful, peaceful place to be.  This picture does show a place that seems secluded and peaceful, but it also feels dead to me, and I prefer places that feel alive!  It is all about personal preference.  If you dig this location, then I encourage you to go visit Idaho!!

Run for Life!!