Baseball, jazz and 10 hilly miles

I went with the running club this morning. This was my second time doing a route up into Pacific Palisades and back down. There were some significant hills on this run. It was nice to feel as though I were doing better this time than the last.

The best part was I found someone cool to talk to, a guy about Paul's age who plays in a jazz band and is a big baseball fan, specifically of the White Sox and Dodgers. I can talk White Sox lore from before I was born, since that's Paul's team, and I'm completely up on the recent seasons. I'd tried to talk to this guy on past runs about jazz, but I got the feeling he was either in a bad mood or he thought I was hitting on him -- always a joy.

Guys thinking I'm hitting on them happens to me a lot more now than it did when I was heavy, and it has gone from being totally mortifying -- when it first started happening -- to mildly amusing. It's at least intellectually interesting, as I then get to try to figure out how I contributed to the misunderstanding.

This time, the jazz guy was more open. And I mentioned my husband a bunch. One problem know I can have is that I'm not the kind of woman who is always talking about my husband in person, despite my yammering away on the blog. But between the White Sox and jazz, Paul definitely came up. Plus, I'm getting smart enough to mention him soon in the conversation.

But anyway, I felt good on this little jog. We did the typical walking, and it's true that that really helps (even if not psychologically for me) -- I was more sore after my 7.5-mile jog earlier in the week than after this one.

Race and club shirts: I don't usually wear race shirts, primarily because they're really ugly and unflattering on me -- they're usually cut for men. They're also usually cotton, so they're not the best for running. But, the Surf City Half Marathon shirt looks OK and it's made of a wicking material. It has sleeves, so it's nice in colder weather. I wore it today for the run and for a trip to the store on the way home.

I found it interesting that people I ran into would ask about it -- a guy on the elevator wanted to know about the course and the clerk at the grocery store was curious about it as well. The guy on the elevator first asked if I'd ran the half -- just in case I was just wearing the shirt as a fashion statement or something.

I picked up the running club singlet today -- and it is so much nicer looking than the training shirt.

The Taper

I'm "supposed to" be tapering right now.

Of course, I've sort of been tapering for a while already.

I don't know what has happened, but I've gotten myself even busier this year -- at least busier with morning responsibilities, which affects my jogs.

I'll be doing 10 miles with the running club, providing I can make the 6:15 a.m. call. Being up isn't the problem. Getting out the door is.

Looking glamorous (who me?!)

One of my friends, who knew me when I was expanding to my top weight, commented on how much more "glamorous" I look now. (Let's all laugh, shall we?)

I do dress a lot better. I wear makeup. I haven't quite figured out how to do my hair, but I'm not sure I ever will. I'm lucky when it gets brushed.

This friend told me about another obese friend of hers who always looks put together. That's just not me. When I'm not happy with my size, I spend as little time and money on myself as possible. And I think it turns into a vicious cycle. You know, when you look like hell because you're not taking care of yourself in a grooming sense, it's easier not to take care of yourself in other ways.

An important thing (for me) about losing weight is indeed wearing clothes that fit. So most of my clothes are rather new. Some people keep losing and watch the clothes get looser and looser. I sometimes have to watch that. My "favorite" pair of jeans is too loose now, and I haven't retired them yet. But, generally, it keeps me motivated to watch the clothes get too big, and I give them away quickly when they get too big for me.

Oh, and the so-called "glamor" is as much for Paul. I pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch on him because I dressed well before the kids came and I started putting on weight. Not only did I stop dressing up, I got heavy -- and he was not at all happy with that, even if he didn't talk about his disappointment. So, in some ways, I'm making up for those years.

It seems so anti-feminist, so "Total Woman" to talk about dressing for one's husband. I like to think I'm just accepting of the way men are wired to be visual. If my being well-groomed puts my husband in a better mood, I think it's a good thing.

Running with Weezer

My iPod has been misbehaving. For a while, I thought it was dead. Then, it got lost. (It's teeny; it happens.)

First, the 11-year-old found it; then, the 14-year-old got it working. All my songs were lost, so he had to reload it, reload it from his computer's iTunes, not mine.

I told him to put on whatever he thought I'd like.

It is now almost all Weezer, as that is the children's favorite band. There's some slight annoyance on his part that I don't fully share the love.

So, while I was running this morning, I got to enjoy his music, without having much idea as to what was coming. Occasionally, there'd be a surprise. The (I think) 80s song "Beds are Burning." Black Kids. The Hold Steady. After a while, I was disappointed to realize that there wouldn't be any rap. Then Eminem came on.

It was rather sweet.

The total run was about 100 minutes. And 7.5 miles. No walk breaks. A couple of stops for rocks in the shoes.

(At least) one more long run ...

... is planned.

Of course, it was planned for yesterday and today as well.

I don't know what I was thinking yesterday -- there was no way I was getting a long run in. It was Paul's birthday, and, although he doesn't expect nor want much fussing, he also wouldn't have been too happy with the birthday gift of five hours alone with four children.

Excuses, excuses.

But I have gotten the map out and found the last 10 miles of the marathon. The plan is to reverse the route and then return.