Two For My Body, One For My Mind

This weekend has been an uneven blend of fun and uneventfulness, adventurous new activity and sedentary inclinations.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Friday I STRAIGHT UP ditched class to celebrate my third wedding anniversary with the incomparable, oh-so-lovable Israel- and it was totally worth it because we had such a lovely day together. While we got off to a rough start (I had to skip my run because I woke up late and actually skipped class partly because I was running 45 MINUTES LATE for it), we quickly let that weekend-good feeling take over as we drove into LA. Walking around the Grove, taking in all the wonderful fashion and scenery and commercialism, always feels so divine to me. The only disappointment there was discovering that Topshop, a store I was really looking forward to visiting, is actually way overpriced. So overpriced that I returned the two small jewelry items I bought 10 minutes after purchasing them :'-(

My conversation with myself as I left Topshop:
Me: Dude, are you suffering from buyer's remorse or something?
Me: Oh, God, no, nothing like that!

But I was...I really was...

Window shopping at the Grove was followed by a succulent feast at Osteria Mozza, where the flavor of the food was surpassed only by the excellence of the service. Seriously, I have never in my life felt so welcome or taken care of at an establishment where I had to pay for my dinner. It was such a pleasant surprise for a last minute choice. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a satisfying fine dining experience. After dinner was the highlight of the evening (though dinner almost stole the show!)- our first show at The Groundlings Theater! I was so excited to see sketch and improv comedy live, and this group did not disappoint. I was at once entertained by comedy and mesmerized by the courage these performers exhibit as they make themselves completely vulnerable to a small audience of strangers. I was also slightly distracted by the presence of Gus Van Sant, who was sitting directly across the aisle from Israel! Gotta love LA...

Tiny stage, tiny theater, huge talent. I want to be improv comedian when I grow up.

Return of the Couch Potato

Saturday morning, Israel took off early for soccer, as per usual, and I slept in (again, as per usual). Perhaps because it didn't occur to me to open the blinds until 5pm, I was in serious couch potato mode all day. I had decided previously that I was going to make up for my missed run on Friday by going on an extra long run on Saturday, and I woke up with that intention still firmly set- to be fulfilled after I watched a little Kardashians. Then I needed to catch up on some YouTube videos in my queue. Then I got hungry, and I couldn't very well run on an empty stomach, could I? Of course, I couldn't very well run on a full stomach either... This little charade continued until the last remaining hour of sunlight arrived, and by then Israel was driving home from LA and I really wanted to let him use our Spotify account, but I couldn't bear the thought of running without my carefully constructed workout playlist. The truth of the matter is, I felt so completely lethargic all day Saturday, but not even in a terribly bad way. My body just felt...loose, like it couldn't handle the thought of the constant back and forth muscle contraction involved in running. I did feel a sense of guilt when I realized that I wasn't going to run. After about half an hour of feeling that way, I decided that I was going to run on Sunday, and that I was not going to allow myself to think about or talk about running for the rest of the night. 

Two for My Body, One for My Mind

I didn't feel super enthused about running today, either. In fact, I almost pulled another fast one on myself and let the daylight creep by so that I would have an excuse to skip it. But, sometime in the early afternoon, the productive vibe kicked in, which led me to start studying for an exam I have coming up (on aphasia, the other topic that has me embroiled in a love-hate relationship), and that somehow motivated me to put on my running clothes and head out.

I was a little nervous because I had decided that today I would increase my run from two laps around my neighborhood to three for the first time. Adding another lap was slightly unnerving because my neighborhood is in the foothills of a mountain range, so it has hills and sustained inclines, and adding a lap means just having to face those one more time. But I knew I could do it, especially since I recently re-conceptualized that route as a set of intervals, with the hills/inclines being the hard intervals and the flat/descent portions being the rest ones. No more thought about time or distance- just intervals. 

As it turns out, taking those two guilt-inducing days off from running may have been a good thing, because my legs felt so rested today that adding that third lap added little exertion. On top of that, when I got home I mapped my run (just for funsies to see the distance that I ran) and what I thought was 4.8 miles was actually 5.1 miles; all this time I thought that a lap around my neighborhood was 1.6 miles, but it was 1.7! Woot woot! That means I've been underestimating both my time and distance all this time- not that I care about those things... ;-)

Ahem. Please note the surprise distance. Thank you.

I Am What I Am...

Saturday and Sunday served as a reminder that we are different things at different times, on different days. On Saturday I was a couch potato, but that doesn't mean that I am one every day. In fact, a simple survey of the past couple of months clearly reveals that on most days I am not a couch potato, but instead a runner, a student, a healthy chef and a healthy person. I readily accept the fact that I am a perfectionist and, as such, might have been harder on myself for my lazy Saturday than most others would, but my ability to dust myself off and move on quickly and without looking back (other than to write this blog post)- that is my noted progress for the week.

Thanks for reading!

-Melissa

SONG OF THE DAY: "Suit and Tie" by Justin Timberlake. Um, let me count the reasons. 

1. My unending love for JT

2. It's been stuck in my head all day.

3. I just added it to my running play list. Even Jay's rap solo couldn't slow me down!

"Stop 

Let me get a good look at it

Ooh, so thick

Now I know why they call it a fatty"

Sheer poetry...

You Can Say Never- But You Might Change Your Mind

Or be proven wrong. Last weekend, my friend Tara and I ran a 5k together. We considered it something of an inauguration to our half -marathon training season. It wasn't supposed to be an event for setting a record, but more to kick off the journey of training for a half-marathon together. I'm guessing that a lot of runners, athletes, and generally driven people originally go into a competition with that benign intention of just aiming for completion, but, once they see their bib, the crowd, the bevy of supporters, and hear that music, then that gunshot, the instinct to push comes in- and they can't, don't WANT to, push it out. That is pretty much what happened to me, and, I'm guessing, to Tara too, because we came to some unspoken agreement that we were gonna haul ass, and haul ass we did. I had no idea how fast I was traveling, but in the end I found out that my legs had done what I thought they were not capable of- got me across that finish line in 28 and a half minutes. It really is surprising what practice, determination, and having a supportive friend by your side can allow you to accomplish.

Perfect timing. We were practically holding hands as we crossed the finish line.

We registered for our half-marathon the night before the 5k, and that was exciting moment, because I was committing to something that I knew for sure that I really wanted to do. I've been running off and on for three years now, so it took me a while to come to this decision. I won't ramble on about my running journey, because I already did that here, but I will say that it has brought out a determination in me that I had only ever (occasionally) brought to school. I started out training for a 5k three years ago; 5 months ago I started toying with the idea of running a half-marathon, and one week ago, I committed to actually doing it. I kinda thought that I would be satisfied with that, but then came the LA Marathon.

Running a marathon was definitely something that I used to say "NEVER" to. So was running a 5k in under 30 minutes. I didn't change my mind about the 5k time- my body just proved me wrong. But that unexpected outcome opened my eyes a new realm of possibilities. I understand how hyperbolic that sounds, but I am not exaggerating. I've never surprised or impressed myself as much as I did last weekend, and it made me re-evaluate how well I know myself. Or, more likely, how much I've changed. The idea of running(/walking- let's be honest) 26.2 miles is daunting, scary, emotional, almost nausea-inducing- but it's something that I now genuinely believe I can do. It's something that I am seriously considering doing. It's something that would make me prouder than anything I've ever accomplished, because it is something that is going to be FREAKING HARD. And when I think about how meaningful and emotional it would be- because it's LA, the city that holds my family's history, the city where I fell in love and got married; because, three years ago, it happened to fall on my wedding day, its route passing by the park where my husband and I exchanged our vows; and because it will be 2014, the year that I turn 30, the year that I finish graduate school and begin my career- I know that it would be completely, 100% worth it.

Snoopy inadvertently became my symbol of determination and accomplishment. Don't underestimate the power of the Peanuts Gang.

P.S. Thank you to all of the runners in today's 2013 LA Marathon for being awesome and inspiring others, like me, to aspire to more than we thought was possible. 

Thanks for reading,

Melissa

SONG OF THE DAY: Katy Perry, "Firework." I like to think that I typically have at least mildly discerning taste in music, but, when it comes to getting me up that hill, you better get that elitism outta my face, because ain't no indie song getting my legs moving like Katy does. Every time this song comes on, I feel like I'm crossing the finish line at the Olympics, arms spread and everything.

"It's always been inside of you

And now it's time to let it through"