Adventures in a Non-Euclidean World

After taking a break for 1 month, I am getting back into running.  Today was an easy (and slow) 5km run around Astoria Park with a short walk at the 2.5km mark. Astoria Park is coming out of the winter coma and showing signs of life.  Its time for me to do the same.

This was a three day 9.2 mile running week even though I planned to run four days.  The good news is that I set a personal record on Sunday - 9:39 minute mile during a 5K run.  To get to a four day running week, I will have to run one morning before work.  Speaking of which I was able to get up between 5am and 5:30am five days in a row. It’s getting easier, but it will take me a while to completely change my sleep cycle.  The biggest obstacle is that during the weekend I revert back to going to sleep after 12.  That will have to change too.  

Finished week 18 of running with the total of 9 miles.  I am feeling better and leveling off at my pre vacation pace.  Today I ran on around the track and was a first time in a while when I did not feel tightness in my right knee and shin. Would like to get to 4 days per week of running instead of 3.  That means that I have to work in a run on Wednesdays, either during lunch of before work.  

Speaking of that, I was able to get up at 5:30 am three out of five days last week.  Will try to make it four this week.  When I did manage to get up I felt great, and mostly productive.  The experiment continues.

Finally had a nice 3.2 mile run around Astoria part without taking any breaks.  Feels good.  I am excited to get back to my 4 times per week running schedule.

This is the 16th week of running and I am picking up the pace, albeit slowly and painfully.  My legs are burning, my lungs are hurting, and I feel like I am 20lb heavier.   I know thats not quite true, but I must work on my holiday routine, so it does not knock me out of shape again.  I went running three times this week, twice in a gym and once outside for the total of 8 miles.

Sunset.  View from Astoria Park.

15th Week of running comes in at a measly 5.6 miles.  Two weeks of Winter Break including 1 week at Okemo, VT and back to New York for some relaxation.  I am feeling a little sick now, so we will see how this week goes, but I am planning to slowly ramp up to my usual pace of 8-10 miles.  Incidentally, the gyms are packed with ridiculous resolutions. I am only now defining my plans for 2012. 

This week I set a new personal record of 10.04 pace in a 3.3 mile run around Astoria part.  Total milage was 8.3 miles over three runs.  I feel like I am getting into a running rythme and I must continue pushing through the end of the year and beyond.  Next week is going to be hell as I have a tough week at work that will start daily at around 7.30am, a Data Mining final on Tuesday, and Time Series final on Thursday.  On the plus side, I am picking up my kids on Friday and heading to Vermont for a week of skiing and relaxation.  Can’t wait.  

14th week of running is concluded with a first run around Astoria park (twice).  It was the coldest and the most beautiful run so far.  Not a soul was outside, which made the experience so much more surreal. East river was so still, it reflected light with mirror like precision.  You could see the upper east side of Manhattan bouncing off the motionless water and blending with its own silhouette.  I almost forgot that my lungs were burning from running uphill.  9 miles this week.