2010...IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR, although not without hills

How do I know that 2010 is going to be a great year? I just do, so believe me!
It has been a while since I last wrote but a lot has been happening, a lot of changes have come about and so extra energy has gone into taking care of all the preparations involved in setting up my own office.
Ethan has been doing great, despite the freezing temperatures of Boston [I don't know how they do it. I find it's cold in Portugal and we don't get negative temperatures], and I'll definitely come back with another post.
The running has also been coming along well....the big day is drawing nearer and the intensity has been turned up this week but so far we are keeping to our program.
Yesterday I was due in court early in the morning and since the courts are now very close to home I went out earlier for my 6k run. It was 6:45 when I set out. Ran to CC Vasco da Gama and back to complete my 6kms.
For those of you that know where I live you know that it means 3 easy kms down and 3 very tough kms uphill.
As I was running back home feeling tired...and out of breath, almost feeling like I had slowed down to a pace slower than if I was walking, it got me thinking about how running applies to other aspects of life.
When you run uphill, it is strenuous, you find it hard to breath, your mind so wants to give up. But you adapt your pace, slow down a little, lean into the hill and pump your arms a little harder and find yourself at the top of the hill.
The formula is the same I think when it comes to overcoming all sorts of difficulties we are faced with. When we are faced with difficulty like running up a hill, we find it tough, we feel tired and like we won't have what it takes to overcome them, and sometimes our mind wants to give in. But if we just hang in there, and adapt our pace, and work steadily on we can and will overcome it all.
Here's to the new year with renewed energy to give it our all!!!

PESSIMIST IN THE MORNING AND OPTIMIST AFTER A RUN

Today's quote in Runners World «A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.» is a phrase by Winston Churchill.
If you were to ask me what I think about when I run, most times I would have to answer «I don't know.» When I run it almost seems like time passes through me while I'm in a far away place...and when I finish I sort of land back in reality feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Today as I looked around the gym at all the people running, biking, rowing or skywalking, I wondered how much energy we could all produce.
If we could use this energy maybe in the future we can get the kids [and parents] to run around the house to get enough energy to power the TV to watch their favourite show. The family would be healthier and more active, the electricity bill would be lower and above all a lot of people would stop watching so much Tv!!!
Freaky thoughts I know, but an hour and 2 minutes later my tempo run was over and now I realize that I am a pessimist when I wake up and an optimist after my morning run....When the alarm goes off I see difficulty in very opportunity to run before work and after the run I realize that each difficult run is an opportunity to get better at it.....
And speaking about running.....I'm running late to head home for a well deserved weekend and of course last minute Xmas shopping!!!

RUNNING GEAR

For those of you living in Portgual I think you'll agree that today is bloody cold. And adding to that it's wet too!!! So it was hard to believe my eyes when this morning I picked Levi up for our early run and and while I was still trying desperately to warm my hands he shows up in shorts....I guess it's all about mind over matter, if you don't mind the matter gets cold that's all.
We were on the treadmill [with Levi being Ipodless] and chatting now and then when one of the instructors said hi, we smiled and hied her back...Levi's wise comment as he looked around «it's 7 am and we have to smile at all the people who are working out!»
Today was just one of those days when getting out of bed just felt terribly wrong. Then you walk into the gym and see so many usual friendly faces and instinctively smile. The truth is the smile is a half hearted one. Half of you really doesn't want to smile and the other half is smiling at all the nutters [of which you are one!]....So today's thought is the gym is a MADHOUSE where nutters get given workout plans and machines of all sorts instead of medication.

Ethan got his helmet

Ethan continues to recover very well from his surgery and has been fitted with a helmet that he will need to wear 23 hours a day for the next 6 months to ensure the head grows appropriately....amazingly the foam on the inside allows for moulding in order to get the head growing in a certain way.
Apparently he hasn't made much of a fuss about having that huge thing on...I bet it probably feels warm in the Boston winter [Ethan has always loved feeling nice and warm]...
He looks so cute in his snake skin helmet!!!

Last Nights' Long Run in Lisbon

On the map below you can see the first few minutes before the Garmin batteries were dead....13kms total. We started off at Levi's house and went down Av. da Liberdade towards praça do comércio - fantastic view of the Christmas lights, people shopping and staring at us as wwe went by thinking we must be crazy. Some of them propbably even held their bags a little closer because Levi was running with a black cap on his head and looked like a fast running pick pocket [I wish I had a camera with me].
We then took the road towards Cais do Sodré where we turned in towards the waterfront. It is quite amazing at night with all the city lights, and they have made a real good job with the bike track that runs along the waterfront all the way...until Alcântara which is where we turned back because we hit the 7km mark and had the long way up on our minds....
Even though it was quite a chilly evening the run felt great until we began heading back towards praça do comércio, the wind was blowing head on and so we picked up the pace a little...

We then began the climb....meanwhile the shops had closed in Rua Augusta and there were less people walking the streets. We managed to set a steady pace, occasionally reducing speed so that we didn't have to come to a stop at any lights [our legs might decide not to carry on if we did]and before we knew it the first climb was over and we were recovering our breath on the downhill before the final challenge to Levi's door.
The run was great and I think we are both glad that we made it out the door. I actually woke Levi up from his afternoon slumber [I had just woken up from a very repairing nap myself] and had to call him twice before he decided to head out....

Levi's 2 Alcântara and Back

Map your trip with EveryTrail

Thesis break

It's been a while since I last posted but I have been busy preparing for the oral presentation of my thesis - which happened today and went quite well, and so haven't had much time....I did however keep up with the running and am quite sure that yesterday's late afternoon run was a major part in today's success.

Ethan has been recovering very well and we are still waiting for a picture of his fabulous smile!!!