On Clothes and Morale

This running business is hard.  Every once in a while I like to do something that scares me to death.  For example, in college I tried out for a play (and more terrifyingly got a part) and took voice lessons (ie had to sing in front of music majors).  Running is definitely one of these things.  I am not good at it, but it is good for me.  Theologian Stanley Grenz once talked about how he liked to play guitar because he enjoyed it, but he was not good at it.  It's good for me to be reminded that there are many things I am not good at.

That being said, tonight's run was my best time yet.  I realized that I tend to go faster listening to Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me as opposed to This American Life.  I also tend to laugh out loud, which adds to the amusement of other Rose Bowl walkers/runners.  If you know of any other hilarious or upbeat podcasts (or audiobooks), let me know.

I have a favorite pair of pants to run in:

I bought a pair of Zaggora Flares impulsively a few months ago with a groupon.  I like them, mostly.  A week or so ago I noticed a hole on the outer thigh seam.  I emailed the company and they said they would send a replacement pair, but while I wait, I wear the holy pants.  This causes some anxiety/excitement.  I'm a little afraid that I'll be halfway around the track and the hole will start to grow and there I will be exposed and 1.5 miles from my car.  

Somehow my app messed up tonight, but it worked in my favor.  Every 5 minutes the lady's voice comes on (I call her Robot Monica) and says how far I've gone, my average pace and the time.  Sometimes I love her, sometimes I hate her.  Anyway, Robot Monica came on tonight at the 5 minute mark and said I had gone half a mile.  Well, that's kind of awesome because I haven't done a mile in less than 12 minutes yet.  I was inspired by my speed and pushed myself to keep it up.  Well, as I neared the end of the track I realized that the app seemed off.  Upon closer examination, the app messed up the first 5 minutes, but it did manage to make me go faster.  So I guess I'll forgive RoboMon.

Stats:

Distance: 3.10 miles

Duration: 37:29 min:sec

Average Pace: 12:05 min/mile

Average Speed: 4.97 mph

Total Miles: 41