Grape Stomp. In my head, this is pronounced GrapeSTOMP, Hulk-smash style.

5K. October 23. It’s on.

A new friend, living up to all reports of coolness from the mutual friend who introduced us, just gave me an actual training goal. Or: THIS WAS ALL HER IDEA. Which in no way invalidates the waivers I signed to register for the thing.

Jack London Square, 6:45 am

They don’t set 5Ks up on treadmills, apparently, so I’m changing my training. Instead of my usual Run Like an Arthritic Sloth Until Running Starts to Feel Normal “plan” (shut up, it totally worked last time) I’m pushing myself a little harder than last time and justifying it by already knowing that I can absolutely, without question, run for 30+ minutes without stopping.

I just, you know, need to go a bit faster now. I don’t need to be the first to cross the finish line (Graham assures me that most people who sign up for these things aren’t trying to win them), but I don’t want to be the last, either.

I’m still only running every other day, because science and my body agree that beating me up one day requires me to spend the next day letting my muscles repair themselves. And so far, even though I’m pushing harder (and am probably due for new shoes), I feel pretty freaking awesome.

Every other training session, I’m running outdoors instead of in, because running outdoors is wicked hard if you’re used to the treadmill. (I learned this last year, trying to run a mile or so with Boo…during a Vermont heatwave that didn’t make it any easier.) During the week, that means street/trail running in the early morning (hence the sculpture in the dawnlight up there). For the one weekend run, that means an outdoor trail roughly equivalent to a 5K to see whether my training is getting me ready for the real thing. The outer loop of Lake Merritt, which is right down the street, happens to be a 5K loop; on Sunday, that loop proved my assumptions right — I have about 15-20 minutes to shave off my time, which is achievable once my legs and lungs are conditioned again. The problem, you see, is not so much my running pace as my walking when I “need a break.”

By October 23, the goal to not need a break (also to not die, our #1 goal and always a promising metric). Wish me luck!