Run Test & Check off that First Book of 2012!

So yesterday I had a run fitness test - an assessment to see where I am, basically. While a 20 minute all-out run on a morning whose temperatures hovered at 17 degrees isn't really where I feel my happiest, things went better than I expected. After my warmup, I gave myself a final pep talk ("You are fast, fast like the wind" "You love to run" among other silly mantras) and clicked "start" on my Garmin. I didn't let myself look at my pace - just like in a real race, I didn't want to know because then I would get inside my head and havoc would ensue. I ran with music and figured I'd run out for four songs and then turn around and head back towards home, so I concentrated on the music not the time. Oddly enough, my forearms (??!!) felt the most fatigued - too much strength training? (haha, that will be the day). All I kept thinking was "if I could only take my heavy gloves off, my arms would feel so much lighter and my forearms won't be sore anymore." When all was said and done and I looked down at the Garmin after clicking "stop," I wasn't thrilled with my overall pace but I wasn't overly disappointed either. My spirits were further buoyed later when I took a look at the results from my two earlier tests from one and two years ago, the data was better on all counts on my latest test. So even though I sometimes feel like I am slow because I'm forever in Ironman training mode, this test shows that maybe I'm headed in the other, faster direction.

What's the term in football when one player runs smack into another and totally flattens him? Mowed down? Clotheslined? Bowled over? Flattened? Well, whatever it is, that happened to me today on the Metro platform. Some guy literally ran into me full tilt (did not even slow down) and knocked me on my rear. And I saw him coming at me too late to do anything effective to prevent it - it was either jump onto the metro tracks to get out of his way or brace for impact. He didn't even stop after he knocked me over. Oh, and in case you are wondering, he made his train - I HOPE IT WAS WORTH IT YOU JERK.

Rant over. I finished my first book of 2012 today - Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Overall I thought the characters in this book were more likable than in Pride and Prejudice and it was an interesting look at relationships and courting and marriage back in the day (like 200 years ago back in the day). Truthfully, I'm glad I live in 2012, not 1812. Before 2011 ended, I made a booklist of 25 classics that I'd be interested in reading this year. Her other book, Emma, is waiting in the wings on my Kindle, but I think I might read something fluffy and easy next before tackling that one.