This week's fabulously fun run recap - or 21 more miles on my Asics:

Working my miles up slowly but surely:

My long run was a leisurely eight miles on Monday. The horrible blister on my arch that had threatened to keep me off my feet forever pulled through - or I should say my body pulled through and formed a protective layer of skin just thick enough to keep the pain down to a minimum once the usual endorphins kicked in.

My medium runs were 5 apiece, both very comfortable. I did Wednesday's in just under 45 minutes and today's in a few seconds over. Today, I added in some hill work (oh I feel so cool when I get to bandy around training terms like hill- or speed work instead of just "I went faster until that made me tired and, uh, and then I went slower until I got bored and then..."). Since today was at the gym - in a desperate attempt to stretch my lunch break plus two shorter breaks and free up some after work time - I followed some advice and did one of my miles at a 4% incline. Not huge, but hills are generally my achilles' tendon (har har), so I'm working them in gradually. And it was just enough to make my endorphin-starved body just a little bit happier with a week that might otherwise have felt just a little too pain-free.

As a side note, people at the gym do very odd things and kind of perplexing things, which makes it very entertaining. The treadmill-folk have some particularly engrossing styles that range from bouncy hopping runs to (literally) butt-kicking gallops that seem like some form of charleston variation. Today, I was mostly fascinated by a char-boiled-golden-tan-blond girl whose arms were pumping so far that her fists rose above her shoulders at the peak of her stride.

And for the easy stuff: My short run, as I mentioned, was aggravatingly easy. And strength has been kind of fun for the extra weight I seem to be able to take. I'm pushing it of course, so I walk out feeling shakey and like jelly, but I figure as long as I really do take my rest day tomorrow, this is a great thing.

As for my "cross-training" (aka "having a life"), got to go on a pretty awesome wander through Whatcom falls on Sunday. I'd call it a hike or a walk, but since it more seemed to involve "hey, think that's a trail... let's find out... huh, I dunno... oh let's try to cross the river leaping from rock to rock to get to that rock!" I think it lacks the requisite structure for any material title. Bluesed in Bellingham on Saturday, which was so fun due to reconnecting with many leads I haven't seen in a while. Also, got out bluesing on Tuesday. Taught tango yesterday, which mostly involved pacing around for a while with furrowed brow trying to figure out what the couple I am watching is attempting to do so that I can offer somewhat constructive feedback other than "what was that??" I kid. Most of my students are pretty quick studies. I have so much more respect for leads watching them struggle through the begining process. Although I'm not a great lead, I do have the advantage of having been a pretty competant dancer before I ever attempted it, which I gather makes the transition much easier. I can really appreciate how much harder it must be to attempt to walk, steer a follow, and struggle to essentially tame a body that's as bucksome and rebellious as a wild horse.

As a final side note, man, after my longer runs I sleep so deeply! Ordinarily I wake up before my alarm and take a while to go to bed, but on days when I'm running more than five miles, I'm **out** and I stay that way and it's only with a grumble that I respond to the alarm. It's like taking sleeping pills without the pill. I wonder if that effect wears off. With dancing, it's usually the opposite, since most dancing occurs right before bedtime and thus I'm all keyed up and can't sleep.

The weekend - with its promises of Starball and the lindy exchange and who knows what other goodies - beckons!