First Attempt:

I used to blog my runs all the time - when I first moved to Seattle, as I was training for my first marathon. I can go back and see details of races and runs that STILL serve me to this day.

At some point in time, after my marathon in 2006 I believe, I stopped posting about it. Maybe because there were no responses, or I felt comfortable with my running and had figured a lot of things out through logging and observation. Whatever the case, I fell out of the habit and would like to return to it. It also is a way for me to stay in touch with the running community back home (Hello, Robin!) and take note of how the climate and changes here affect my runs. Since I am running Boston in April, eating meat again, and have made other significant changes (like moving to a desert) it will be good to log these details again.

My long runs are on Sundays now, since my Saturday mornings are occupied and it gets too bloody hot by noon to go long. Last Sunday I ran a route I found online on Shelter Island. It was flat, along the water, and took me all the way to the Convention Center downtown. I was instructed to run "very slow" and did my best to keep it below average pace. I set the mp3 to slower tempoed music to help out with that and averaged a 9:47 pace, so I will call that success!

In an effort to foster community and boost my own morale, I have joined a boot camp class that meets 6am daily. I went to sample it on Tuesday, and the familiarity of being up before sunrise and driving out to an unknown location looking for a specific vehicle reminded me warmly of many a group run. The instructor, Bryan, is a beefy ex-military type who brought to mind one of my first clients - a longshoreman I trained for about 2 years. He's big, meaty, gruff sounding and mostly stoic, with bits of warmth and humor showing through. He appears very accountable to his clients and is quick to follow up and check in after a class. Impressed with his professionalism, I decided to sign on. I believe his assistant is his wife, and she offers a much easier workout on Fridays (or so it feels at the moment).
My hamstrings are still sore from Tuesday. I haven't been so sore in years.

I was hoping that there was the same AR experience - chatting it up after the workout, going for coffee or breakfast afterward; that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe after a few months as I get to know regulars I can bring that kind of atmosphere to this group. I deeply miss having a fitness community.