Timing

The update: Zdenek is still dealing with broken metatarsal bones and has been unable to run, but today he heads to the doctor to (hopefully) get the go-ahead to resume normal physical activity. In the meantime, he's managed to fit in a couple of bike rides, but that's clearly insufficient to keep him both happy and as fit as he'd like. Our cumulative sleep deprivation is starting to wear on both of us, and, though Ryder is obviously the love of our lives, I can admit that it was kind of nice last night when he went to bed at 7 pm, and we enjoyed an "adults only" evening (consisting of leftovers for dinner and the BBC news) before heading to bed. (Of course, even though Ryder slept well, neither of us managed to do the same, as I think we've actually forgotten how to sleep more than a couple of hours at a stretch. I can't believe it, but it's true.)

In other "I can't believe it" news, a funny thing happened a couple of weekends ago when I headed out for an eight mile run in the Park. Zdenek took Ryder out in the stroller to enjoy the sunny weather, and we agreed to meet back at home for lunch in about an hour. I managed to beat them home by about 5 minutes, and when Zdenek came home, he told me that he thought had seen me running in the Park, but wasn't convinced it was me. Why? Because I was too fast. That's right. You read that correctly: Too fast. Apparently, he saw a girl who looked like me, was dressed like me, and ran mostly like me, except that she was much faster than he was accustomed to seeing.

Turns out, it was me, and indeed, I am faster these days. I haven't run over 8.5 miles in four or five months, but I am managing to post my fastest paces ever, even with only bits and pieces of sleep to fuel me. I think it's due to having (a) limited time to fit in the miles, and so every mile must be run quickly, and (b) 10 fewer pounds on my frame. I really feel that, if I began serious training, I might be able to crack 3:20 in a marathon right now. The sad irony is that just as I'm posting good times, I have no time to put them to good use.

Perhaps once our schedules even out a bit more, I'll try for a 10K race sometime soon. I've never raced that distance before and so I wouldn't even know what to expect, but it can't hurt to try something new. And besides, 2011 will need to be the year of running quickly, because parenting is the only endurance event on my calendar this year.