This week was pretty quiet for me, which meant more reading! I was also resting up a bit for my 10K Trail run on Saturday…shorter, lighter workouts, and a rare weekday with no workout at all! Unfortunately, I was also trying desperately to keep a cold at bay until after my race.
I finished reading…
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I loved it – and it was almost like reading it for the first time since it had been so long and I remembered so little since my last read. I’ll be doing a Quotable Books post for this one closer to Go Set A Watchman‘s release.
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Love May Fail by Matthew Quick (June 16, 2015)
This one was hit and miss for me. The first part reminded me a bit of Meg Wolitzer’s The Wife with a higher does of crazy (a hit!), but things became pretty uneven after that. Mini review to come.
I sampled…
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (June 2, 2015)
I’ve gotta say, the sample didn’t really grab me. Has anyone else read this one yet? I think I’m going to wait on it for a bit.
I’m currently reading…
Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg (June 2, 2015)
I’m almost halfway through this one and am really enjoying it so far. It’s on the lighter side, but still has some depth (I’m thinking a potential add to my Summer Reading List!). And, Mazie is kind of awesome.
Next, I’ll be reading…
The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows (June 7, 2015)
This story about the unraveling of a prominent West Virginia family’s secrets is the solo debut novel from a co-author of The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society.
The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango (June 23, 2015)
“Dark, witty, and suspenseful, this literary crime thriller reminiscent of The Dinner and The Silent Wife follows a famous author whose wife—the brains behind his success—meets an untimely death, leaving him to deal with the consequences.” – Amazon
Weekend Update
I’m linking up with Tara at Running N Reading’s Weekend Update.
Last week was RACE WEEK, which also meant taper week. As an ex-swimmer, I’m intimately familiar with the taper and it might be one of my favorite things ever. You get to take it easy in workouts and don’t even have to feel bad about it because you’ve already put in your hard work and have to rest up for your race! I used to taper for 3-4 weeks for a big swimming meet…obviously this is slightly different!
Unfortunately, I’d also been fighting a cold all week (of course this would happen right before race time) and my daughter came down with a high fever on Thursday. I was hoping I could hold it off until after the race, but I do think it affected me.
Rockwood Ramble 10K Trail Run
I ran this race last year and my goal for this year was to beat last year’s time ([54:44]). I knew it would be tough because it was raining before the start of the race and I was feeling a little off with my cold. I also figured the trail would be muddy (it was, but not nearly as bad as I expected).
By the time we actually lined up at the starting line, the rain had tapered off. I felt okay the first couple miles, but my splits were off what I felt they should be based on how much effort I was putting in and they were also slower than last year’s splits. I usually try to negative split my races, but this course is so hilly that my splits were all over the place based on which miles have the most hills. But, I was happy to have last year’s splits in my head for comparison.
Mile 3 had a ton of hills, so I just tried to get through it and draft off people as much as possible up the hills. Then, Mile 4 was more downhill – a nice break! By Mile 5, my wheels were coming off. My stomach felt off and the hills were killing me. I had to walk up one of them – which I hate doing.
I felt much better by Mile 6 and the mostly flat and downhill terrain helped. I drafted off the guy in front of me for most of Mile 6 and then passed him at the 6 mile mark, which felt great. Until, he came up to me after the race and said I deserved to finish ahead of him since he’d pretty much drafted off me the entire race (until mile 6)! I had no idea…I need to pay more attention to what’s going on behind me!
Needless to say, I did not beat last year’s time, but I feel like I ran as well as I could on that day. Here’s a breakdown of my splits compared to last year.
This Year (6th Place Females Ages 35-39, Official Time [56:01]):
Mile 1 – [9:20]
Mile 2 – [9:00]
Mile 3 – [9:24]
Mile 4 – [8:53]
Mile 5 – [10:09] (this is where the walk happened)
Mile 6 – [8:34]
And, I have no idea what my finishing pace was because I completely forgot to stop my Garmin at the finish line (probably because I was bent over with my hands on my knees gasping for air)!
Last Year (6th Place Females Ages 35-39, Official Time [54:40]):
Mile 1 – [9:10]
Mile 2 – [8:57]
Mile 3 – [9:17]
Mile 4 – [8:34]
Mile 5 – [9:33]
Mile 6 – [8:12]
And, [7:43] pace for the last 0.2 miles.
Did anyone else race this weekend?
I just finished Saint Mazie – while I liked it I found that it didn’t quite have the depth that I wanted, especially after reading a few novels that kind of blew me away. The Truth and Other Lies sounds like it could be an interesting read…I like the comparison to The Dinner!
I’m sort of enjoying it for what it is and I always love novels about NYC “characters”. It’s a good one for summer, I think. The comparison to The Dinner is definitely what caught my attention with Truth and Other Lies – now I’m just crossing my fingers it lives up to it…or at least comes close 🙂
I have The Truth and Other Lies coming up for me too! So glad you enjoyed TKAMB – I still haven’t started my re-read! Have a great week 🙂
Oh good! It looks like a fun one!
The Truth According to Us sounds appealing, and I’ll look forward to your thoughts on Saint Mazie.
A sixth place finish is pretty impressive, even if it didn’t beat last year’s time. For me, running as well as you could on the given day means success.
I’m looking forward to a good small town novel.
And – thank you! And, I agree about running your best on any given day. I’m really competitive with myself so I’m happy that I’m mentally coming around to that line of thinking 🙂
I thinking of trying the Judy Blume book. Am hearing mixed stuff about it. I did not know about The Truth and Other Lies. That one sounds worth investigating. Sorry your race was not completely as you wished, but hope your cold and all are better. Take care!
I’ve been hearing mixed stuff about it as well, which is why I just did the sample. But, I’m on the lookout for more blogger reviews…I haven’t seen many, which is never a good thing 🙂
Congratulations on completing your race, even if it didn’t quite go as planned. I enjoyed An Unlikely Event though it’s quite different from what you may expect from Judy Blume.
Have a good week,
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
Believe it or not, I’ve never read Blume, so I really have no expectations! I just wasn’t really keen on the beginning. In your view, is the beginning indicative of the rest of the book?
If it’s just the prologue you read then no, it isn’t a good indicator, however if you had red further then you are probably best to go with your instincts 🙂
Yay Saint Mazie! I liked that it felt like a nice vacation/summer read without being TOO light.
Yep, my thoughts exactly! Pretty light, but not all fluff…which is just what I’m looking for in a summer read. Plus, I love books about NYC “characters”.
Well, the runner in me has to comment on your race first…WOW! You did so well, given the circumstances you were presented with; I find it especially interested that you ended up in the same finishing place within your age group…maybe you all were in the same struggle this weekend – ha! Sometimes, we just have to deal with what the day presents; I think you did great!! Now…on to the reading. I’m kind of worried about In the Unlikely Event; I haven’t bought a copy yet, mostly because I haven’t seen any great feedback. I’m afraid that I’m going to be expecting too much, and that I’ll be disappointed. I hope that The Truth and Other Lies is as good as the “blurb;” it’s on my TBR, as well. I’m enjoying Summerlong and I think you may, as well; I’ve still got to read Love May Fail, but now I’ll go into it with an open mind and low expectations – ha! I’m so delighted that you are enjoying Saint Maize! There is a character in Summerlong who is almost 90; she uses the ‘f’ word a lot and she smokes pot because she says “it helps with everything.” I wish I could have her as my grandmother. Hope you have a good Monday, Sarah; get some rest!
I know – I was kind of surprised by the place as well. My time from last year would have gotten me 4th this year. Maybe a slower field or the dodging of mud puddles on the course?
My thoughts exactly on the Blume – where are all the reviews? I really haven’t seen much. And I’m crossing my fingers for Truth and Other Lies…it’s definitely a blurb that got me really excited and I’m hoping it can live up to it.
Love May Fail – I’ll be interested to hear your yay or nay on each part! Will be fun to see if we line up. And, the grandma in Summerlong sounds AMAZING! You just made me want to read it! I have a couple more June books for review and then I’m planning to come back to it if I have time…regardless, my July and August are lighter so I can get to it then.
Too bad you couldn’t beat last year’s times, but at least you were close and dealing with lousy conditions to top. Kudos to you, girl!
I’m glad you loved TKAM. I thought it was perfection. I’ll wait and see what you think of GSAW; hopefully not that different from TKAM, which is the best I can hope for it.
Saint Mazie has a fun cover; I hadn’t seen that one yet. The Truth According to Us has me intrigued. I’ve seen it on NetGalley, but I already have a pile until October reading at my current speed, which means I won’t be able to add much from now until then.
Thanks!
TKAM was so great…I think I highlighted over half the book and Atticus may be the most good and pure character in literature!
Truth According to Us is a long one, so I wouldn’t try to squeeze it it in now. Maybe later if people seem to love it! I’ll let you know how it pans out for me.
I LOVE TKaM (as if I haven’t screamed that before HA!). I’m sad to hear that Love May Fail didn’t work for you. I have it on my TBR but it isn’t a priority. I’ve decided to put off Judy Blume’s book, too. The ratings are really poor, and that kind of popped my balloon about that one.
Good job in the race. In my 20s and 30s I think I raced 10ks every weekend, seriously. But now I’m more into biking so am training for a Grandfondo ride coming up. Gulp. As for books, thanks for reminding me that I need to reread Harper Lee’s classic pronto before the new July release.