I can do it!

Ben and I did a 22+ mile bike ride this evening.  I love the benefits of cross-training to improve my running!

I woke up early this moring, had a fabulous 5 mile run, incorporating some speedwork, then finished off the morning with an eight mile bike ride.  I rode in high gear all the way home, to see if I could get a little burn in the quads.  I felt incredible afterwards!  This evening I swam 72 lengths at the pool, again feeling great - I didn't even need to stop for a breather!  What an awesome day! 

Easy day.  I did a 20 minute HIIT on the elliptical, did a few crunches, stretched, and then ran a mile on the track.  I was tempted to do more, but I probably need a little recovery after yesterday.  I'm looking forward to building enough of a base that I don't have to worry so much about over-doing after a day like yesterday!  I still feel great.  But I'm trying to be careful.  :-)

I thought I ran super easy this morning - I think I was feeling the after shocks of Monday's workout.  I even took a few walk breaks.  But when I finished my run, I realized that my pace was still pretty good - under 49 minutes - which is actually clipping along for me.  (yes, I AM slow!)   I decided to go ahead and ride the bike, and by the time I was done, I felt great!  I love being able to finish my workouts exhilerated instead of exhausted.  It's also fun to find that a "bad day" this week is better than a "bad day" was last week.  Oh, the joy of getting stronger!  Maybe someday I will get to call myself a REAL athelete!  :D  If all goes as planned, I'll do some swimming this evening to wrap up my day...

Later...I went to the pool to swim 40 lengths, but felt so good I decided to do ten more.  Too bad I can't figure out how to be a swimmer and not stink of chlorine and look bug-eyed from the goggles!  :*)

Ahhh....I slept in this morning until 6:45!  It felt REALLY good.  :D  I started my day with 20 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical, then hit the treadmill for a couple of miles.  I started out at a 10:54 pace, and gradually increased my tempo to 8:34.  Then I did a cool down on the stationary recumbant bike, stretched, and headed home for cheesy scrambled eggs and grapefruit.  I feel great!  This evening I plan to ZUMBA before my dance rehearsal.

So...tonight I decided to ride my bike to the gym for Zumba.  I stayed for 45 minutes, then had to leave early to make it to my rehearsal on time.  Then, of course, I had to bike home.  So that added about another 14+ miles to my tally!  Great day!  I'm ready for bed.  :-)

I didn't sleep well last night.  So it was with great weariness that I pulled myself out of bed and hopped on my bike to do my 8 miles.  To be honest, I had planned to do 12, but since I had an unscheduled biking day yesterday, I decided to take it easy.  Immediately after my ride, I ran two miles.  It was really hard - I can tell I'm going to have to practice going straight from biking to running more often.  But, as per Sasha's instructions, I'm going to take my training up a notch, and try running six days a week, instead of only three.  My legs were really tired, but I feel good about what I accomplished.  I'll try swimming tonight.  I love having this blog to be accountable to.  Otherwise, it would be WAY too easy to talk myself out of a workout!  :-)

As a side note...I actually got emotional this morning reading on the home page about calling myself a "fast" runner.  I have often felt that kind of emotion when I think about being a wife, a mother, and about my music and performing.  It is as if deep down inside I KNOW that those are things I was BORN to do.  Could it possibly be that I was born to be a "runner" as well?  I have felt it occasionally on my runs - the feeling that I am reaching up and discovering that I have unlimited potential, and I was born to be really GOOD...not just average.  I love that feeling.  I'm going to chase that feeling.  Who knows what wonderful things I will accomplish?  I'm excited to find out!

Well, I didn't make it swimming last night. I don't know why, but I was really tired all day, and my muscles felt...tired. So I decided to take the evening off. I woke up at 4:30 this morning to send my husband off for the summer games triathlon, then Elijah and I did our ten miles of running. We took it really easy (as always) doing four minutes of running and one minute walk breaks. We finished all ten in 1:42. I felt great until the last mile, when I started to get a little head-achy, but I drank some electrolye-supplemented water and then I felt fine. Then it was off to rehearsal for me. Ben ended up taking the GOLD medal in the tri, and coming in tenth overall! I was so proud - wish I could have been there to watch...except if I HAD been there, I would have been racing. :D

This afternoon Ben and I went to an all-you-can-eat Sushi place.  Oh, boy!  We ate a lot.  Afterwards, I thought "I just can't go to bed with all this food sitting in my belly," so Ben went running and I jumped on my bike, towing my two youngest children in the trailer.  The first four miles were sluggish, but then I started feeling pretty spry, and I picked up the pace.  Then the kids started fighting, so after about eight miles I dropped them off at home, and went out to find Ben and play water-boy.  I found him about two miles from home, after biking up this massive hill, and then rode home with him at a very slow pace (for the bike).  It was all downhill on the way home, and I rode my brakes most of the way, but I'm still going to count the miles!  :-)