I went to the gym to get these miles in. I've been avoiding it because I didn't know what my kids would think of me putting them in childcare for an hour. Throughout the run I was looking over my shoulder, sure that one of the girls that was tending the kids would be hunting me down to change a diaper, discipline a child who was hitting or comfort one who was crying. But I was able to do my 7 miles and found the kids as happy as could be afterward. My son couldn't get over how many dinosaurs they had to play with. Its nice to know that when I can't find anybody to watch the kids the gym is a viable option.
2 mile warm-up, 2 mile cool-down, 6x800 with 400 up a steep hill and 400 back down, then 2x800 gently sloping down for the first 800 then back up for the second 800. I only kept my time on the last two 800s. I think it was 3:10, 3:21.
The downhill was a challenge in a different way than I expected. I thought keeping up intensity after going up my quarter mile hill would just wear my lungs out. But my real problem was getting my legs to turn over fast enough so that I could feel like my heart and lungs were still working. On the third or fourth downhill I tried to give myself a rhythm for my legs by saying "turn, turn, turn" at the pace I wanted to plant my feet. I think I'll work on that even harder the next time I do the workout. I'm guessing I should also try to start throwing in some 100 meter pick-ups on easy days to teach my legs how to roll-over too. Things to do, things to do.
The only thing better than running in enormous snowflakes in the spring is hiking in them. But I'll take the easy run I went on today and smile about it. When I stop worrying about whether or not I'm making my running goals I remember that a lot of the reason I run is just to enjoy being outside and moving. I'm so glad I got that today (especially since I'll be on the treadmill again tomorrow.)
7:53 pace. I ran a different route than usual and it was nice to see some new scenery - it made things pass by faster. My legs felt pretty darn good at the end of it. I found that it actually helped my joints to run a little faster at the end. I guess the plodding can get to your body.