Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured

So glad to be HOME!  It was a wonderful two weeks but very, very busy.  The work went very well and it is so nice when you see progress and results.  

Got up and ran with Paula this morning.  It was perfect running weather.  All of my little ailments over the past few months were gone and it was nice just to go.  Unfortunately, my legs disagreed.  They were like Jello.  I am not sure if this was due to no running for two weeks or the fact that at JFK yesterday I had left something behind and ran back up an escalator going down.  Maybe a little of both.  Aerobically I felt good until the last mile and the last mile was hard.  I am so excited to be feeling better and ready to get back to training and not recovery.  

Ave Pace: 9:02

Happy Running! 

It was nice to be excited to get up and run today, it has been awhile since I felt that way. I was sore from yesterday so we choose an "easier" route. It is pretty flat with a slight incline the last 1.5 home. It is, however, one of the more mentally tough routes we run. I felt like I struggled the entire time getting into a groove and was really struggling to get a decent pace. I have been trying to work on my foot striking and centering of my body. Yesterday it came really easy but today was a struggle. I was surprised to see my pace for today at 9:04. I was expecting around 9:25 - 9:30, so of course I was happy. The next few weeks are the most difficult, it was the same after my first trip to India. I forget how hard it is to get back into the swing of things and build back up in both mileage and speed.

Happy Running!

Today was a recovery day for me.  My legs have been sore from not running for two weeks and then trying to push my first two days back.  We took the three miles really easy - I talked nonstop the entire time.  We then came back to my house and did some light weights and abs.  This is something we need to add a couple of weeks to our schedule, so I am going to be looking for a good routine to incorporate.

Ave Pace 9:55

Happy Running! 

Again another day that I was so excited to get up and run!  I am trying really hard to enjoy this extra motivation because pretty soon I am sure it will fade.  Our route today was 2.4 miles up hill .75 flat and then the remainder down hill.  My original thoughts heading into todays run were just to work on mileage - ignore the pace ( I am not good at this).   

Mile1:  Up hill and just tried to get going and into a rythm

Mile2 - 2.4: Up hill felt really good and started to push a little and ended up pushing and feeling really good at the top

Mile 2.4 - 3.1:  Flat and recovery - I was tired.

Mile 3.1 - 4.2:  Down hill or so I had thought for the past two years.  I realized today that there is a small incline in the middle of this section and I had never noticed it before.  Worked on leg turn over and trying to stay within a rythm

Mile 4.2 - 5.3:  Down hill and flat at the end.  Tried to stay in rythm and continue to feel good.

I ended up feeling great at the end.  I know I pushed but did not over do it.  This was probably one of the best runs since being injured. And the best part -

Ave Pace:  8:58

Happy Running!

Ran 3 easy with Paula and Jolynn.  Again I talked non stop - I need to work on this.  We did some weights afterwards but I lost steam really fast.

 I signed up yesterday for Hobblecreek.   I was suprised to receive the email stating that it was 1/2 full already.  This is the earliest I have ever signed up, usually we wait until mid June or July. 

Ave Pace 9:22

Happy Running!
 

I was a little afraid for today. We had planned on 7 miles but I was unsure how my body would respond because my training has left a lot to be desired the last few weeks. The first 3 miles were rough. I had a difficult time getting going and had eaten nothing but junk, a lot of junk, yesterday and it is the first time I can remember that what I eat has had that big of an impact on my running. I felt absolutely horrible. I finally started feeling better about mile 4 and then at about 4.5 really was able to get going (at my very slow pace). I felt great until 6.25 and then I started to really struggle. At 6.5 "Eye of the Tiger" came on my ipod and got me going and unfortunately reliving middle school band, which only forced me to want to finish sooner. The last .25 I pushed and finished running that quarter at 8:25. Overall, todays run was really good, the route is flat so it is a good assesment as to where I am at training wise. It was nice to push and work hard but at the same time incredibly frustrating because I am building back up my base miles - the same thing I spent the entire winter doing.

Two accomplishments this week:

1. First week ever running 6 days!

2. Highest mileage week since my injury!

Ave Pace: 8:59

Happy Running!