Chug-along-chica!

2 miles on treadmill 5.3 mph, until the last 1/2 mile, then 6 mph.  Felt pretty good.  Breathed pretty hard at the end.  It is very humbling to note that 6 mph feels fast to me.  Yikes.  Oh well, at least I am getting healthier.

Piano: 1 1/2 hours practice, 1 1/2 hours in concert

*Phew* Did the concert . . . it's over!.  So glad to be free from that pressure!  

Hallelujah!

2 miles on the treadmill.  I tried playing with the incline a little bit.  I always run at an incline of 1, but today I ran with an incline of 2 for about 3/4 of a mile.  It really made me feel my legs, for a change.  Well, the good news is that I'm being consistent.  The bad news is that it makes for boring blogs.

Piano: just a little just for fun, plus my lesson later tonight with my teacher, who is a piano maniac.

I took it easy today. I just ran with the kids around the neighborhood.  It's so nice having the Garmin so we can just run wherever we want! 

Am I the only beginning runner on this blog?  i.e. I've been running less than 1 year.  (2 months, actually, feels longer).  So far almost all the blogs I read are by people who place in the single digits when they race.

1.5 this morning on the treadmill.  .5 with my sons tonight. 

So I am fascinated with something....I keep reading blogs about how much some of you LOVE running.  I am curious (baffled really).  What is it that you love about running?  Is it the recognition/awards that you get because you are so good at it, the thrill of winning etc....or is there something intrinsic about running that is wonderful to you? 

I think what really gets me about running is the idea of progression.  I'm hooked on feeling that I am still growing as an individual.  I could do without the pounding and labored breathing if it were possible (ha ha).

2 miles by myself outside, for a change.  Average pace: 5.3 mph.  I was a little hesistant to get out tonight because I put it off until it was dark.  Then, of course, I was afraid of being piano teacher-napped by some wierdo.   I was determined to go outside, though, to see if it was more enjoyable than the ol' treadmill.  I think it was.  The temperature was perfect and there was a slight breeze.  I ran around the small man-made lakes in my neighborhood.  There were ducks and even some ducklings, which was sweet. 

I tried to follow the ROOLS.  So I sped up a teeny tiny bit into the wind and up the hills.  AND I even tried singing BINGO in my head (see Sasha!).  He he he... all this wisdom by you experienced runners have is going to good use.  The data is conclusive:  according to the Garmin I did, in fact, run slightly faster when I was singing BINGO than not (!) even though I did not notice it at the time.  As a control, I tried singing "What a Wonderful World" in my head, but it was a little frustrating because I kept forgetting the words.  

Nice little run tonight at dusk.  Tonight I met my goal of 10 miles per week for the 3rd week in a row.  I guess I'm ready to bump up the mileage.  For the next 3 weeks I'll aim for 15 miles per week.  Do you think that's too much of a jump?  I've read about the 10% rule, but I've also read that it doesn't really come into effect until after 20 miles per week.   15 miles is just 3 miles one day, 2 miles the next, with one rest day in the week.  Seems possible.   Will I still get all the benefits if I break up the 3 mile runs into 2 parts?  i.e. 1 mile in the morning, 2 miles at night?  I'm hoping I can minimize fatigue that way.

Wow.  I saw a cool thing on my run--a big ol' great blue heron (tall water bird--like a stork).  It just stood really still and I ran within 15 feet of it!  From that distance, I really wondered who was taller.  He was huge, for a bird, whereas I am quite shrimpy for a human.   Not bad for a little fake lake in the middle of the suburbs.  I really love animals, so this was a real treat for me.