Back in the saddle?

Yeah!  I am back!  Tonight I ran with my husband on the Phoenix Bridle Path, one of our favorite places to run.  It was very humid, but much cooler than normal (about 85 degrees).  We finished in 45:13, a 9:02 pace overall.  I finished the first half in 22:41 and ran the second half in 22:32.  I always try to run the second half faster, and the bridle path is slightly uphill on the return.  Anyway, my heart rate was around 170 at the end and back down to 120 within about 4 minutes.

Interestingly, I "overate" today.  I had a bunch of trail mix and wasn't hungry for lunch.  I finally ate lunch at 3:00 pm.  I wonder if the extra food helped my energy level.  Thank you to everyone who commented on my entries-the tips are helping!

Tonight I ran 5 miles on the treadmill because it was pretty hot outside.  I had a great run: 5 miles in 44:35, averaging 8:55.  I ran the first half in about 22:45 and kicked it up to finish the second half in 21:50.  I ran the last mile in 8:19, a little faster than marathon race pace.

I felt really good throughout the run.  In the middle of my run, I checked my heart rate, and it was about 160 (right where it should be).  After the last mile at 8:19 it was around 180 but fell back to 120 pretty quickly.  In the next 2 1/2 weeks, I'd like to get to the point where race pace feels a lot easier so I can begin my official marathon training feeling strong.

After the run I did 3 sets of pushups and 3 sets of crunches.  I really need to do more strength training, but it will be hard to fit it into my running, especially as the runs get longer.

Tonight I did 5 miles on the treadmill (106 degrees outside) and felt great.  I ran it in 45:02, so just over a 9:00 mile.  I started out at a 9:05 pace for the first mile, went up to 8:57 for the next three miles, and ran the last mile in 8:49.  Heart rate at the end was 170 and down to 120 within about 4 minutes.

Feeling good, and hoping to keep it up!!

Ran 4 miles on the treadmill (hot day again) in 36:45 (about a 9:10 pace).  I felt great for the first three miles but got felt a little queasy after that, so I decided to cut the run short at 4 miles.  I've run 5 miles per day for the last three days, so I'm fine with it.  My heart rate was a little lower than normal and returned back to 120 very quickly.  Wonder if it was something I ate...

We leave for vacation tomorrow night.  I'm going to try and squeeze in a run after work (our flight leaves at 11:30 pm).  The real challenge willl be keeping up the running on vacation.  My husband and I usually go, go, go on vacation and are too tired to do anything but crash, and then sleep late.  This will be a more low-key vacation (I think) with the majority of the time spent with my family on the beach.  So, we're taking lots of running clothes and hoping for consistency.  I think I'll have Internet access on my mom's laptop, so you all will see how I do!