Running for two--or, mostly walking

I'm not really sure how far I ran today, but that seems right. It felt pretty good, except that I had a headwind for the second half of it. I basically just ran for a little while then turned around when I felt like it and went back. Pace was slow, but that just doesn't bother me. I'm a Penguin and I'm okay with that.

The church service was really good today. It really convicted me to find more ways to serve those in need. Pretty inspiring.

I met Paul's high school friend today, the original Dan Lewis (because we had another friend named Dan Lewis in Logan). He was really nice and they probably hadn't seen each other in several years. His wife, who is from the Philippines, was super nice, too. Can't wait to see what adventure tomorrow holds

No workout today, but I did watch the NCAA Division I Cross-Country Championships.  It was pretty cool.  I'd never been to a cross country race before, so it was an experience.  That's all.

I tried to run 2 miles today, but my arms and legs felt really heavy, so I mostly walked.  I had good God time, though, so it was worth it.  A dog bit me (a run-away, not a stray) and I tried to tell some people at the Food Pantry that there was a car with its lights on in the parking lot, but they didn't do anything about it.  I'm feeling less tired today than I have recently, but that might be because I've slept about 10 hours the last two nights.  I wish I could be on vacation every day.

Okay, so I got really lazy on my vacation.  I also learned something about my recent workouts, though, that could prove useful.  As far as the vacation went, we had a lot of really good food, Paul had five speaking engagements on Wednesday, I wish I had had more time with Paul's sister and brother-in-law and especially his nephew (who is awesome), and I really wish I had had more time than the two hours I had with my family in Detroit, but I'll take what I can get.

Now on to more relevant things.  Running at sea level was easier on the lungs, but it was harder for me for reasons that are unique to me and unique to my situation.  Having done nothing but the elliptical for the last 3 weeks or so my legs have definitely gotten stronger, but I have gotten lazy when it comes to running.  The elliptical is so easy on my body that I am now less able to take the pounding of running than I was before I got hurt.  It's totally a mental thing that I know I can work through, but it's frustrating to know that I am capable of doing more than I am allowing myself to do right now.

Having said that, I only did a mile today.  I had to force myself to run the whole way, but I did it.  I might have done a second mile, but I probably would have had trouble keeping myself from walking.  Besides being back at elevation and having this mental block, it was also only 30 degrees which my body isn't used to yet.  I can't say that I love winter and I'll probably be hitting the gym most of the next three months.

So, I have a plan to overcome this mental block that I'm experiencing.  I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try.  Since I'm changing my work schedule to have two hours in the afternoon free, and since my house is between my work and the gym, I plan to stop at home and run to the gym and back.  While at the gym I'll probably try to mix it up and do some elliptical and some treadmill.  I know that the treadmill isn't an exact substitution for running outside, but it's a closer approximation than the elliptical.  Then I'll still run on Saturdays, which has been the plan for a while now.  If I'm feeling really good and it's warm outside, I might even run occasionally during the week, but it mostly will depend on the weather.  Anyway, if anybody has any other advice for me, I'm all ears.