I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

Ran the cable bill out, so I did the normal run backwards and really slow.

I felt good today.  I did 2 "fast" miles and I felt strong while doing them, like I could have gone faster for longer.  I really needed the boost of confidence.

The 2 fast miles were 8:10 and 7:46.

I felt okay, but not great on this run.  It was a slow day. 

I ran past a house with a bunch of kids playing outside and right before I ran by a little one fell off his scooter.  He was crying and I asked him if he was okay--I wanted to make sure his mommy was home.  He and his little sister started crying and ran away like I was some kind of monster.  It's kind of sad the way we condition our children.  On one hand, it's good to be cautious (and I'd probably want my kids to be leery too), but on the other hand, I'm one of their neighbors (I live just 2-3 blocks away and run past their house all the time).  What a world we live in.

Felt sluggish today. Squeezed in a quick run in the middle of cleaning house!

Feeling like I'm not ready for 6 days a week yet. Maybe next week. We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

Spring in Illinois is strange.  I awoke to the rumbling of thunder.  I patiently waited for it to subside, but every time I thought it was done, I'd hear another peal.  Finally, after 2 hours of being dressed and ready, I deemed it safe enough to run.  I abandoned my plans to run in the country (still pavement, but less boring) and decided to stay close to home and run the mile backwards and forwards.

A slow drizzle accompanied the first 3 miles, then a downpour started.  For some reason, the rain made it easier to run.  I think it's because all this week I've been running during the peak of the heat.  I was discouraged after Wed and Thurs--the humidity sapped my strength. 

Today's run was good though.  Nice and easy.  I finished in a little over 56 min. 

Stopped to stretch after 2.2 mi.  Felt tight.  I tried after yesterday's run to be more conscientious about stretching, but I probably needed more stretching.  I will be stretching more throughout the day today so I can be ready tomorrow.

Ran another mile after that.  It was hot, but the run was okay.  Nice and slow.

I ran to drop off the power bill.  The run was longer than I intended, but it was fine.  It was much cooler this morning.  Right after I dropped off the bill, I stretched before running back home.

Altogether the run took me 35 min.  About 9:20 pace.  It felt nice and easy.

Did a tempo run.  Not sure exactly how far but 2.7 is about right.  Mapmyrun doesn't show the park I ran to.  I'll fix it if I go out in the car to clock it. 

Pace was about 8:40. 

I ran and met everyone at Mary Alice park.  I planned my run beforehand so that I would pass the park once but continue on for another mile.  I was tempted to stop when I passed it the first time, but I kept going as planned.  Yay for me.

Took me 39:28.  A little less than 9:30 pace.  It felt easy.

This run was okay.  I wasn't feeling it during the last 1/2 mile, but I kept going depite that little voice that was telling me it would be okay to stop, that I'd done enough for the day.  That's the voice I'm worried about as I am slowly increasing mileage--the one that says, What the heck are you doing this for?  Why bother?  My problem is sometimes I am seduced by that voice... 

I left my watch at home because I wanted to just run without worrying how fast I was going.  It didn't do anything for me mentally, which was what I was hoping.  I feel better when I know my pace.

I was annoyed because my Nike + iPod thingie wasn't working.  I haven't used it since the fall and it never told me accurate distances anyway, but I wanted to use it for time so I could just hear the lady's voice tell me how much time had passed.   

Ran at Lake of the Woods.  I ran most of it with Kelsey, Dr. Rose, and Coach DeWitt  When we started off, I felt it was a good pace, but it was a little fast.  Maybe it was the hills.  Maybe it was because I'm not used to talking so much while running.

It was nice to run with someone for a change, though!

I'm logging it as 4, but I'm not sure the exact distance--it was at least 4.

This run felt good.  Only prob:  I think I need to hydrate earlier.  I waited until I'd completed 6 miles.

Time: roughly 65 min--I forgot to start my watch right away for the last mile.

This was a great run.  Greg and I did 3.1 easy (at 8:55 pace or so) and then we did the last mile in 7:56. 

I did the same run as Monday, except all at 8:50 pace.  I was proud of myself because I didn't think I'd be able to run that pace easily by myself. 

Ran through Swan Pond and down Barrypointe.  Pace:  9:20 avg. 

This run was approximately 4 mi.  I didn't wear my watch.

I'm logging as 3, but I think it was a little longer.  At Lake of the Woods running with some of the girls.  We wanted to go longer, but headed back because of lightning. 

It was refreshing to run in the rain though.

The run itself was okay, but the aftereffects were not.  I didn't have enough energy since I ran before dinner, wasn't real hydrated, the works.  You live, you learn, I guess.

It took me roughly 74 minutes to complete. 

Ran with Second Wind people. 

First mile was 8:14.  Next 3 were average 8:40.  Felt good.

Again an estimate.  Ran 45 min with some students.  At least 4.5, probably a bit more.

After a mile warmup, the rest was fartlek.

I'm logging this as 3, but it was probably more.  I spent some time on the treadmill at the hotel, hated every minute of it and then went outside for another 15 minutes.  My outside run was nice--I did a leisurely run down the hill that the hotel is on, and then pushed the pace back up.

I ran the usual loop twice, but each time I added 2 or 3 laps on the track because I didn't want to pass the house before doing my last mile. 

To avoid a disaster, I was good and ate a bite a little before I ran, and then I ran at about a 10 minute pace.  Too many cheese curds in Wisconsin this weekend.  The Neitzels love to eat.

Even though I experienced intermittent bouts of stomach cramps, the run was fine.  I barely even felt like I ran, so I think next week I can go a little faster.