After spending all day yesterday in bed trying to sleep off this cold I seem to have caught and then coughing and hacking myself through a day at work, I decided that there was no way I could pass up the only 50 degree day in the foreseeable future and headed out after work for my longest run to day: 5 miles. I was having no luck on the computer trying to map out a route as all of the mapping sites seemed to have failed on me this afternoon, nevertheless I changed at work and left in my car to map out 5 miles near the high school track. There wound up being a perfect 3 mile bow-tie shaped loop that ended at the school track where I figured I could finish up with 2 quick miles around. I packed my pockets with cough drops and started hiking up the hill from where I parked my car to the cross street that marked the start of my route. I was worried starting as I felt a little winded just walking up the hill so I popped in a throat lozenge as I hit the street and started to run. For the first mile it was mostly uphill though not at too steep of a grade, the road was fairly deserted and I passed another runner and a walker going in the opposite direction pretty soon into the run, but after that I was on my own other than a couple of people outside at their homes. Running along a new route was refreshing for my mind and although I was definitely maintaining a fairly slow pace, the time was flying by. After the first mile the road that I turned onto leveled out for a bit as I went by a bunch of fields and past some rushing streams overflowing from all of today’s melted snow. At the two mile mark I began a pretty steady downhill which felt good for my legs to pick up some speed and time was still flying by, I was out of the brisk wind that I had been running into up until that point and I took off my outer jacket and enjoyed the feeling of the sun beaming down onto my bare arms as I descended the hill. As I reached the bottom of the hill and turned for a brief uphill that would finish up my 3 mile loop and bring me to the school track I was in the shadow of the valley and the wind had picked up again so I put the coat back on; nevertheless the thought that I had been able to run in just a t-shirt, albeit briefly, was a cheerful one that really gave a lift to my spirits. As I crossed the field towards the track, I realized that my decision to cut across there rather than climbing the hill and going through parking lot was going to cost me some cold wet feet and a chance for blisters, but I was having such a good run at that point that I just shrugged it off figuring that I needed to learn how to run in wet shoes sooner or later. As my feet hit the track I started a countdown of the laps to go, 8, 7, 6, 5, the first four laps flew by as I reached the four mile mark and headed into the first lap of my fifth mile knowing that I really was going to run further than ever before. Midway through the 5th lap my knees felt a little achy but I adjusted my stride a little bit and soon the aches had faded away into the previous laps. Before I knew it I was on my last lap and I put the afterburners on to hurry myself around to my mental finish line. I was breathless as I finished my 5 miles but felt very accomplished at the same time and I hadn’t even had a coughing attack the entire time! I have no idea of my pace, I know that even when I was going downhill I felt slow and I hadn’t bothered to bring my watch or mp3 player or anything to track the time with, however for how crappy I felt yesterday and today as well, to be able to finish 5 miles and have them feel as easy as if I had run just 3, or 4 felt like quite the victory to me. Mentally it makes me feel much more confident about my looming first 10k race. The other great mental boost that I received was from the thought somewhere midway through my run that generally if I was sick I would happily take it as an excuse to curl up in bed with a book and some warm blankets and do a whole lot of nothing. Today, however, was different, I really wanted to get this run in, I couldn’t imagine skipping this run or missing out on this beautiful day. Even when I knew it meant that I certainly wouldn’t garner any sympathy points later in the evening if I then didn’t want to do something because I was sick after running 5 miles, I still didn’t want to pass up this run. To top it all off I felt good during the run, really good, better than I had since getting sick and it has lasted into the evening as well. Once again it’s amazing what a little fresh air can do for the one’s spirits and one’s health.
A choppy badly written post stolen from my 10k training thread on kickrunners. No sooner did I wish for a training group to support me a couple weeks ago then I looked online the next day and there it was. We’re all doing our races around the same time though we’re following different plans and are at different places. I wanted to remember this run from Monday night, though I don’t feel like typing up a real report this far after the fact, it was just one of those perfect feeling runs that left me feeling good for the rest of the night and reminded me of why I keep on running and pushing myself just that little bit further…
I’m getting up there in mileage on my shoes too and am going to need a new pair soon; breaking them in before my race would probably be a good idea too…
I did my long run today, 4 miles, and also followed it up with a full body weight workout since I was a day behind on my training schedule, just couldn’t get myself moving yesterday. I was starting to get worried about my 10k because my last few runs on the treadmill have all been so not fun and hard to get through. Fortunately the weather smiled on me today and was in the low 40s and perfect to run in. Unfortunately snow is back on the forecast tomorrow. Being outside today really made a difference though, not only was the 4 miles the easiest 4 miles I’ve run so far, but I was really enjoying myself and was at least a minute per mile faster than I have been on the treadmill, and that was without an mp3 player or anything, just me and the road. Yay! I’m feeling good again about the race.
I’ve been lax about creating entries here as of late. I’ve actually been more active than usual but somehow that hasn’t equated to more writing. Partially I’ll chalk that up to the fact that now that I have been devoting an hour on average 6 days a week to some sort of exercise, I haven’t wanted to further isolate myself at home by typing away on the computer when my boyfriend wants to be spending time together; it also feels good to be getting this much me time on a regular basis which makes me want to spend more together time with him.
I did wind up joining the gym I tried out in my last entry; I liked the feel of the place, the location and the price, so all in all it seemed like a good deal. When I signed up one of the trainers walked me through some of the weight machines and showed me a basic full body weight routine that I can do in a fairly short period of time. I’ve been doing it as the strength days in my training schedule and it seems to be working alright for me. I would like to get a second opinion on what I should be focusing on as a runner, but for the time being I think this one will do for a newbie like me. I’ve been doing well at sticking to my training schedule now that I have no excuse to skip workouts because of the weather or not having something to crosstrain on. The downside is that it’s easier to talk myself into running on the treadmill inside than it is to talk myself into running outside. It’s idiosyncratic because I don’t enjoy running on the treadmill, while I do enjoy being outside and covering ground, nevertheless it’s hard to overcome the desire to not freeze my ass off running on snow covered streets. I’m trying to keep a balance and do my short runs inside and pick the nicest day of the week to do my longer run outside where I won’t be mind numbingly bored. My 10k is a month away (5 weeks) and I’m a little nervous right now about how I’ll do, but that’s to be expected I suppose. As I kick up my mileage in the next few weeks hopefully some confidence will settle in as well.
Continuing on my 10k journey today, I needed to get a run in and unfortunately the weather outside had already turned miserable, wet, cold and slippery by early afternoon. I left work early for a doctor’s appointment about my mysterious back pain again. The doctor seemed fairly stumped by everything I told her and didn’t have much to offer in the way of a diagnosis, possibly indigestion of some sort. She gave me some new medication to try and scheduled another appointment for a month from now to see if it helps. It’s frustrating because like with the physical therapy, I didn’t have an episode during the month that I was doing the therapy and so they called it a success and sent me on my way, however the pain is just not that predictable. Maybe it’ll happen this month, maybe not, how am I to know if the medication is really the cause if I am pain free for the month? The only thing I do know is that if I do still have one of these episodes while trying this medication the Dr. is going to send me to a specialist of some sort because I’ve got her totally stumped. But anyway, I digress, after the appointment there was a coat of snow on my car and I decided to finally check out one of the gyms around here and see what they had to offer. I was going to go to the Y but chickened out when I saw a lot of cars in the parking lot and instead I went to the Lakeshore Fitness center instead. I was a little unsure where to go at first when I got there, the place was fairly deserted, but once I got pointed in the right direction the guy at the fitness desk was very helpful and was able to answer all of my questions for me and let me work out for free today to get a feel for the place. I mentioned that whenever I drive by the parking lot is always full and he confirmed my suspicions that those cars are mostly for soccer/hockey/lacrosse games that are held at the facility and that the fitness center itself doesn’t tend to get real crowded most times. I’m still going to check out the Y, but right now I’m thinking that I’m going to go with this place, the rates are pretty reasonable and after I settled into my run at the treadmill I felt comfortable in the space. Unfortunately I got my training schedule mixed up (only on the 2nd day, that takes talent) and I only ran 2 miles when I was actually scheduled for 2.5. Running on the treadmill was something I hadn’t done for years and so it took me some getting used to to figure out the right speed and incline for me and such, but as usual once I got a mile into the run I settled down and felt pretty good. After running outside in the cold for the past couple months though I got hot and sweaty real fast in that space. Definitely a note to self to wear less clothing next time I go. Since I mixed up my days I figure I’ll just substitute the 2.5 I was supposed to do today for the 2 mile run that is on the schedule for Thursday. Tomorrow though I’m somewhat stumped as to what to do. It’s my first cross training day and it’s certainly not going to bike riding or hiking sort of weather outside as the snow and sleet is supposed to continue all night and all day tomorrow. I might go to the Y after work and see if I can get a look at that place and use the equipment there for a free workout tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’m not too familiar with all the advances gym equipment has made since the last time I stepped foot into one (high school?). I’m sure I can figure out any cardio equipment, but I hate looking foolish in front of people, even if I don’t know them. I am very self conscious by nature and it’s a hard flaw to fight.
By the time I finished my run at the gym it was still earlier than I would have gotten out of work had I not left early and so I headed home and got in my full weights and core routine which made me feel really good to be getting back on a schedule after the last couple of weeks. Now however I feel a migraine coming on and I’m just hoping that doesn’t throw off all of my plans for tomorrow. I was kinda hoping for a snow day but the weather just isn’t that bad out there for all the hype the weathermen were giving this storm, so we’ll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.
I decided to take a mental health day on Friday to clear my head of all the personal matters that have been at the forefront of my mind constantly lately. Even so I found myself awake fairly early in the morning and wound up passing some time browsing the Fingerlakes Runners club website again for races. I checked the date for the Skunk Cabbage classic and plotted the course into the gmap pedometer and reassured myself that it would be an easy course and that I would be able to handle it when it came around. I realized then that with just about 2 months to go until the race I really needed to buckle down with my training and start seriously getting in my mileage every week. This line of thought then brought me to the Hal Higdon 10k training plan and as I compared it to the calendar, I realized I was perfectly aligned to start the plan and have my race fall on the day the plan lays out for a 10k race. I loaded all of the workouts into Google Calendar and set reminders for myself to keep on track. I wish I had a support group like I had when going through the C25k, as I’ve noted before being held accountable to someone else (whether there are any real repercussions or not) really helps to keep me motivated and chugging along. Unfortunately for all the entertainment that Kick provides, training group support like I found on CR just isn’t there. I might have to browse some of the other running boards that are around and see if there is a community like what I’m looking for somewhere.
Technically the 10k training plan starts on a Monday with stretching and strength training, however I decided to do a 3 mile run this weekend since that is what my first few weeks of weekend runs are during this plan. I had picked up some new warm running clothes at Target on clearance and so I headed out to the bird sanctuary Saturday afternoon, figuring that I hadn’t run there in a while. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was still a good bit of snow on the trails there and so I bundled up and started off as flurries fell from the sky along with icicle drops from the trees above me. My first few laps were uneventful if slow, I’m hoping that it was just running on the snow and ice that was slowing my pace down, I know my mileage hasn’t been where it should be, but I feel like I’m getting slower lately rather than faster. I can’t wait for spring to finally get here so that I can really get out of the house and do some serious running. On my third lap I was nearing the end of the boardwalk section that is a long wooden bridge sort of structure that runs over a swampy section when I felt my balance get thrown off, I reached out with my left arm and grabbed the railing I was running alongside and managed to slide a little bit prevent myself from actually falling. My shoulder definitely felt wrenched a little bit, but not too bad. I continued on my run and as I reached my arm up to stretch it out and make sure that my shoulder was in fact okay, I came around the last turn of the boardwalk and down again I went, this time totally busting my ass and landing hard on my right wrist. I was more annoyed with myself for getting my new running jacket dirty than I was about falling so I figured that meant that I couldn’t be too badly injured and dusted myself off and threw myself into the final lap of my run. On the last go around I was extra careful on the boardwalk and managed to avoid any further injury to my body or my dignity and finished my run without any further incidents. After that run I think I might have to swear off this particular trail until the snow melts, I haven’t broken any bones thus far in my life and I don’t really see any reason to start now.
Stretching and strength training today, getting back into the routine that I was doing during the VRAA, tomorrow calls for an easy 2 mile run but unfortunately the weathermen are calling for a winter storm warning and several inches of snows coming down all day tomorrow. I’m thinking I’ll bring my running clothes to work with me and head to the Y after work and get in those two miles. It doesn’t cost much to go there just for the day and it’ll be worth it to use a treadmill and also to check the place out and get some rates to see if it will be worth my while to join, especially since I don’t want to miss workouts as I head towards my first 10k race. On the other racing front Sara and David want to run an adventure race with me! Yay! April 20th is The Savage sprint adventure race down in Delaware and looks like it will be a lot of fun and a good learning experience for future adventure racing endeavors.
I just found this draft hanging around figured I would post it up rather than deleting it even though it predates my last entry.
Last week was a bad one. Coming off of the good run at the rec way the previous Saturday I didn’t manage to get a single run in all week, I even fell off of my yoga and core work that I had been doing religiously since the VRAA started. Starting Sunday night I felt somewhat nauseous and that feeling lasted through most of the week. It came and went in waves, leaving me unsure as to whether I was actually sick or not. I left work early on Monday (a day I had wanted to go for a run) and wound up sleeping most of the day and night away. I woke up in the middle of the night still nauseous and threw up finally. I called out of work for Tuesday at that point, but unfortunately it didn’t do much to relieve the nausea. I slept for much of Tuesday as well, again alternating between feeling ok and waves of nausea and dizziness, particularly after I ate food. Wednesday I decided I had to go to work since I hadn’t been sick to my stomach again since Monday night, but the same bad feelings kept coming through the next couple of days. Friday I finally decided that maybe I should see a doctor, and was prepared to go in Saturday morning but I woke up feeling good and have been fine ever since. Weird illness, glad it’s over though I wish I knew what had caused it, the dizziness was not fun to try and work through. This all started after I tried a new weight routine Sunday morning which has somewhat scared me away from my weights and I haven’t picked them up again since that day. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself since I was pushing myself harder in more directions for the VRAA than I had been previously and if this was my body’s way of saying give me a break then I’m certainly going to listen to it. It was just a shame that this happened in the last week of the competition when I would’ve really like to have been putting up points for my team. As it was though, it looked like with the sudden gusto that I had thrown myself into the yoga/core/weights/xtraining stuff I had actually outperformed the BAIT level I had signed up for, very surprising considering my running has been so sporadic with the weather and such. All in all the VRAA was a great motivator and I look forward to the next one in nicer weather where I can really get out there and run, because that’s what this really is all about, the other points were just icing on the cake. It would’ve been nice to win, but I’ll be satisfied with our middle of the pack finish for this time at least. Now to keep the training mentality going when I am again without a group to motivate me onward.
The mile. Words to bring fear to my heart throughout middle and high school. Always The mile, not to be confused with any other mile or distance. Like clockwork every spring and fall in gym class we would have to go though the various Presidential physical fitness tests. I always enjoyed the shuttle-run, a quick burst of speed and it was over, the sit and reach was cake since I am blessed with being pretty flexible, sit-ups were okay, they were done and over within 40 seconds. Pull-ups were never fun, but once you were a female past the age of 13 or so you weren’t actually expected to be able to do even one, so there was no pressure there. All of these tests alone were fine and well enough, it was better than square dancing, that was for sure, but then there was the final test. The mile run. Outside to the football stadium we would go, for a week or maybe two prior to the running we would go out there for gym class every day running and walking intervals or whatever the teachers told us to do. Despite their admonitions to not walk at a “mall pace,” we of course would, welcoming this opportunity as an extra free period to walk and talk and relax with our friends, especially if it was a pleasant spring day. The day would always come, though, that the class would form a huddled mass at the starting line until the gym teacher would yell go and click the start button on his/her stopwatch. Off we would go like a stampeding herd, always sprinting out hoping to get these four laps over and done with, but alas, fatigue would always set it in. Some years were better than others, sometimes it would strike early on the backstretch, sometimes it would take a full lap, but then the mind games would set in and you’d start bargaining with yourself, if I can just run to the 50 yard line I’ll walk until the next straightaway, walk this lap and then run the next, run half walk half, anything to stop running, especially if it was cold and the air was burning my lungs, but also if it was hot and running meant being sweaty and gross for the rest of the school day. On top of the mental games was the peer pressure, it wasn’t right to leave your friend behind (perhaps this was different if you’re friends were athletic), if they slowed to a walk how could you keep on going ahead, and pass up the opportunity to socialize and talk? Being lapped hurt the ego, at that point it was easier from a self-preservation point of view to attach an I couldn’t care less about this stupid class attitude that said ‘Sure you can run an 8 minute mile but I really couldn’t be bothered to try.’ One time I ran a sub-10 minute mile in the 6 years of taking the test. It was the only time that I ran all 4 laps straight through without stopping, it was a fall test coming off of a tennis season that had had me training all summer long and it was the only year that I didn’t have any close friends in my gym class.
At the time I hated the gym teachers for making us do this, it all seemed so pointless, a waste of time, why couldn’t we play hockey or something more constructive than running around in circles. Partially I do still blame them for the way it was organized, they offered nothing in the way of coaching other than to yell out split times as you went by or to tell you that you had to so many laps in x amount of time for today’s class. The emphasis was on speed, no mention of pacing other than to avoid walking at their so-called “mall pace.” When I first began the C25k plan I really saw how different gym class could have been, but I guess when you’re lumping kids together of a wide variety of abilities, athletes and couch potatoes alike, it’s hard to craft a plan that is good for everyone. At that age I doubt there is much that a teacher can do to account for the social pressures either. There were always the fast kids making bets with each other on who would finish first, but there were also the slow kids who didn’t run and didn’t want to be left behind by their friends either.
With all of these thoughts running through my head, my legs are taking me around and around the high school track that is up the street from my house. It is dark, I can’t tell if it is snowing or raining and it is chilly, but nevertheless I keep moving hitting the lap button on my watch each time I complete a loops, 2 laps, 4 laps, 8 laps, 16. More laps than I could have ever imagined doing back in high school, not just for the endurance aspect of it, but becaue why would I ever want to do something so mind numbing, so pointless. Sure I had run 4 miles but where did that really get me? I don’t know when the shift happened but somewhere mid-college I decided that I didn’t hate running anymore, I would find myself with an all-encompassing desire to run at random times, short bursts mostly and never planned, I wasn’t a runner yet, but something inside me had changed. Despite my outward appearance and relative level of unfitness I think that my body is inclined towards athleticism. I have a tenacity to keep going, I am constantly making and breaking deals with myself while running, “Just run to the next street and then I’ll turn back towards the start…well I’ve already come this far, I might as well go just one more block,” and so on and so forth, it keeps my mind occupied and encourages me to keep going because as long as I’m meeting my goals, why should I stop?
Unfortunately although my endurance is much improved, my speed isn’t any better than it was in high school, mile for mile. Granted if I was just running one mile I’m sure I would be a bit faster, but I slow myself down worrying that it’s not just one mile I need to get through but 4. Back to the other night at the track, I had gone out intending to run 4 miles but I got frustrated early on by the little things, my ear buds kept falling out, my t-shirt was too long, my hair wouldn’t stay in a pony tail. I felt like every couple steps I had to adjust something else on my body. As I neared the end of my 2nd mile I was about ready to call it quits but figured I would reverse my direction and try to make it to 3 miles, not the 4 I was planning, but close enough. As I changed directions and headed back down the straightaway thinking to myself that despite my thoughts of returning home, it was such a good feeling to be able to run 2 miles with such relative ease compared to all of those mile runs back in high school. Coming out of my next lap I see that two woman have appeared on the track walking at a good clip in the opposite direction I was moving in. Because we were moving in different directions I passed them twice on every lap around but I was in my world and they in theirs and in the dark it was hard to really see each other anyway even as we passed, as I neared the end of my 3rd mile I willed myself to keep going and finish the original 4 that I had inteded, after all I figured, if those middle-aged women can be out here in these conditions and still going ’round and ’round than I sure as hell can too. I hit my lap button and continued on, starting the 4th mile and picking up my pace a bit on each successive lap. I had a few weird treadmill trance like moments in the dark where it looked like the lines of the track below me were moving past and I was standing still, but one leg in front of the other I kept speeding up racing myself towards my finish line and the 4 mile mark, thinking to myself that even more amazing than the fact that 1 mile is so easy now is that 4 miles is so much easier than it was to run 3 back when I finished the C25k. I hit my finish line and turn heel to walk the other way to finish my cool-down lap, the women close enough behind me to hear their discussions now that my mp3 player was off. I thought about saying hi or commenting on the warm spell we were having but instead I walked in silence and thanked them in my head for being out there that night and providing the encouragement I needed to keep myself going, I was happy for their presence even though they had no idea.
Winter blues are taking their toll; my mood, my runs, my writing, all are taking a permanent seat on the back burner as of lately. A new month has begun though, one month closer to spring, to warmth, to daylight. I’m trying to jumpstart myself this month, knowing that February is usually the greyest worst month of the year considering how short it usually is (And this is a leap year, it’ll just be longer!). I did manage to get back out to the rec way trail again and did a full 4 mile run with another mile walking to warmup/cooldown a week ago or so. I had to work a Saturday anyway and figured that while I was already downtown I might as well put my gas mileage to good use. I parked down the hill and started at the furthest end (the only part of the trail that I hadn’t previously run). It was chilly and snow flurries were predicted, but I bundled up and headed out. The views from this section of the trail were spectacular and there was a house nestled back in there that aroused some definite jealousy pangs. I reach the first half mile marker and start off at a slow pace going slightly uphill. Chugging along thinking to myself that this uphill isn’t so bad, come around the corner and bam, vertical. Ok, one foot in front of the other, up and up and up. As I neared the top I stopped to walk for a minute for a twofold reason, I felt that I needed to stretch out my right calf, it felt tighter than usual, and at that point I figured I could hike up the hill faster than I was running so what was the point? At the top the trail joins the trail that I usually run and I take off running again knowing that it will be slightly uphill for the next mile and a half until my turn around but that it should be easy sailing for my return leg of the trek. Flurries start to fall but I’m feeling warmed up and good at this point so I don’t mind too terribly. Other runners are out and offering nods and waves, just the encouragement that I need to reach my turn-around point. Heading back now the journey to the park where the two paths diverge feels much shorter, I enter my steep descent back to my start knowing that I want my feet to move fast but I also wanted to maintain some semblance of form and control. I think I balanced those needs well. I reach the bottom of the descent and my feet strike level ground again and there goes my momentum, my legs are suddenly tired. The marker I’m scanning the trail ahead of me for that marks my 4 mile point suddenly seems a lot further from the steep section of the trail than I remember. One foot in front of the other, no sense in quitting now so close to my goal, plus I’m running late on my day now, my pace having been a bit slower than I had expected due to walking up that hill. Finally I am there and as I slow my legs and stretch out my body I feel good for having run through the flurries and the cold. A woman passes me with her dog and I recognize both from previous excursions on this route, she smiles and I smile back and know that in this town the weather is an impediment only as much as you let it be. My only regret for the day is that I didn’t stop to catch a snowflake on my tongue.
Saturday morning and the temperatures were nosediving, 25 when I checked and not forecasted to get any warmer. I bundled myself up and decided to go somewhere different for a change of pace and set off to the rec way for some off the road running. I gave myself a leisurely 1/2 mile warm-up walk with some vestiges of snow cruching underneath my shoes. I was cold, my fingers especially were feeling it as I set off running. I was surprised by how many people were out and about in the cold, but I guess when you grow up here you have to get used to it or else stay inside for a good portion of the year. There were a bunch of dog walkers as usual and a few parents out with their kids for a hike, happy to trade smiles as I ran by. When I hit halfway down the trail or so I started to come across other runners, mostly going in the opposite direction and giving a nod and a wave. I was feeling good by this time and unzipped the vents on the sides of my jacket and a little further down off came my hat. It was encouraging to know that on my coldest run to date I was dressed more than appropriately and could handle a little bit colder even. I reached the end of the brown trail, the furthest I had run on this trail all summer, touched the gate and turned around to head back. Not long after a girl came up running from behind me and scared the crap out of me, so oblivious was I in my own little soundtracked running world. After that I couldn’t quite get my bliss back I kept feeling like someone else was going to come up behind me which was a somewhat uneasy feeling to run with. By the time I hit the 3 mile mark my legs were getting a little tired but I pushed it out to the 4 mile mark and felt good for having done so. I think in the future I might run from the opposite end to start with because there was a slight gradual incline the whole way back that I really would have preferred on the way out rather than when my legs were getting tired on the return trip. MLK day is tomorrow and so I have the day off from work and will be happy to get another daylight run in. I might try to head to the Skunk Cabbage route for the first time tomorrow since I’ll have the time. Temps are going to be about the same as yesterday, but as long as it’s light out I really don’t mind the cold so much. I was happy to notice this past week that the days are getting a little longer again, when 5 rolls around it’s not pitch black outside yet. After the run I got in my weight and core routine and then passed out for most of the day with a killer migraine. Today I took as a rest day, might get some yoga in later but right now the boys are watching the Packers/Giants game and I don’t think they’d take kindly to me commandeering the TV for that reason.
My birthday dawned beautifully as the warm streak continued. I had taken an extended weekend from work and had the day to do with as I pleased and so after a very pleasant lunch picnic down by the lake I decided to gift myself with a nice run. I headed out for 3 quiet miles along the creek alone with my thoughts and the music in my ears. It was so nice to run in the light and the warmth, it was one of my more pleasant runs in a while, nothing spectacular about it, just peaceful and exactly what I needed. Contrast that with my run earlier this week along the same route and I just couldn’t do it. I did the 3 miles in full, but I had to walk part of the way and I just couldn’t get the dead feeling out of my right leg. I was glad to finish and as I went into the last 3/4 of a mile snowflakes started falling and I think I finished fairly strongly, still it was hard to shake the feeling of a bad run and I was disapointed in myself at the end. The fact that I hadn’t run in a week I’m sure had something to do with it however, so I knew in the back of my mind that I really only had myself to blame for that one.
On the positive side, participating in the VRAA challenge has been a great motivational tool for me. Even when I’m not out there running I feel obligated to get myself moving doing something just so that I can notch some points for the day. Our team is middle of the pack and pretty steadily there, so I definitely want us to succeed. I got my yoga tapes out, I bought some weights and I’ve been doing core exercises religiously. I’m definitely feeling better about myself already just from the short time that I’ve been doing it and if this was the spark that I needed, it couldn’t have come at a better time. There’s a 5k up near ‘cuse at the beginning of February and I think that’s the race that I’ve been looking for. I’m having a hard time justifying the drive to myself, I’ll be driving there and back almost 3 times longer than I’ll be running, but at the same time, I’ve been looking for a 5k race to do and it sounds like a lot of fun from what I’ve heard. I’ll need to give it some thought, a couple of the KR folks will probably be there too and at the Skunk Cabbage that I’m training for. Don’t know if we’d meet up or not though.
