Back to it...

Rest week is officially over. Ran a nice slow 3 miles this morning (10:17 pace). Felt pretty good considering I'm coming off the rest week. I'm trying to ease back into it slowly so I don't get injured.

I signed up for another half marathon yesterday, so training for that starts late July. Just going to spend the next 4 weeks getting prepared for the training plan. My calves are a little tight, but other than that I feel good. Hopefully this rest week will help me come back not only stronger, but more motivated?? My motivation has been a little less than stellar lately! But a nice rest week, then signing up for another half should help. I have some mixed feelings about the half. I'm not sure why. Maybe because i've done it, and i know what I'm getting myself into this time. I'm thinking.... really? Do I REALLY want to go through that again? Would be much easier if my job didn't work me to death most days...

Rest Week

Starting tomorrow, I am on a planned rest WEEK, if you can believe it. I've been training pretty hard this last year, and it's time to take a mini vacation to allow my body to fully rest & recover. Hopefully, this will mean I will come back even stronger. I think this will be beneficial not only physically, but pyschologically as well. Things haven't been the same since the Mini and I think that this will help me re-set before I attempt another half marathon. The thought of going back into training with those long ass runs is a little less than exciting right now. I have to remember that when I decided to train for the last half, I had a much less demanding job. So I guess I have a lot more on my plate now, and knowingly committing myself to a killer 12 week training plan is a little daunting.

A good run...

I had a good run today. Still warm out, but I went out early enough before it got too hot. I've noticed that the mindset that I have when I start my runs dictate what kind of run I'm going to have. Today I knew I was doing 5 miles, and I purposefully kept my pace slow. Actually, a lot a slower pace than I've been training at lately. The other thing I did was keep my pace very even, which I have also not been doing a good job of lately. The spread for the paces of each mile was only a 5 second spread. Pretty steady, I'd say!

This summer, my plan is to train at different paces instead of aiming for the same pace on each run. In addition, I've started some sprints during my strength training sessions, but I'd like to incorporate more on my running days as well. These 2 changes should make a huge difference in my running, in terms of speed, but I think also just in general making me a stronger runner.

5 mile race report

After much debated & indecision, I finally bit the bullet and decided to do the 5 mile race downtown last night. It started at 7 pm so you would think it would have cooled off enough, but unfortunately that was not the case. It was extremely muggy and probably in the mid to upper 80s. I am not used to running in this warmer weather either.

I really bombed on my time. I ran the first 2 miles pretty fast (well, fast for me anyway). I think the first mile was 9:18 and the second was 9:25. I stopped for water at mile 2 and it was all down hill after that. I would run for a little while but then I'd have to stop & walk. This was pretty much the was it was for the last 3 miles of the race. Everyone around me was doing the same thing. The heat & humidity was just unbearable. I am still happy with my time given how much of the course I walked. But obviously I did not have a good PR and my training run last Sunday was a full 4 minutes faster!

All I can say is this is the first time I have EVER walked any part of a race!! Including the half marathon. So you know it was pretty brutal if I gave in and started walking. I was a little frustrated during the race, but it helped to see everyone around me in the same boat.

Moral to the story: I need to condition myself for running in this weather before I attempt another race. Having said that, it was really nice to be in another race, and despite everything, I enjoyed the event. One I'll never forget, that's for sure. It does get me excited about signing up for something else though.

This is today's title

I hate coming up with titles for all these entries! Well, I've been extremely busy with work (again) and have been barely able to squeeze in those workouts! But I'm hanging in there. I am still on the fence about this Saturday night. There is a 5 mile run I would like to do, but there is so much going on right now that I'm not sure I'm up to it.

Oddly enough, Sunday I ran 5 miles faster than I have ever run it before. Kind of suprised myself. When I looked at my Garmin at the end of the run, I was shocked, then happy, then I was like "no wonder that was so hard! I was booking it!" I am still amazed at how I continue to improve. At some point I will level off, but let's hope that is way in the distance!

So right now, here is the focus:

1. Lose those last goshdarn 10 or so pounds, for goodness gracious! Get on it, girl!
2. Improve the 5K time (always a goal)
3. Continue to work on base mileage until the end of July
4. Start 1/2 marathon training again at the end of July
5. uh, um... I need to take care of my shin, get back to the stretching & icing. I've been remiss lately and my leg is feelin' it.