2 On The Mill

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Well, after a weeks hiatus I am slowly getting back into this. I got up at 4:30 this morning instead of 4:05 but I felt good and felt like I got a good nights sleep. I still am working a lot and will be for the next week or two. Things are going good with the project though so my spirits are up.

I wanted to go for a run today when I went to bed last night, but it was going to be really cold and really windy and so was not very appealing to kick it back off on a morning like today. I then opted to get up and get to the gym and do some weights since I have taken the week off with that as well.

I had a good weight lifting session and felt full of energy, which was nice. I did want to run though so I cut my weight training a little short and headed over to the Dreadmill. I put in a couple miles, and for the Dreadmill they were good miles too, at a 9:18 pace. I felt strong and felt like I could keep going, I was just out of time..... plus - talk about boring! I don't know how you guys (Jim!) do 7 miles! I guess if I had a TV I could, but without that it is just too boring!

This was an important run to me. Even though it has only been 1 week, I still always wonder - is it going to be too hard - am I going to get discouraged - I can't run this far - how in the heck did I ever run a Half Marathon! But, as was proven today, I can take a week off and it won't hurt me, in fact in this case I think it did me a world of good and kept me from getting sick. Our bodies need rest and recovery time - note to self - Our bodies need rest and recovery time - have I ever said this before? - Our bodies need rest and recovery time!

Till next time - See you on the road!

The First 2 Miles

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The first two miles always seem to be a struggle to me. I know it is not physical, but it sure is mental. I take off, and it doesn't matter how far I am going I don't think I can do it. After the first mile it gets a little better, but I don't get completely past that mental block until I hit two miles.

This morning was no different, that first mile seemed to drag by, then the second mile got a little better. It is magical, once I passed the second mile I was confident I could go as far as I needed to. This mornings run was a 4 mile run. My run this morning went well, I just didn't feel like I had a lot of energy. I am thinking this is due to the added stress lately at work and the 10-12 hour days I have been putting in. Hopefully that will subside in the next couple weeks.

Following my Half Marathon on Saturday, I went for a 1 mile run with my daughter, Payton on Sunday. I was hurting pretty bad and it took everything I had to get moving. Once I got moving I was in pain but I was fine. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run with her, like I have so many times in the past. Following our 1 mile I went back out with my son, Brady for just over 1 mile of a walk/run. This was another nice time like the week before.

I took the next two days off to let my body recover and also because my ankle was starting to hurt again. I decided I would not put even one more mile in with my shoes. Tuesday evening I went and awarded myself with a new pair of shoes. I think I am also going to get a second pair of shoes as well so I can alternate between the two and see which ones I like better. I will let you know more about my shoes soon, and keep you posted on how I like the two shoes.

Well, I need to find myself a 10k to run in the next few weeks. I need to get a seeding time before March 16th so when I register for the 65,000 strong Peachtree Road Race I don't get so far back in the pack like last year that it takes me 45 minutes to cross the starting line. There is one this Saturday but I am just not sure that I want to do another race so soon.

Until next time...... thanks for following my Quest to a Marathon!

Fast Recovery &Thinking About Race Day

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Following all my previous runs of longer than 8 miles I was always hurting the following bad quite a bit. The muscle soreness felt good, but was always making itself well known. I know this was because I was going distances that I had not previously gone so I knew to expect it.

Well, today I woke up, somewhat expecting that same soreness, but I had no signs of putting in 12 miles yesterday. I guess that I am starting to reap the benefits of the miles I am putting in and the distances I am putting in. Since this was 12 miles, and I have done 13, and 14 on other occasions, this is telling me that my legs are starting to get used to these distances. I am sure on race day that will all change :) but that is to be expected.

I am really starting to think about race day a lot more now. I want to push myself but I don't want to overdo it at the beginning and cause myself to pay for it in the end. I really don't know what to do, it is different than any smaller race where if you mess up and go out to hard you only have to pay for it for a few miles, nothing like 13.1. I really would like to hit the sub 2 hours, but I am trying to keep myself convinced that this is my first, and just crossing the finish line will be a great reward itself.