Rekindled Love

After Thursday's 5 mile run, I was certain what I had thought was the the new love of my life had turned out to be merely a fling! This run was awarded "Top 3 Most Difficult" runs I have had while being down here. Now granted, I had a few decent 1-mile averages-- an 8:45 and an 8:35, and I finished the 5 miles in about 45 minutes. Maybe this was the cause of my misery or maybe it was the fact that every muscle in my core ached and was so sore that it hurt to run and breath, ha!  Two days prior, I took a 30 minute core class at a Golds Gym- the lady kicked my a**! Obviously this is an area I need to work on, lol. Either way, this run left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It made me start questioning my ability to stay focued on this training and even made me question whether I could handle the "little" 8 mile run I had today. I say "little" because I ran 12 last week and am scheduled to run 13 miles next week. Four whole miles less qualifies it as that!

I missed one run this week- a 4 miler, but I am already scheduling to make it up sometime this week. I didn't miss my treamill sprints, however :) I would have to say that I very much enjoy these! It keeps things interesting and challenging! You can really push yourself as hard as you would like- to the point of wantng to throw up makes you a badass, just fyi! I mean if you can't handle that, how are you going to handle 4 hours of continious running or better yet- the conditions of an ultra marathong?! (more no these later!) So I completed 10x 400m sprints while being entertained by some guy playing air guitar on the handrails of his stairmaster- to no music whatsoever, except what might have been in his head! As unusal and entertaining as this is, he has nothing on some of the other stuff I have seen down here! Guess the warm weather brings out the "best" in people HA ;)

I woke up somewhat dreading today's run. I still wasn't there mentally even though I tried to force myself to get prepared. I even watched the opening scene to Chariots of Fire to get my mind right (did not work..) I typically start my long run at about 445-5am (to beat some of the heat), but today I pushed it back almost to 6! I just couldn't make myself get going. As I made my way down the street into my first turn, I felt surprisingly good... legs felt strong and my stride was smooth. This instantly lifted my spirits and thoughts and from there on out my run continued to be smooth! I ran across a few hills from last week but knocked them out of the way with no problem. Maybe a little mental vacation from running was what I needed. I needed to realize what I was missing before I could appreciate it once again. Running and I have trust and a mutual understanding of one another ;) I need it and it needs me. Its amazing when love is mutual! I feel refreshed and ready to continue on with my training. :) Next up? 13 miles (next weekend)... eh, make that at LEAST 13.1, maybe even 13.5 :) I'm ready!!

NOTES of the DAY:
* Temperature: 81 degrees
*Song of the Day: "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park
*Tip of the Day:  "In a long run there are always peaks and valleys. If you're not into it, just keep going and chances are that the low feeling will pass." -Pam Reed
*Quote of the Day:  "I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." -Paula Radcliffe