Monday, 73 minutes, 8.21 miles (2.13 miles walking)
What an AMAZING run.
I have no idea what one thing made the difference, the temperature, staying hydrated, or my amazing new shirt but I felt so strong.
My heart rate never got up too high. The hills felt challenging but not killer. Then at the end of the run I felt so good that I just let it rip. I loved this run.
Tuesday, 73 minutes, 8.22 miles (2.09 miles walking)
The cooler temperatures stuck around another day, even cooler than Monday. I still felt good on this run although without the pep. I started to hear some negative thoughts a few miles in. After checking my watch I saw that my heart rate was well within the decent range. The phrase “systems check” popped in my brain so I ran with it. I checked in to how the different “systems” in my body felt and realized that I felt fine. So I kept going and enjoyed it.
Wednesday, 25 minutes, 3.02 miles (1.84 miles walking)
I got out bright and early this morning to get this run in before I helped Mom by picking up a catering order. Things felt fairly ordinary although the pace surprised me. I thought perhaps that I ran a bit faster but I got in the run to start the day. Maybe I will become a morning runner again some time.
For strength training, we headed to the gym. I have seen my gym do a great job with making sure to keep things clean and to abide by social distancing rules so I felt comfortable heading in so we could use different machines. We went heavy on arms and I joked to Mom that Ellis was trying to make it so we couldn’t eat because we would not be able to lift our forks to our mouths. The only thing that marred the experience was one of the trainers and a manager coming over and asking if Ellis was training us and then telling us that we couldn’t do that. What? I spoke up and explained that we were family. “Oh. Okay.” That got awkward fast. After being a member for nearly 11 years and strength training with Mom and Ellis for almost 5 to have this happen left a bad taste in my mouth.
Thursday, 73 minutes, 8.21 miles, (2.10 miles walking)
What an amazing surprise of a run. When I checked the weather before the run and saw the near 80 degree temp, I resigned myself to a run not quite as good as earlier this week. Since my main goal is time on my feet, I did not feel defeated by this. I grabbed hydration for the first time this week and headed out, ready to get the miles in.
My legs felt great from the start, strong and solid. I filed that away and kept running at a regular effort. Though I debated walking at the miles (since I felt so good), I went ahead with the plan. Instead of slowing me down, it felt like it sped me up!
I realized that I’m finally building that marathon base that I’ve needed for years.
Friday, 6.19 for Juneteenth, 6.90 miles (2.11 miles walking)
I talked so much through this run that my mind completely forgot to pay attention my pace. Mom and I had so much fun on this run even with the deep, fairly historical topics we covered. At one point Mom asked me how she would learn about history when I moved. Don’t worry. PhD work won’t come for several years. I felt strong throughout, especially since I ran 14 minutes less than normal. I wanted to get that distance specifically today.
Saturday, Half marathon, 13.70 miles, (1.31 miles walking)
Even though this run went slower than my half marathon distances I never felt completely spent. I actually did not pay attention to our pace at all throughout the run. At one point, Mom mentioned that I had increased my speed which I found ironic because I had purposefully tried to slow down at that point. Whoops. Although I felt fairly good throughout the run, I kept paying attention to my left shin which has been a bit cranky lately. I felt it at a couple points on the run and each time I did, I focused on pushing through my glutes.
Sunday, maintain the streak, 2.00 miles (3.36 miles walking)
Again, I thought for sure that my legs would feel more tired than they did when I set off. I ran a little bit longer to make sure that I made it to 50 miles for the week.