horo-RUN

I know I've been slacking....the next two weeks will be focused on getting back into a routine so I can begin training again (I stopped to think about that - if I really NEED something to get me going again and it feels good to actually think that I don't! I might always need a little break after training and running a race (different from racing!), and it just so happens that now it's approaching time to start training if I'm going to run Akron in September!!). Anyway, so I went for a run this morning (another tangent - it was so nice to leave in the afternoon work and know I'd already run! woo!) and I'll admit....it's been hard. I'm paying for my weeks off. My pace is off and just my normal ish is MIA, but as I was running, I began to think about how aside from "getting it done," a morning run is such a good predictor of the day...even better, let's say, than your horoscope (not to say I don't live by mine...).

When I started my run this morning, it felt fresh and good and I naturally thought, "This is easy. I've got this." It's not long, however, before I realize - ohhhh boy I'm going too fast! There are the mind games that throw me, the good songs that lift me, the ups and the downs. When I count the landmarks, it crawls by, but when I lose myself in the song, in my natural thoughts and I'm just running, just being - it's so perfect! When I know the final incline up before I'm done is coming, as always, I psych myself out...waiting, knowing, anticipating..but then I remind myself that I can do it, that I've done it before, and that I, of course, will do, because aside from how easy it would be to stop and give up...I know I can't.

And that's exactly how my days go these days, so as you can imagine, it feels pretty good see it end as a success all before 7am :O)!

Opposites Attract

When I first committed to running this half-marathon, one of the biggest reasons was that I wanted to commit to something BIG, that would require time and persistence, and follow through. It may sound basic....just stick with it, but it's much bigger than that for me.

I am all done with school on Friday, meaning today marked my final morning run! Weeks ago I made a plan: Run Tuesdays morning. I stuck to my plan. I feel really good about it!! I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed them and while I'm okay with taking a break from them, it's really good to know I can do it....and like it! A teeny part of me may even miss them, considering they were the perfect excuse to run x amount of minutes and not feel guilty about not changing that...!

hot hot hot!

I was recently asked about my thoughts on how running in the summer would play out. I purposely chose to run my half-marathon in September so that I could use my summertime to train, but apparently, when I made that decision, I hadn't remembered that summer was, in fact, the warmest season here in the US. I ran this morning before work and it was HOT. Just another milestone, I guess, but if you can't run at 6AM, when can you run!? Since I didn't get to run with my running buddy this week, here is a picture for her (and everyone else) of what I look like lately following a run:

In other news, I have a 4.5 mile run planned for this Saturday. Despite my warm weather concerns (although who are we kidding..my run will be sadly likely to take place in the early AM hours...womp), I am really looking forward to it! Part of it is uncharted territories, and we saw how well that worked out last weekend....but I am optimistic! I'm slowly, but surely making my way up in distance. I've been running about 2.5 miles 2x during the week, and then increasing my weekend run slightly each weekend. It's funny how many things related-to-but-not-about-running I can manage to write about. Sometimes I like to throw some fast facts out there.

Realization

I have been thinking this thought for a few weeks now, and some people near and dear to me have most likely already figured it out, but it's time I accept the sad reality that somewhere along the road, I became a morning person. The thought makes me sick and frustrated actually at times....waking up early on Saturdays is getting old, but hopefully a summer of sleeping in and being lazy with fix this.

Nevertheless, I share this because this morning, after a late night of roses and point tallying (see below!), I decided I would snooze my alarm and skip out on my AM run....although I couldn't fall back to sleep! I was up for good! This is ugh, because it just supports my above hypothesis, but actually good, because I stuck to my plan and ran! Bachelorette Monday nights and AM runs on Tuesdays seem like a bad set of bookends to a shorter night of sleep, but luckily not for TOO much longer....!!!

I'm SO excited about the pool and thankful to all my friends and family (and friends of family and friends) who are participating! Here are the results for week 1!

Morning Run? CHECK!

This morning I proudly checked off a first for my event training - a pre-work morning run. In May, graduate classes are going to take up a few nights a week, so I wanted to give AM running a try. Also, I like the idea of starting work having already tackled a challenge! I think it's because I slept late yesterday, but I kept waking up throughout the night, I think worried I'd oversleep and miss my run (good to know I'm so committed to my self-given goals!). I'm thinking that probably won't ever happen again though!