Happy Dance -- I did it!!!

Because I'm going kayaking tomorrow, I did my 9 miler this morning, in BELHAVEN. The weather was great which, for me, makes all the difference. I had a good time last Saturday, finishing in about 1:54, but did walk a good bit of it. Today, I ran the entire thing except for maybe a tenth of a mile, and finished in 1:52. It's not a huge improvement, but I feel great and ran WAY more than last week. I'm pumped about this running thing -- I start to really get motivated once I finally get to the point where I can go longer distances and can keep my heart rate at a reasonable number. I did both today, and the best sign of being in better shape (to me) is that while the heart rate increases going up the hills, it came back down on the other side. That is a great sign, and motivates me even more.

I'm pumped about kayaking tomorrow, guilt free. I also love running in the mornings. The rest of the day is GRAVY!!!

Good luck to all tomorrow -- I think you'll find that this weather is going to help you alot!! Enjoy it while you can -- have a beautiful day!

What a great day

The temp is so pleasant today. I ran 4 miles this morning with my Belhaven running buddy and my doggie, and it was great. It felt pretty easy and I found myself thinking that a mere 4 miles is just a quick, short run these days. Who'd have thunk it?

I'm going to get my 9 in on Friday because I'll be going on a kayaking day trip on Saturday with a bunch of friends. I believe I'll do my Belhaven loop twice and add a bit to get the 9. I'll be back for next Saturday, and sure hate to miss this one. I am feeling much stronger, more motivated, more confident, more everything. I was even going to go ride bikes with another friend after my run this morning, but SHE wimped out. Probably a good thing with a long run tomorrow, but I was in my padded shorts already.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day today, a great rest day tomorrow, and a wonderful, EASY run on Saturday. I'll miss you, but will be thinking about you paddling down the river. WooHoo!!!

Much better . . .

I guess my back is fine. My pain went away as suddenly and mysteriously as it appeared. I ran 2.25 fast miles on the treatmill yesterday afternoon, and then played softball for over an hour. This morning I met a good friend on the Natchez Trace and we rode bikes for over an hour (18 miles). It was nice to be back in the saddle again, so to speak. She's training for a long, multi-day ride with her church, so our goals are similar these days. THis afternoon, I'll run a short run, 30 minutes or so, with Sandy before we go to obedience class. I sure hate to let on to the other students in the class about why she seems so well behaved. Poor thing's hot and tired. I wear her out before we go. Works like a charm.

I'm adjusting my schedule somewhat, and I'll see how long runs feel for a couple of weeks. Running longer runs Monday and Wednesday, biking Tuesday and Thursday, and running a short run on Tuesday. Of course, off on Friday, and a recovery bike ride on Sunday. We'll see how that works for awhile, and hopefully I'll be more consistent with that schedule. It seems I'm not the most reliable when it comes to getting out there by myself, day in and day out. Maybe my various running/biking buddies will keep me motivated. I'll let you know . . .

My endorphins lasted all day

After last weekend and my miserable run in Raymond, and nursing a knee problem that I felt would never go away, I was on the fence about running this Saturday until I got up that morning. My rule was that if I got through Friday and to Saturday morning without pain, I'd run until I felt pain and then stop. Well, I didn't feel any pain, so I did it. I had a much better time than last week, more enjoyable, encouraging, pleasant all around. For the rest of the day Saturday, I was just bouncing off the walls. I came home and showered, iced my knee, then went to lunch with friends and shopping. Had a great time and was literally high on life. I had been so worried about not being where I needed to be with training and not being able to get there due to the knee, but Saturday reaffirmed for me the whole "run your own race" thing. I'd been trying to keep up with others, and was killing myself in the process. I met a new running buddy due to running my own race, shout out to Heather, and really enjoyed the whole run.

I actually got on the spinner bike yesterday for a great 30 minute ride, got in 11 miles there, and was all psyched up to run this morning. Well, I was awakened in the wee hours by an excruciatingly sharp pain in my lower back (I believe my sciatic nerve was very angry). I couldn't even walk to the bathroom without extreme pain. Took some advil, didn't run this morning, but it's gone now. I have no idea what caused it, or what made it go away. I'm aiming to get on the treadmill this afternoon to see what I can do, but that was very freaky. For someone with a high pain threshold, that scared me. I sure hope it's gone for good. I refuse to lose this running high, now that I'm feeling better, so maybe the chiro can yank me back out. I'm just glad it's gone.