Back to it!

Ok, so I haven't been blogging regularly. Luckily that hasn't meant that I haven't been running. I've (for the most part) been able to fit my runs in around my unusually busy schedule this past week (or so.)

After the last run I blogged about, I had a rough run. Thursday the 13th, I was unable to get my feet on a treadmill until after 9pm. So I was tired before I even laced up. I was super proud of myself for getting on the treadmill for this run though, especially since I've struggled lately with my motivation. After I started, my legs just felt tired. I was so exhausted, physically, that I ended up cutting the run short at 3 miles. I still consider it a victory.

Saturday the 15th, I showed up for my first ever group run with the local chapter of Moms run this town! I was really nervous, for a lot of reasons. I had not run outside since that first disastrous attempt at running in the snow right after winter started. Also, as I've mentioned before, I am horrifically shy. The run was part of a virtual 5k the group was putting on to benefit Safe Journey. The run started out good, but I could tell right off the bat that these girls were faster than me. I was determined not to be the 'slow' one, so I kept pushing it to keep up with the fast pace, even as my legs started to complain about navigating the snowy sidewalks and roads. I did not have any cleats or YakTrax or anything on, and running in the snow was exactly how I've heard it described: like running in cold wet sand.

By the end of the run I was really struggling. I was at the back of the pack. I was feeling awful. One of the women was running with me, and talking my ear off. She's a big proponent of the run/walk method (although she ran the whole time) and was off the next weekend to do a ultramarathon trail run in florida. There was no doubt in my mind that she was hanging with me to keep me moving, even though I really wasn't very talkative. I had to save my breath for running!

When we finished the run, the woman hosting the run had put out a great spread for us all, and surprisingly (to me) we got a swag bag! I was totally not expecting that! I stuck around as long as I could, enjoying a mini bagel, fruit and some coffee before I had to head home. The swag was incredible! There was a nice blue glass coffee mug, an amazing key chain, some hot chocolate, a luna bar and a sweatband. So as awkward as I felt, and as awful as I did during the run, it was totally worth it. The women were very nice, and I think I'll run with them again soon, especially now that I've got myself some slip on cleats for my shoes!

Point of note, my nike+ app insists that we ran 3.46 miles, even though the course mapped on mapmyrun is only 3.14 miles (a 5k). I did do alot of weaving back and forth across the street, so maybe that accounts for it? I'm not sure how much to trust the average pace it's giving me, but it says I averaged a 10'55" pace. Which is way faster than my normal runs.

All of that might explain why Sunday, my legs ached, bad. My calves were fine, but my thighs were two knotted balls of badness. I eventually decided to call my long run off for the week, and let my legs heal. So Sunday was a fail, running wise, although I did get a lot of walking in at the Mall when I went with my Sister-in-law to get her some new workout duds! (I also got myself a new running shirt - it's a little snugger than what I normally wear but I figure by spring it should be perfect.)

Tuesday I was back on the horse (treadmill) and feeling good. My legs felt fresh and the run felt amazingly easy. I just kinda ran for four miles. I even had enough in my legs to push the pace a couple of times. (I was kind of on a time crunch and wanted to get the run done so I could get over to my in-laws for dinner.) It felt good to have a solid run to start the (running) week, and I had seriously high hopes about getting this whole training thing back on track.

Thursday almost knocked me out. I wasn't able to get on the treadmill until after 9pm. There was a moment (again) where I almost said "Screw it. I'm too tired." I thought about it, but I was determined to get myself back on track, and I needed a solid week to do that. So I laced up for another late run. Once I was on the treadmill I felt good. I didn't feel as tired as I thought I would (or had felt the last thursday.) I was able to push the pace a few times towards the end of my run. I was really proud of myself for knocking this one off, even if it meant I had to miss watching the inaugural woman's half pipe skicross competition.

I have high hope for finishing out this week strong. I'd really like to have a solid week on my training plan again. That half marathon isn't getting any further away....