Not quite there

I had plans for this week. Not particularly ambitious plans and yet I didn't follow through.

Here's the stats of what I did do:
Tuesday - 4 miles: This was one of those runs. From start to finish I felt sluggish. Every step felt 10 times more difficult than normal. It was a run where I had to pull out nearly every motivational trick I have in my admittedly slim arsenal.

• I broke the run into mini-milestones - I'll run to that light; I'll run to that water fountain; I'll run to that road sign.
• I focussed on my form - Head up; Shoulders down; Hands relaxed. I pretended I was back in Melbourne in my running group and Jodie was taking us through our paces (I miss those guys!).
• I repeated running mantras
• I really listened to the lyrics of songs on my iPod (usually it's just "white noise" in the background) so I was focussing on the songs and not on the running.

Ultimately, it was all worth it. I know every run won't be easy and you need the "difficult" ones to help you improve. And looking at the end result, I finished in 44:03 which equates to 6:50/km (yes, I'm mixing my measurement systems) which is a decent pace for me. That pace should feel hard when I'm coming back from a two to three month layoff.

Sunday - 6 miles: This was not a solid run but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I headed south on the Lake path today which I think is a good plan for going forward as I did most of the first half of my run into the wind and then had it at my back on the return leg. Much easier than the alternative! I also tried my first run in a long sleeve top. In retrospect, it was too much and short sleeves would have been fine, but you live and learn, right? The downside of the run is a cranky knee that is currently seeing some ice. Fingers crossed it's just temporary.

And that's it for the week - can you see what's missing? Run number three. I was planning on going out on Thursday but just never did it. It was cold and wet and I just slacked off. Yet more personal running lessons learned this week -
1) don't let yourself get overly cold during the day because it sends you into hibernation mode - all I could think of on the way home was a hot high carb meal. I scoffed a bowl of pasta quick smart but that put an end to running for the day.
2) there are no rules about when you can run. In my head, there's first thing in the morning or there's right after work. In reality, there are many more opportunities.

This week I hope to get in four runs - a couple of shorter sessions to start introducing some speed work plus my usual longer (because it's all relative) runs. Hopefully I can utilise some of my learnings from this week and hit all four.

Approaching normal

Because I am nothing if not consistent, it's been quite some time since I checked in here. I don't know exactly how long as I'm implementing the time honoured approach of denial.

What exactly has prompted this return to my much neglected blog?

I Ran Three Times this week! Three Times!!

I realise this is not Big News for the majority of the world but after the time off for the move, the heat, and the stupid Sore Foot, I am so super excited about it. I'm getting back to normal again.

AND, in other news, I entered the F^3 Lake Half Marathon in January next year. Having a race to train for gave me a major kick in the pants for working out too.

So, what did I do?

Tuesday - estimated 3 miles. My Garmin died after about 1.5 miles. I remember it was dead by the time I turned around to come home so I'm calling it 3 in total.

Friday - 4 miles. It was a little (ok, very) chilly out. I haven't run in those sorts of temps since my Canberra days. I used a headband to cover my ears and threw on a pair of gloves but otherwise I stuck to my t-shirt and knee length capris. This was OK but I am going to go shopping for a long sleeve top later today.

Sunday - 5 miles. I'll be honest - I didn't want to do this run today. I talked myself into it by reminding myself I had decided to try a Salted Caramel Mocha today and that meant I needed to bank some Activity Points. Plus there's the whole race thing in three months. Anyway, to make sure I didn't chicken out, I caught a bus 5 miles north and then ran home. This was a genius move. I'm pretty confident I would have done my planned 5 miles in an out-and-back but why not make it easier to succeed? Now that it's over, I feel good but it was definitely a hard slog. I must remember it's always like this when I start over again.

I'm planning to get in 14 miles next week - two 4 milers and then 6 miles for my long run on the weekend. I'm excited!