Good bye 2011

I always have the lofty goal of counting up all my miles for the year but am never quite that organized. Other than a brief hiatus (when I hit whale size and was too heavy to run) I ran for most of the year. No half marathons or marathons but crossed the finish line at plenty of 5k's, a 4 miler, 10k, and 2 tri's. I've manage to return to a moderate level of training while still in boot camp for new parents. For me it was a good year with some really good runs. Other than the delivery of my son a highlight and real sense of accomplishment has been returning to running after pregnancy and delivery. I don't mean to brag but I ran a 4 miler when he was less than 3 months old and finished a tri when he was 4 months old, you have to give credit where credit is due. After all is said and done, I'm here as the Mom to a 6 month old who is still able to find the time to train. I love that look I get when people ask if I'm still able to run. Yep, I am and if you really want to know I'm enjoying it more now than ever before. Here's to another great year running with friends and family.

Miles run today: 9

So tempting

Man, there are times I really wished I didn't train, there are days I day dream of a life filled with cinnamon rolls, sausage links, naps and day time TV. Last week ended up being a recovery week, it was a crazy weekend and long workouts just weren't going to fit and I kept yesterday as a planned day off. Today was back at it and the desire wasn't there after 3 days off. I took my sweet time getting the kid down for a nap and then took about 20 minutes before I made it down to the treadmill. Thought HARD about getting off after a mile. Then the excuses started coming fast and furious: This is all just basework, I don't need to take it too seriously...I'll run this afternoon...I'll bike and run tomorrow...and so on like that for the entire 4 miles. I know why I keep going, I like to eat and hate to diet. That and I really love the feel at the finish line.

Miles run today: 4

Putting the cart before the horse

Today was the day I was going to add in a speed workout. Repeat miles sounded good, as I knew I could keep the pace a bit slower than if I had went with repeat 800's. Off I go and realize very quickly that I have no idea what I want or need for a pace. If it were just the Hyannis Half I was training for things would be easier, but I have no idea what to expect for a half iron man which is the real goal of all this training. My PR for a half is just under 2 hours but that was several years ago and I didn't swim or bike beforehand. I'm also not sure that sprint races are a good gauge either, the distance doesn't really compare and I never took the training seriously. But lets be real for a moment, IF I register for the half iron man and IF I get to the start and IF I finish I likely won't give a damn about pace and will be overjoyed with a finishing time. So again where do I start with speed. 8 miles last weekend was at a 10:32 pace which would get me a 2:18 half. SO do I go with 10 min pace for repeat miles and a 9:30 for the 800's? I also figure that in a half iron man my running pace will be at least a min slower meaning that an 11:30 pace would bring me in at about 2:31. Now I've only confused myself more.

Miles run today: 4

Rejuvenated legs

I've been on a kick, since hearing Jason Fowler speak, to not miss a workout. So that means I'm going 6 days a week with my rest day being Monday and it also means that there are times I've felt a bit stale. The nice thing is I'm varying a lot between running, cycling and swimming so there different muscle groups are being taxed but there is an undeniable cumulative effect. That combined with 6 hours of sleep a night (I don't want to hear it from those friends who get less, I'm used to a solid 10-12) and I'm pooped. Yesterday I said fuck it and skipped my bike ride. I did feel guilty about it all day and contemplated riding after work, only contemplated did not act on it. I had forgotten what fresh legs feel like and it's almost as nice as fresh sheets on the bed. Man it was great, I didn't care about being on the treadmill or the fact that the Internet was messed up so no movies. I stopped at 5 miles so I would have time to shower before my pint sized companion woke up but felt like I could have gone further. Played with pace a little, not enough for it to count as a speed workout but enough that I might do a speed workout next week. The problem is I can't take 2 rest days every week so days like to day will remain few and far between.

Miles run today: 5

Ah, the routine

It's been a while but I'm a regular runner again. I'm consistently getting in 3 runs a week and don't have the need yet to add in another although that's coming eventually. The kid has whipped me into shape, I used to be known for skipping workouts and trying to make them up later in the week. That's a no go now, if I squander my chance it's gone for good until the same time next week. I also never really cared about pace but as he's become more predicatable so have the times I have to run. The slower I go the less miles I accumulate, the baby monitor is an unforgiving reminder of my time constraints. Once the red lights start to flicker, it's only a short matter of minutes before he hits full pitch so I got to get it in before they start. I used to hope for false alarms, he's not really awake or maybe it's picking up the dogs but that's never the case; it's the kid signaling the end of another workout. So all in all he's helping my workouts. He's forcing me not to skip and to run faster...who needs a coach when you have a kid snoozing upstairs.

Miles run today: 4

Adding back in the distance

So I came close to not running, procrastination is a bitch, what can I say. My running club was off in Warwick, which the Rhode Island in me had determined was too far of a drive and it was too cold for a family fun run. I briefly thought about hitting the treadmill but I feel like too much of my recent weeks have been spent with that piece of machinery. So after nap time I headed off solo, planning for 7 miles but to be honest would have been happy with 3. Things felt great til about mile 3.7 where at the corner of Branch and Charles I checked the distance. I was less than a mile from home and was hoping I had run further and could have taken a left towards home. Nope, not far enough and I was forced to go straight. Once I get beyond running 5 miles there is a point during a run where I always get a bit stressed about how far from home I am. It's not always rational but it's been a while since I've had this feeling, I start to worry about how I could get home other than walking or running. I'm not sure how much the bus costs but I start to worry about having enough for bus fare or how I could call for a ride. Right about the intersection of North Main and Rochambeau I started to groan about where I was. It wasn't long though before I hit Smithfield and each step brought me closer to home. For the longest run in over a year it felt good. The long runs aren't feeling too arduous and I still have confidence about the Hyannis Half. Tomorrow's workout is the only thing between me and a rest day on Monday and I'm so ready, who knows maybe I can convince the kid that we should sleep til 10am on Mon morning.

Miles run today: 7