Week 2 actually inlcuded less activity than Week 1, but with a longer long run. But Week 1 was admittedly ambitious.
Because I overslept for my run Saturday, which then became a rest day, I had to run on Sunday, which eliminated my bike day. I had originally planned on doing speed work Tuesday, but the rain put a kink in that plan, so I did some treadmill running. Which did actually incorporate some speed running, but only like 5 minutes of it. And because it was also raining on Sunday evening, I skipped out on yoga in the park :-/ This left me with two undesired blank columns in my training regimen.
Further, I discovered on Friday that my body was exhausted and in pain, so instead of running the Picnic Island Adventure Run, as originally planned for the evening, I instead did this:
I was amazingly productive on this rest day. I did some editing in the morning, cleaned out my closets and dresser drawers, reorganized drawers, donated clothes, bought a couple of side tables from Triage Consignment Showcase to replace my old, falling-apart coffee table, did laundry, dishes, dusting, sweeping--whew! And I was even able to play with my niece, Evie, who eats shredded cheese by the shred (and then offers it to me in this same way):
I started the evening off with Josh with a delicious dinner in downtown St. Pete at Nitally's, which included coconut juice with boba--yum!
And then a Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox game. We won, 5-3. Go Rays!
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It's hard to tell from this camera-phone shot, but it's a crescent moon with three bright stars around it (and a big hairy palm tree on the right).
Once my awe subsided, I met up with Kristin, and we began our jaunt along Bayshore. The run was mostly pleasant. It was slow, as it's supposed to be, and I noticed it was more peaceful than on the previous Saturday morning when we ran. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing people I know out running as well, but on the other, the peace of this Sunday morning was quite beautiful. I ran a little bit farther than Kristin, who turned around after five, and the couple of miles along Bayshore leading up to MacDill Air Force Base can be stunning at times, with the water gently lapping against the shoreline, the mangroves showing their tangled roots, and slices of sunlight seeping through the taller trees. This is what I remember of long runs--what makes them worthwhile and helps me stay in the moment.
I finished the run off well, upping my pace with nobody to talk to on the way back. My legs and feet began to feel the effects of pounding in the last couple of miles, but other than that, I felt I was in good shape.
Here's to another successful week of training!
Because I overslept for my run Saturday, which then became a rest day, I had to run on Sunday, which eliminated my bike day. I had originally planned on doing speed work Tuesday, but the rain put a kink in that plan, so I did some treadmill running. Which did actually incorporate some speed running, but only like 5 minutes of it. And because it was also raining on Sunday evening, I skipped out on yoga in the park :-/ This left me with two undesired blank columns in my training regimen.
Further, I discovered on Friday that my body was exhausted and in pain, so instead of running the Picnic Island Adventure Run, as originally planned for the evening, I instead did this:
A bath and a book was how I spent my Friday evening. The bath really did help relax some of my sore muscles, and, after reading some of Suzanne Collins's second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, I was just about ready for bed. I put out my running clothes for the next morning, set all five alarms, and was practically asleep before my head hit the pillow--which was just after 10:00 p.m.--something I'm never able to accomplish during the week. And wouldn't you know it? I had gotten myself so relaxed that I slept through all five alarms and woke up too late for my run. While I woke at 7:30, which isn't a bad time in itself, I knew I wouldn't want to be out for two hours in the sun. So I decided to just wait until Sunday morning to run. I took this as a sign that my body needed a rest day.
I was amazingly productive on this rest day. I did some editing in the morning, cleaned out my closets and dresser drawers, reorganized drawers, donated clothes, bought a couple of side tables from Triage Consignment Showcase to replace my old, falling-apart coffee table, did laundry, dishes, dusting, sweeping--whew! And I was even able to play with my niece, Evie, who eats shredded cheese by the shred (and then offers it to me in this same way):
I started the evening off with Josh with a delicious dinner in downtown St. Pete at Nitally's, which included coconut juice with boba--yum!
And then a Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox game. We won, 5-3. Go Rays!
After getting home around 11:00 p.m., it was time to wind down and hit the sack for an early morning rise.
I recall various noises occurring for what seemed like a prolonged period of time, and then I heard the unmistakable chime of of text message on my phone, which sent a signal to my brain that I was meeting my friend Kristin for our run, and she was probably texting me. (This all happens in slow motion.) Once my brain received the signal, I looked at my phone, Kristin's message that she would be five minutes late, and the time, which, after some slow calculations, told me I had 10 minutes to meet her at 6:05 a.m. I shoved half a Luna bar in my mouth while throwing on my run clothes, splashed some water in my eyes, and headed out the door. I stepped outside to this beautiful image, one that made me grateful to be up at such an early hour (yes, I know some people do this on a daily basis):
.JPG)
It's hard to tell from this camera-phone shot, but it's a crescent moon with three bright stars around it (and a big hairy palm tree on the right).
Once my awe subsided, I met up with Kristin, and we began our jaunt along Bayshore. The run was mostly pleasant. It was slow, as it's supposed to be, and I noticed it was more peaceful than on the previous Saturday morning when we ran. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing people I know out running as well, but on the other, the peace of this Sunday morning was quite beautiful. I ran a little bit farther than Kristin, who turned around after five, and the couple of miles along Bayshore leading up to MacDill Air Force Base can be stunning at times, with the water gently lapping against the shoreline, the mangroves showing their tangled roots, and slices of sunlight seeping through the taller trees. This is what I remember of long runs--what makes them worthwhile and helps me stay in the moment.
I finished the run off well, upping my pace with nobody to talk to on the way back. My legs and feet began to feel the effects of pounding in the last couple of miles, but other than that, I felt I was in good shape.
Here's to another successful week of training!
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