TGIF

I have ALWAYS loved Fridays. I love the end of the work week and the start of the weekend. Now that I'm training for the marathon, I love Fridays even more. Fridays are the first rest day in my training!! After 4 straight days of running, my legs and body are pretty sore and I love having a day off to rest. TGIF!!

I Just Kept Going

I've been pretty attached to my treadmills lately for my runs. I'm in love with the comfort of climate control (air conditioning, no rain, etc.), being able to run at one pace at one elevation, a TV for entertainment make the time go by faster (especially with the NBA playoffs going on), and honestly, I'm terrified of cars zooming past me on the roads! But today, I decided that I was going to head out on the roads near my house and go for my 3 mile run. It was tough. I still struggle with the slightest bit of a hill which I'm going to have to work on still because it's IMPOSSIBLE to run without them around here! So, I'm running along, and right around the 2 1/2 mile point I get this burst of energy and I decide I want to go just a bit further. I can either go left or right past my apartment and left brings me up that monster hill (from a few weeks ago that I HATE) so I decide to go right. Perfect - the USAFA gate is just a little bit down the road. I'll run there and then walk back, it will be the perfect extra run and then cool down home. I'm happy, jogging along, and it's further than I thought it was. I get to the gate, turn around and I'm still jogging home, feeling good. I get back and I decide to hop in my car to check out the mileage ... yep, I added an extra 2 miles to my run!!! Holy moly, I just ran 5 miles!! I don't know if it was the warm sun that kept me going or the fact that I was just in a good mood or what, but I ran 5 miles and I felt good. I'm going to have to get off my treadmill and get outside a bit more often!

Today's Miles: 5.0
Total Miles: 38.5

Rainbow

I was having a really tough day today. My body was really sore from yesterday's workout and I didn't sleep very well so my body was just off. Add that to the fact that it was a crummy, rainy day outside, and I was just in a funky mood. I wasn't motivated to work out today even though it was Wednesday which is my long yoga class day, and I normally look forward to that. It took a lot of energy for me to get off my couch after work to get to the gym and eve n after getting dressed, I was just feeling off, which is a terrible feeling. I was really searching for something to give me a boost of energy. I don't know if it was a sign from Aunt Goofy or what, but as soon as I got on the highway, there was a rainbow right in front of me. It put an instant smile on my face :) Sure, my workout was still hard and I'm still tired and sore, but for those few minutes, I smiled and was given a boost of positive energy that I really needed and for that, I'm thankful!

Tuesday's Mileage: 5.0
Today's Mileage: 1.0

Total Mileage: 33.5 miles

Monday

Time to start a new week of running after a Sunday off ...

Daily Miles: 2.4
Total Miles: 27.5

Section 16 Hike

On this beautiful Saturday morning, I set off on a hike in Section 16 with Becky, Nicole and Lisa. I had already decided that I wasn't going to make it to the group run in the morning and thought a 6 mile hike was a great substitute, and much more enjoyable! The hike up kicked our butt - it was really steep but the views along the way were worth it. And unlike most hikes in the area that I've done, we were hiking in woods that reminded me of the east coast, smelling of pine trees, instead of looking at red rocks the entire time. The top was remarkable, really made me fall in love with Colorado even more than I already did. The hike back down was more gradual, although it was longer. We all finished the hike back down with a jog across the gate at the end of the path, a tribute to all of the talks we had about running marathons during our hike.

Oh, and after our hike, we went to the Manitou Springs Wine Festival ... the perfect way to rehydrate :)

5k

Yes, I just ran my first 5k (mileage)!! I remember a long time ago when I ran my first straight mile after knee surgery, I was so excited. The excitement of running a 5k (3.1 miles) just blew that excitement out of the water. The best part of it all is that the excitement of being able to run more and more miles is only to get better! I was on the treadmill at the gym and I honestly felt like I could have kept going. Wow, I am feeling so great right now. I'm so going to be that person that starts signing up for random 5k races on the weekends just because I can. I'm a runner now ... haha, that still hasn't quite sunk in yet! :)

Daily miles: 3.1
Total miles: 25.1

Frustrated

Seriously, what is my problem and why is it impossible for me to wake up in the morning? I was all set to get up in the morning at 6am (alarm was set for 5:50am so I could snooze once!). My plan was to go to the gym and run my 3 miles before work. Before going to bed last night, I picked out my work outfit, packed my bag and even packed shower stuff so I could get ready for work at the gym this morning rather than coming home first. I was all excited, and even more excited to be able to come home after work and have a whole night to myself.

And then this morning comes. Alarm goes off. I snooze until 6am like I planned. Then I snooze until 6:15am. Then again until 6:30am. At this point I can still get up and go to the gym. Then it's 6:45am. I can still get up - I'd be rushed but I could do it. Thank goodness for a flexible work environment where I can come in at a reasonable time before 9am. Next time I open my eyes it's 7:30am and it's way too late. CRAP! So frustrated with myself. There was NO reason I couldn't have gotten out of bed, especially since I was awake. I really, really need to work on that because I want to start working out in the mornings. Sure, I don't have much going on after work but there are some days that I do and I don't want to compromise my training and it makes more sense to do it in the mornings. I honestly just don't understand what is so hard for me and why I can't drag my butt out of bed in the mornings ... ugghhh ... off to the gym after work I go ...