I don’t know about your part of the country but here in central Virginia we are being spoiled with some amazing weather this week. Today, I left work and walked out into a gorgeous sunny evening complete with blue skies and a gentle breeze.
I thought it would be the perfect excuse to ditch the gym, visit the trail, and work on my speed and intervals for the upcoming Beauty and The Beast 5K I have coming up at Disney. I texted a pal earlier to chat about my feelings surrounding this year’s Princess weekend at Disney. I truly thought I would feel more disappointed about not running the ½ marathon this year but after today’s run I know I did the right thing by focusing on health and weight loss this year versus training for events. During my run tonight I had some time to reflect.
I know that I am a pretty slow runner and that tonight’s accomplishment might not seem like much to some. However, for me it was huge. I ran a solid 6 miles (and change) while keeping a 12-13 minute mile pace the entire run. I would love to one day run/walk at a 9-10 minute pace but for me today was a victory. I am not even sure how it happened exactly. I hopped off road and ran my usual loop. Instead of taking the short paved path (1/2 mile or so) back to the car I just turned around and re-ran my loop in the other direction.
I will admit that the second loop was mostly downhill as the first loop was mostly uphill. I was able to gain a lot of speed during the second loop (and confidence) and found that I continued to run at a greater speed not only downhill but also on the flat surfaces as well as the inclines. I listened to some cheesy old school jams (Ice Ice Baby, Pump Up the Jam, Can’t Touch This and other fabulous lame early 90s tunes) and sort of zoned out. If the sun hadn’t threatened to set on me I might have even attempted to do both loops a second time. It’s one of my goals for the future for sure. When I finally made it back to the car I felt incredibly tired, content, and accomplished. I can honestly say, I think, it may have been the best run I have ever been on.
I know that my co-workers, especially my very patient boss and my across the hall pal, are probably sick of hearing me sing the praises of Bikram yoga every single day but I am fully crediting those classes for my new found running ability. I used to write a lot about how my legs were willing to carry me but my breathing was “spazzy” and all over the place. I feel like I have more control over my lungs, breathing, and just my body overall. This revelation makes me so incredibly excited to continue running and practicing yoga.
After this epic (well epic for me) run I was pretty much starving. I came home and made one of the hub’s faves, cashew chicken and brown rice. I am finally settling in to finish up some school work and bond with my TIVO.
What does your weekly workout routine look like?
The Running In Pink Project 