This past week of training was so much fun, my favorite so far! Partly because I am finally finding my groove both physically and mentally on my runs, but outside factors play into it as well – the gorgeous weather, lack of responsibilities to the school's parent group, my kids are almost out of school for the summer, and our county reached the 70% vaccination threshold so the governor is dropping the mask mandate. After the oppression of the pandemic, there is a return to normalcy that feels so freeing. As Ren and Stimpy once wisely reflected, "happy happy joy joy."
The more I run, the more I fall in love with LSD. It is so addicting, I look forward to starting my day with it every morning I can. (Long slow distance is what I mean, of course.) I am not fast and I don't enjoy pushing my pace, but give me mile after mile of what my coach calls a "conversational pace" and I feel like I could go forever. Note: I reserve the right to change my mind about this when I hit mile 20 of the marathon.
I have continued to be diligent about my hip strengthening exercises, and although I occasionally feel a soreness on my outer left knee, that diligence seems to be paying off in overcoming ITB syndrome. I also can't entirely rid myself of the knot in my left calf. However, as long as I roll out my muscles every night and use the massage gun I bought last summer, it remains just a mild annoyance and nothing that inhibits my stride.
My long run this week was the Evergreen Half Marathon in Snohomish, which I chose because it's a slight downhill like my marathon, plus I really liked the shirt. I was going to run the race with a friend, but I managed to miss the first bus to the starting line and ended up not starting until a full hour after she did. But my dad ran the 5 mile distance along the same course, and it was a lot of fun to share the experience with him. I hope to do it again in the future as he gets more confident with his running.
As I have learned all too well, training does not progress on a linear path. Some runs are fantastic, some are a slog. Sometimes I feel strong and confident, other times I am insecure and crushed. But at this moment, I am having a great time and enjoying the path so much. Thankful that I have the opportunity to make this journey and for the encouragement and support from all the people helping me along the way.
Mileage for week 15: 32.1 miles
Total mileage: 350.7 miles
Comments
Post a Comment