Week Six - Sticking With It

This week seemed a little easier - not the runs themselves, but getting out there and starting the runs was easier.  It's helping with just 3 runs a week.  I'm not so tired, plus it's simply easier to schedule only three runs. And, I don't feel as sore after each run.  My knee definitely is better with this new "less is more" type of program.

I also started the strength training program.  It is an 8-week program for runners, then there are maintenance plans to choose from once the 8 weeks are up.  I am surprised at how much strength I've lost in the past six months or so.  It's definitely a program I need!

This is me after today's 12-mile run.  It was hot and I am tired.  My friend, Laura, joined me on 5 or 6 miles of the run, and that made the time go quicker.  Something happens on long (and especially hot) runs - my mind doesn't work as well.  In the past (before I had a Garmin), I was known to run extra miles on a long run, since I seemed to lose the ability to accurately calculate my distance.  I knew how far it was between different points, and I would forget or run one twice.  The Garmin has pretty much fixed that (except sometimes I forget how long a specific loop is and end up with a little extra, since I'm too far from home).  But the long runs still affect me.  For example, this morning I was running in my subdivision, close to my house.  I needed another 1/2 mile so I decided to go past my street (it's a cul-de-sac) and run the next street.  It's a street I run or walk on every day.  Well, I was partially up the street and suddenly NONE of the houses looked familiar.  I thought maybe I had taken a wrong turn, but I knew I hadn't.  I rationalized that it was just my brain getting overwhelmed as it does on long runs, realized that even though the houses didn't look familiar I was really on the correct street, and did the proper loop back to my house.  Then when I got home, I called my Pomeranian Sasha - his  name is Tucker, and Sasha is a female dog we had a few decades ago. 

So, if today's blog rambles more than usual, I'll blame it on the long run.  I'm eating and hydrating now, so I think I'm better :)

The bottom line is - this new program is working better for me.  I have all the runs and now the strength training sessions scheduled on my calendar, with some built in flexibility.  Having it on my calendar makes it easier for me to plan, and to tell myself I need to do it!   I'd like to add some yoga or cross training; once this training plan has gone well for a few weeks I will put something on my calendar. 

No Excuses  / Gotta run