Little bit o' running...

I ran last night, yes indeedy...
I ran last night, but I was not speedy.

I can call that a poem, right?

The last time I ran was on April 3rd. That was my Tenner.  Then three days later, we went to France.

I'd call it a vacation, but if you have little kids you know that traveling with them is not really a "vacation." I didn't run a lick the entire time we were there.

Oh, sure I got exercise.

Every single day I had my stair workout, and we also walked about a bazillion miles going all over the place. So I wasn't entirely sedentary while we were away. I wasn't on a lounge chair next to a pool or beach ... lounging. I can't remember the last time I lounged.

Anyway...

Nineteen days of no running was great! I did it guilt-free completely. I wasn't scared of not running or working out (I think the stairs helped ;-) ). I didn't think about my upcoming 7.5-mile race once... except maybe when I was watching the Marathon de Paris and really glad that I won't be running 26.2 on May 15th. All the tightness in my legs disappeared. I felt really good. I was very curious as to how this would translate into running again...

My PT and I modified my training plan due to the nearly three weeks off... I will gladly sacrifice my race finish time for the sake of not getting injured. It is a trade-off and enjoying Paris with my 4 kids and husband was a priority. I spent over a decade sacrificing things in the name of training... I am done with that chapter of my life. Turn the page. So we changed Thursday's 6 into 4 and this Sunday's 10 into 6. I'll do a modified speed/tempo run on Tuesday or Wednesday and a maintenance 5 or so on Thursday or Friday. Next Sunday's whatever will be made into 8. And then I'll get back on the Automated Training Program.

I felt fabulous during my four-mile run. It was daylight. I almost never run when it is light out. I think I had a smile on my face the whole way :)  I saw so much in my neighborhood... people! I NEVER see people! It was so cool :) And someone pruned a tree mercilessly... it really bummed me out :(  Remember... I majored in horticulture in college. So I ran for 4.4 miles in the early evening and took in the sights of my 0.75-mile loop. I ran for about 42 or 43 minutes. I felt fast and spry.

I never realized that I like running to The Doors. LOL  And I found that I really like Etta James' version of "You Can Leave Your Hat On"... sizzlin'. But I still laugh too hard at Flight of the Conchords for them to be at all useful running tunes.  They really hurt my splits ;-)

I was wanting to run the Bay to Breakers in an hour. The would mean a straight-up 8-minute mile average for 7.46 miles. Ain't gonna happen. And that's okay. I want to run and have fun :)

Speediness will have to wait.

mommy goed RUNNING!

yeah...

that's cuz mommy goed poop!

lol... do you like how I made that brown? click on it if you missed the background story.

In my last running update, I mentioned that I would be trying to run on Tuesday.  Well, that didn't happen.  It was slated to be a tempo run... which I usually like.  But I just wasn't in the mood.  Not like I always have to be in the mood to go running when I go running, but on Tuesday .... "oh, excuses, excuses, XL. you just suck and are lame and have no biz being on this planet"..."oh, shut up, you." yes, I talk to myself. I can't remember what happened.


I went on Thursday.  Just a mellow 5.25.  I ran 7 of my little 0.75-mile loopy-doos inside The Gate.  It was all that... but we're skipping the side of chips ;-)  Very consistent laps... only a 6-second spread between the fastest and the slowest not counting the one lap where I was messing with the iPod... gotta stop doing that... never again in a run for time like my 5K two weeks ago... but it is hard to run to anything by Flight of the Conchords and not bust up laughing, and it is hard to run to In My Father's Eyes without crying, and the seminar on How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music just wasn't working for me, nor were the little French pronunciation mp3 downloads from the kids' school... you see?  I had to search!  It still was a very relaxed and relaxing pace right around 9:40 per mile.

Next up... 8 to 9 miles tomorrow.  I'll be shooting for the 9 but knowing that, after nearly 2 weeks off, the 8 is probably more realistic.  I am a realist.  My husband is the optimist.

I know all you running readers doubt that I really run.  And those pics from my last 5K were in the dark and I run at night when no one is looking so there is really no proof... I know that is what you're thinking.  So here are some pictures of me running in the day a few long runs ago... maybe a month or so ago...

My biggest fans giving me the ol' high-five as I speed past...

Big G in typical fashion pissing me off trying to show me some "new" way to high-five... 

that he invented as part of some mythological alien body language based on the last 40 bazillion books he has read

LOVE THAT KID!

Approaching the halfway/turnaround...

this is near that portapotty I was telling you about ;-)

And there's my sweet Q!

I have to stop for hugs!

how can I not?

Tomorrow I am hoping to share the new core workout of the century.  I started it last week... in my own way... still waiting to see the results.  But this routine... if you can do it... guaranteed to give you the core strength of... of.... the guy who is in the video!

I'll let y'all know how that big run tomorrow goes... now that I'm 'going' there shouldn't be any problems ;-)
************************************

And don't forget to vote for my picture in the sidebar
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
so WE can win the prize!
did you miss my post about the contest?
Here... click here.