It’s race week!!! The Hoosier Half is on Saturday. I’m equal parts excited and nervous. Mostly excited because I’ll be running a race at my alma mater! The only thing I’m nervous for is packing appropriate running attire. One of my least favorite things to do is have to figure out what the heck to wear. It’s such an ordeal to figure out what to wear at home, let alone have to pack it all for a trip. I can’t wait for warm summer days when it’s a no-brainer — um, hello shorts and tanks!
The course for the Hoosier Half is going to be beautiful. It winds all throughout campus and then some. This might end up being one of those “forget about time, I’m taking pictures!” runs. I’m also really looking forward to connecting up with some friends I haven’t seen in a few years. Did I mention this will be the first time my husband and I have been away from the kids in I don’t even know how long? It’s a long overdue break/mini vacation for both of us.
Training last week was great and I had a pretty fun time running. I was sloggish at the beginning of the week but toward the end I was feeling fantastic.
Tuesday — 4.56 miles
I felt “okay” on Tuesday. I’m getting really tired of being tired, though. Between sick kids, dogs, and life in general, I need more sleep. There’s really no doubt about that. I’m starting to realize the “jokes” about parenthood and marriage aren’t really jokes. They’re 100% true. There’s no time to do anything but survive!
On Tuesday night I went with my girls Eugenia and Noemi to a self defense class. It was fun — and hard! I can’t wait to go back.
Wednesday — 6.1 miles
I was exhausted again on Wednesday, but I somehow did pretty well with my run. I actually didn’t realize it was a steady state run on my calendar so I missed the point of the workout there, but I did get some decent mileage in so I was satisfied with that. I met up with Noemi who claims I killed her by making her run 4 miles but:
a) I didn’t and b) she ran them on her own volition. Plus she got to witness a beautiful sunrise she may not have otherwise seen. You’re welcome, mama!
Friday — 5 miles
Friday was a much needed, fantastic run. I finally had a decent night of sleep. Plus the sun rising earlier is definitely helping. And I was just in a great mood overall. It was a challenging run but also extremely rewarding.
Saturday — 11 miles
Saturday was really fun. I ran with my friend-turned-client, Julie, and we churned out 11 miles without even feeling it. It’s so easy to lose track of miles when you’re immersed in great conversation with a friend. It would have been a perfect run had it not been for the creepy old man on a bike that stopped to “chat” with us out in the middle of nowhere. And we all know how I feel about strange men approaching me on the run, don’t we?
The nesting ducks he was ‘warning’ us about…
Of course the entire time he was talking I was thinking of all the Krav Maga moves I learned on Tuesday that I would use against him if he tried to mess with us. Lucky for him he didn’t, and we went our separate ways. Julie’s so funny — she could tell I was so paranoid the entire time. She’s a social worker by trade so she sees the good in everyone. Me? Notsomuch. Apparently I was giving him the side-eye the entire time we were stopped. Ha!
So busy running we almost forgot to take a pic!
After our run we joined another friend for breakfast. I felt pretty good. Julie’s legs were a little crampy, though. I forgot what it felt like to run long the first few times. I’ll be reminded of that rather quickly this summer, I’m sure. Like the first time I ran 20 miles and my legs were throbbing and I couldn’t figure out how to make it stop? Or all the post-long run days I would pal around in my compression socks all day long? (Remind me again why I want to run a marathon in October?)
Sunday — 1.38 miles
I met with my newest group of 5K runners on Sunday. I love my 5K run groups! It’s such a scary feeling trying something new and difficult, and I love being the one to help and teach them all the wonderful things about running. We took it very easy for our first meeting. I do want them to come back! I’ll make it tough in a few weeks when they’re in too deep to turn back. Haha, just kidding… kinda… 😉
Hopefully I’ll have more energy this week since coach is increasing my mileage. I’m not tapering since this is more of a fun run rather than a race for me. After the Hoosier Half, I have two more half marathons coming up so this is just another long run. Unless I get over-excited at the start (which has been known to happen) and I end up racing. We’ll see when the time comes. I’m so darn excited for the Hoosier Half — it’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen on the race course!
I’ll catch you back here tomorrow for the Running Coaches’ Corner linkup. In case you missed the announcement last week, the Running Coaches’ Corner linkup is now on Wednesdays. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got for us tomorrow!
xo
TALK TO ME!
How far was your first long run that you could really feel it in your legs?
Do you take self defense?
Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs for Tuesdays on the Run, and HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap. Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Angelena Marie, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.
