Running

Thank you to everyone for all your kind words.  The hamstring is feeling great and I'm back on my plan from Jeni @ Roadwaves.  Thankfully I only missed one workout - 3 mile run Monday... aka "The Pub Run"... Lucky for me I had to do a 4-5 mile tempo run last night.

Now, I am by NO means a runner.  I don't enjoy it, but I realize it's a great way to cross-train for cycling and I must run in order to compete in a triathlon.  I've always been able to go out and just run 3 miles.  It may not be fast, but I can do it.  My first time running in years was the fall of 2008 when I was in Chattanooga for work.  The project executive was a runner.  He would come into town about once a month and I opted to run with him after work one day.  It was a great time for discussions about life, work, and for me to ask him questions about my career path.  He became a mentor to me and these were great conversations which enabled me to enjoy the company while doing something I did not enjoy.

On that first run he asked me multiple times if I needed to turn back.  I just kept telling him, "No... Not yet."  I also instructed him to not tell me how far we'd run.  Finally he looked over at me and said, "I think it's time we turned around."  To which I... breathless... nodded in agreement.  Just over an hour after we'd set out on the run, we arrived back at the hotel having covered close to 6 miles.  I felt it that night... and the next day, but it was good.  Did I become a runner that day? NO.  But every time he came into town we'd run somewhere between 3 & 6 miles.  I even started running a couple times in between his visits.  Typically 4-5 miles along the Tennessee River.  I wasn't really getting fast but I was getting consistent.  Sometimes I'd even run on a treadmill.  Though I'll admit my loathing for running outdoors is doubled when it comes to a treadmill.  So I'd do maybe 1-2 miles on it at a faster pace.

Alas, as the cycling season kicked in, the work days got longer, my mentor made fewer visits to our project, and I stopped the running routine for months.  Even when I switched projects to California I tried, but a combination of smoke from the fires and bad downtown neighborhoods kept me inside.

Then came my remote project.  With it I had evenings to enjoy at home... and could finally partake in "The Pub Run".  My friend Jess would do this run hosted by Fleet Feet every Monday night and I thought... Why not? It's just 3 miles.  The hubby and I started doing this run every Monday night... and it was always 3 miles.  I know the route and it's now routine.  I know which sections are hard... which easy... and my relative finish time.  Never pushing myself... just 3 miles... and only once a week.

Well, thanks to Jeni that is all changing.  Last night I ran 4 miles.  She said to make it an easy run to see how my hamstring felt... but it felt fine so I went ahead with the original tempo run.  That, and I had a conference call to jump on for work, so I had to do the tempo run or I wouldn't make the call.  Due to the crazy wind, I opted for a flat course - the Treadmill... I had never run more than 2 miles on a treadmill... AND in my rush to get to the Y I forgot my music & headphones... so I jumped on sans any form of entertainment and started kicking out a 10 min pace.  Every 1/2 mile or so I'd pick it up to 9 or 9.5 min pace, then drop it back down.  I could tell I hadn't run the pub run this week b/c a couple of times I had to slow it down to a brisk walk to catch my breath. As it got close to 3.85 miles I picked up the pace to a 7.5 min mile and sprinted to finish 4 miles in 39 minutes flat.  I cleaned off the machine, ran to the locker room while dialing into the conf call one minute late.

So... I am still no runner... but maybe one day...

Last nights NOMs:  More Chicken Cacciatore was requested... kind of like more cowbell... you can never say no!