Start Spreading the News...

If there are 3 things I love, it's running, Hi5's and Yankee Baseball. Tonight I managed to combine them all. (The Yankee fans in my family can be traced back to my great-grandfather, so I'm definitely not a bandwagoner.) After a dinner with my soon-to-be housemates, I decided to take a late evening trip to the gym and get in 2 miles.

I figured I might as well celebrate the fact that I can run again. 2 miles in 18:52, not too shabby. (9:26 min/mi). Little did I know, I'd be celebrating Thames walkoff homerun right as I completed my workout. The timing of that couldn't have been better! I think it's safe to start Spreading the News...that...

I'll Be Back!
I'm feeling less and less rusty. This run didn't take as much effort as it would have two weeks ago. My goal for this week is to go on a 4 mile "long" run. The idea I have floating around my brain is to increase my weekly long runs by a mile each week (if possible.) I'm not training for anything yet, just wanting to get back to a point where 8 mile runs are comfortable. Or to only add another mile on to my long runs when I can do it at 10min/mi pace. But, one way or another I'll be back.

Last Friday I ran a 5k on the treadmill in 29:56 (which is a 9:39 min/mi pace). Wowzers. I can still do that/do that again?! I surprised myself. [Sigh...I had external motivation. There was a cocky boy on the treadmill next to me. He squirts me with cleaner when he cleans off his machine. And is mildly flirtateous. I wanted to out run him. So I did. He only ran a mile and a half.]

One thing I really like about the treadmills is that you do end up running next to people you never would if jogging outside. I've met two different marathoners at my gym and they always talk to me if our paths cross in the treadmill section. It's fun to be able to discuss upcoming races and they've given me advice on dealing with the hip/IT band injury.

Tonight the tables were turned, and I met a dad who joined the gym 2 days ago. As I was finishing he told me

"That was impressive."

Um. Relative comment sir.

[Please click photo to fully appreciate what was captured.]


I told him it was awesome that he was getting back into working out and I didn't use to be able to do that. I'm just coming back from an overuse injury. I literally was in my own running/Yankee world so I hadn't so much as looked at the distance or pace on his treadmill.

Lately my loss of endurance has been on my mind. I've had to turn down long race invitations, even a 10 miler bib that was free :-/ I didn't even think about what I'm able to do now being seen as impressive by someone who never works out. That was a good reality check.

And I do think this injury has made me even hungrier to improve. Which is cool.