At the end of May after having Tom home and convalescing for a few weeks I decided that it was time for me to get out and do something. Running would allow me to get out for 30 minutes or so without the hassle of getting into my cycling clothes and getting my bike ready to roll blah, blah, blah...
Not much is needed to get ready for a run - a decent pair of running shoes and comfortable clothes to run in. I prefer to run in lycra capri's and a tech top of some sort. About a month ago I got myself a cool run skirt from Sweet Spot Skirts and I've been running with that too. I am a bit modest. OH a really good supportive athletic bra is key - it pains me to see another woman on the road who is obviously running while wearing a not nearly supportive enough run bra.
The next thing that is so great about running is that you can do it anytime. Since my chemo days I have become quite the morning person so I prefer mornings. I try to get out as soon as the sun starts to come up - these days it's a little later, but I am able to go to work a little later so it's all good. We also invested in headlamps which we used for the first time this morning. Once I get used to having a lamp on my head I think I'll do alright with it. It does help to have a little something to help illuminate the way. Oh how I already long for more daylight in the mornings!
Training for a 10k is doable with the time that I set aside for running. My special training plan which I created on Runnersworld.com had my longest weekday run at 4 miles. Very doable for me as it would take me anywhere from 50-55 minutes depending on the route and workout. Long runs are always on Saturday and the longest is 6 miles - just long enough for me to actually do it and not get all funny about it because it is 6 miles afterall.
The eight week plan that I had for Run Like Hell was perfect! I enjoyed every run and stuck to the plan except for when we were in Bend and I had to cut the run short (the air is a little thin there) and I skipped a long run day because I thought I might be getting sick. Otherwise, I'm good with relatively short plans. Right now I have a maintenance plan that goes all the way to the Shamrock and the distances are 3 and 4 miles for all that time. I'm pretty sure that I'll change that when we are about 8 weeks out from the Shamrock Run. I'll get a new plan for the 8k distance and really try to pick up the training then.
This morning while we were out on the road I thought about staring up some pilates or yoga or some strength training with my hand weights on the days I'm not out on the road running in the dark. I know that if I build some strength that I'll be a better runner. I'm just lazy...so yeah, I'm going to make an effort to change in that area. We'll see what happens!
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| Not too shabby for taking a week off! |
