Since my last post a week ago, I've logged 37 miles. Most of that has been in below freezing temps, and I still am quite encouraged at the will power I have had to make myself get out and go run in what seems like insanely cold temps. I swear, while I have not yet skipped a run due to the cold, every single one is a battle that is fought in the warmth of my home. The hardest thing about running in cold weather is simply convincing yourself that you can do it. Each time once I've gotten out there, it is never as bad as my mind had told me that it was going to be. I felt like I needed to log this factoid today as a reminder to myself that it really never is as bad as you think it is going to be. 20 degrees with a wind chill of 0? Today I wore just my regular running socks (only 1 pair), a pair of sweat pants, a base-layer shirt, a long-sleeve tech shirt, my running jacket with a hood, scarf around my neck, 2 pairs of gloves (one pair I took off just over a mile in the run), ear muffs, and a hat. Other than the scarf, which I have never worn before, and the extra pair of gloves (that I do wear from time to time when it is really cold), I didn't have to add anything else out of the ordinary, and I really was not all that cold. Truthfully, I felt more cold when I got out of bed this morning.
OK - to the running part ... last Wednesday I just did a simple 5-mile run with a 9:14 per mile pace. After an incredibly stressful Thursday, I was able to take out anger and frustration over 18 miles on Friday. Friday's run took me 2:58, which is an average of 9:54 per mile. When I say that running is my escape, Friday was a perfect example of what that means to me. For the first 2 hours, I was able to be completely focused on the things that had been frustrating me, and I was able to just cleanse them from my system. I felt great - mentally, emotionally, and physically, for the last hour of the run. I'll be honest, I was glad that it wasn't any longer of a run, but I still felt pretty darn good.
This week I've already run 14 miles - 7 easy miles at a 9:14 pace, and then today I had speed work. My training plan today called for me to do 1 warm up mile, and then do 3x1600m at 8:27 pace, with an 800m jog in between, and then at least another mile for cool down. I did the first 1600 in 8:15, the second in 8:12, and the third in 8:07. Let me just say that I do not like speed work. But I also realize how much it helps make me a stronger runner. Tomorrow my training plan calls for 6 miles nice and easy. After today, I'm almost looking forward to that. For now. Until I hear the forecast for tomorrow morning.
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