Today we’re hoping to have a little less stress as we get back into the swing of things- yesterday we had to get groceries, do laundry, try to adjust to the time change… it never ends.

One of my running partners is having hip trouble and she’s considering getting a cortisone shot which I’ve strongly discouraged her from doing. So she’s out for a few days and my friend Jim is out today too, so I’ll be going to do the hills at Westminster alone.  I have to force myself to keep a good pace so I don’t get caught going too slow.  For tonight, Katie has a gymnastics meet and we’re looking for volleyball camps for Madeline for the summer and Daniel might actually have a night off!

Just dropped off the kids and got a call from one of my girls who left something at home- so now I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to work my schedule… I may have to cut my run short, swing by home, and then make it to my doctor’s appointment by 10:30am.  Daniel left his sweatshirt in PE and I think the school gave it to goodwill… so I’ve got to get him another one because he’s always freezing (he also lost his coat!). Looks like another ‘last minute mom rush’

We ran a fantastic 9 miles at the river today with my running partner at about a 6:50 pace, it felt fabulous. We saw people we knew and just had a blast…. But we’re both really out of shape.  Hoping as we head into spring I’ll hit the pace I need to and get back into shape quickly.  I saw Malcom, one of my old training partners today and he was encouraging me to meet him for weekend runs, which I would love to do- but he starts his runs at 6:30 and finishes at a 6 minute pace.. a little fast for the shape I’m in right now.

We saw a lot of kids out there in high school who stopped us and asked us for advice for their training, it was really fun talking with them about some of the basics of running. A lot of that is something they naturally have or they don’t. but all in all, we had a lot of fun today.

Its getting to be the hardest time of year to stay motivated. This year we had an incredibly tough winter to run through, many many days in the 20’s.  Having run in Minneapolis and Wisconsin for most of my life, I’m surprised how tough it is to adjust to temperature change down here.  You never really feel acclimated to the weather in Georgia because it can be cold in the morning, and warm in the afternoon.  I can run in high 30’s, but I’m just having trouble motivating myself.

I really felt like I needed someone to run with or I might not get a good run in.  We’re going to do 9 miles today but we keep pushing the time back because it was just so hard to wake up this morning!

Yesterday we had a really good run- I did 10 miles in the morning, it started raining half way through my run but my body temperature was already warm so I went ahead and finished.  I’m looking forward to getting a good 9 miles in, and I’m excited for the temperature to get warmer- you’ll see more people out by the river training for the Peachtree Road Race and other races and it’s a great camaraderie and a lot of fun to see everyone out by the river.

It was my first day back after the break with the kids- the Cayman Islands were absolutely fabulous! We caught up on our sleep and just had a great time. I allowed myself to take one day off from running during vacation, but I never ended up taking it because the weather was just so nice.

The first two days I ran the road.  It was a very high traffic area and because they drive on the opposite side of the road, I was a little nervous and afraid I might get hit- so the rest of the time I ran on the beach barefoot which felt so good on my feet. The first day was tough, my feet weren’t used to running in sand but the rest of the time went great.  It was much tougher running on the open sand!  The first day, I ran mile repeats on the beach- I just kind of measured a mile and ran back and forth kind of in and out of the water and around the people, it was just a blast.

It was funny because people actually stopped me during my run and asked me things like directions about the other side of the island…really funny.

My first run back in the states was great! I did mile repeats and I had a great tempo going, finished about a 6:12 pace but my average was sub-6:00. I’m debating on whether or not to enter the Women’s 5k here in Atlanta; it’s a pretty big race. I’m just not in good condition but I’ve been getting some flack from the running community to run a race.  If I ran like I did today, I should probably be able to win the Master’s division but I just want to make sure I’m running the best I can. I probably won’t do my 2nd run today since I did 12 miles total today.

I’m been topping out at about 71 miles each week which is still pretty safe mileage for the off-season, and once I get closer to elite racing and the Peachtree, I’ll bump it up significantly.

We’re leaving tomorrow for our trip! I’m so excited- I did my long run today, and it was a blast. I was able to stay off the hills for the most part. My legs didn’t feel great, but its probably because I didn’t get a good night’s sleep and I’m not hydrated enough. I think if I opened up my stride more, I would have felt a lot better.  With my long run done, I’ll probably skip my afternoon run to get everything ready.

Tomorrow morning I’ll have to get an extra early run in between 4:30 and 5am before our flight leaves in the morning. I would normally do it on the treadmill downstairs but that get soooo boring- I’ve been wearing this night life gear from Brooks that glows when light hits it so you’re visible to any lights- I definitely feel safer wearing it!

I’ve also been getting my shirts a little longer so I can pull the sleeves over my hands when I run- I hate wearing gloves when its cold because when you’re hands get hot, you have to carry them the rest of the way….. I’m so excited to be able to run in the warm sun!

I did my tempo and it actually went HORRIBLE! I completely lacked focus. That is an unusual problem for me, I’m usually very focused.  It’s probably a combination of so many things going on with my health.

As I move back into competitive training, focus is something I seriously need to work on, along with recovery. I spoke with another Masters elite runner yesterday- he and I were commiserating on how different training cycles become as you age, and how you have to adjust what you’re doing. and how you can’t do the same things you used to do.

It’s hard because you’re mentally and physically sharp, but you can’t recover as quickly so it makes things much tougher. The other struggle is that it takes so long to warm your body up, then when it does get warmed up, you have such a short window to workout before you have to cool down, and you have to be careful not to over-train.

I’ve settled in a training program that works for my body:
-mile repeats on Mondays
-tempo on Wednesdays
-long runs on Friday
-Saturday is my easy day (usually from home)
-Sundays I take off

But when I switch back into competitive mode, the intensity of my workouts will increase substantially and more speed will be added throughout the week, and I won’t be able to take Sundays off.

Another cold day, its getting old.  I couldn’t get out of bed this morning!! We all woke up this morning late…again.  So we’re late for school… again.

All my running friends canceled for today- Fulton county schools are delayed 2 hours so that kind of puts a hinder in my runs.  It’s so hard to motivate yourself to run on a cold day, alone.  I’ll probably warm up for 2-3 miles then a 30 minute tempo then finish up with a long warm-down. I’d like to get 12 miles in this morning; it would alleviate me from running this afternoon.

We’re so busy packing for vacation that its hard to get both my workouts during the day. We’re just trying to get through these last few miserable, wintry days before we head off for vacation. This afternoon I have to get the kids’ passports expedited (crossing fingers) and get all my errands done!

This weather is RIDICULOUS!

I had the worst, coldest, most awful run EVER today.  It started out at 39 degrees, I had enough gear on, but as I got to my 3rd mile the temperature dropped, the rain began crystallizing and I was soaked to the bone. When I hit 7.5 miles, I ran back to my car and debated whether or not to jump in the car or keep running… I decided to finish my run.

I went back out until I got to 9 miles… and when I finally returned to my car, I was so cold I couldn’t even hold the key to open the car door-I literally was about to run inside to find help because I couldn’t open my car door- I had to warm my hands up with my breath until I could twist the key and unlock the door! It was so ridiculous.

Sooo now that it’s snowing I’m canceling my second run and will make up the mileage on vacation- which I wouldn’t recommend to anyone else- But it’s the way I kind of balance my brain.

It’s a rainy, icky day but at least it’s not freezing- it’s 39 degrees.  I’m running at Westminster in hopes of running with Steph Orman, but  a little nervous about the wet hills.  We’re leaving for the Cayman Islands Friday morning (yay!), so yesterday I did mile repeats at the river at a 5:45 pace, but because it was cold I had a lot of gear on.  I’m having a hard time warming up in the cold weather.

I today I felt pretty good even though I slept horribly last night. I’m hoping to get 12 miles in today. We’ll see.. it feels like the temperature is dropping.

For tonight, its Gymnastics for Katie, Madeline has a haircut at 3:30 and Daniel has an orthodontist appointment. Madeline lost her cell phone, so we’ve been on a frantic search for it!