Progress, progress, progress

I decided to sleep in this morning. The weather report indicated that the high today was going to be around 75, and the morning was only going to be in the mid-60s. No need to beat the heat means no reason to wake up early! I ended up heading out for my run around 9:15 this morning (not quite the sleeping in I had envisioned). It was sunny, breezy, and cool. A perfect morning for my 7 mile run! The first 6 miles went off without a hitch. The last mile was pretty slow, and I was feeling pretty tired, but it all worked out. I finished the 7 miles at a decent pace and without any real issues.

I think that today's run really showed me the progress I've made over the last 6 weeks or so. Today was a mid-week 7 mile run, and today is just a regular, normal day. In the past, 7 mile runs were absolutely exhausting and took everything out of me. Now they don't even seem that long. As you can imagine, this makes me super excited, especially since this weekend is a step back week and I only need to run 10 miles! And no, I can't believe I just used the word "only" in the same sentence as 10 miles. I have truly come so far...

13.1!!!!!

Today's long run was as much a mental challenge as a physical one. This morning I had to cover 13.1 miles. Essentially I had to run a half marathon. I haven't run that far since my race this past May, which as you all know, did not go as I had hoped. Thus, I was a bit apprehensive about today's run. From here on out (with the exception of a few step back weeks) my runs get progressively longer. I've never run more than 13.1 miles so this was a big hurdle for me.

I don't know if it's a new attitude or the fantastic weather, but I ran all 13.1 miles!! And I felt great doing it! In fact, I maintained a pace that was 52 seconds faster per mile than when I ran 12 miles last week. I'm no speed demon, but 52 seconds is a HUGE difference. I could not be more ecstatic!!

Post-run I'm feeling good. I enjoyed some delicious organic low-fat chocolate milk, which comes in a super kid-friendly juice box (yes, I have the same beverage preferences as a five year old)

My post-run drink of choice

And to avoid injury I've spent some time icing my ankles...

Icing my ankles post-run (green beans on the left, peas on the right)

All in all a great morning!

Finally picking up the pace!

Today was my mid-week longish run and I finally picked up my pace! I know I have said repeatedly that I don't have a time goal for the marathon, and that continues to be the case, but after running my long runs these past weeks at a pretty slow clip it felt awesome to pick it up today. And for 6 miles no less! I attribute this faster speed partly to the new scenery. It was a beautiful morning along the Charles and there are lots of great running routes. I also think the new speedier pace is partly due to the new app I downloaded on my iPhone. Songza (strange name, great app) offers a wealth of playlists sans commercials. I was definitely getting sick of the songs on my iTunes so this was a welcome change. But mostly I think there is 1 key reason for the newfound pace: the lack of humidity! I'm not sure who to thank for this change in weather pattern, but it is downright amazing! Here's to hoping it sticks around for awhile!

First run back in Boston

Yesterday was my first run back in Boston since leaving New York. I'm convinced that my GPS watch does not like change. In fact, given all of my watch's quirks I'd say it has quite the personality, possibly more than some people, but that's besides the point. Anyway, as I suspected it would, it took quite a while for my watch to locate satellites. It's as if my watch was deciding whether the Boston satellites are worthy enough to be tracked. Ultimately my watch came around and I was able to start my run. I did a leisurely 3 miles along the Charles River, and I must say it was great to be back along the route!

12 miles!

This weekend was moving weekend - back to Boston. Despite the fact that I was moving back to my same apartment, and I left much of my stuff in Boston, I still knew it was going to be a jam packed weekend. Not only did we have a 4+ hour drive, but between unloading and trips to Costco the day flew by. Recognizing that this was likely going to be the case I decided to do my long run on Friday before all the moving excitement began.

The last time I ran 12 miles was the weekend before my half marathon, and it was a struggle. During that run I ended up walking for a mile or so. I am proud to report that this time around I ran it all (save for the one intersection where I had to wait for the traffic light to change or risk being run over)! It was long and slow, and sweaty, but I covered all 12 miles, which is the goal. If I can finish the marathon with the same perspective - long, slow, and sweaty - I will be more than thrilled.

I am now back in Boston and it seems to be a bit cooler here than it has been in New York so I'm optimistic that I'll get some reprieve from the heat and humidity for these long runs.

A little late...

Forgive me followers, for it has taken me a few extra days to get my post from this weekend up. Here it is, and thanks for your patience!

I finally broke the trend! When my alarm went off Saturday at 7am I got out of bed. And actually made it out the door for my run. This past weekend was a step back week so I only had to do 7 miles for my long run. (I'm gearing up for a 12 miler next weekend). Saturday was also my last long run in NYC, until the marathon anyway. In the spirit of it being my last run I decided some of my route should include the iconic central park. I made my way to the park, and I suspect this will be surprising to no one- I got lost in the park! By some miracle, I not only found my way back to where I needed to be, but I also managed to get the exact number of miles I needed in the park! Getting lost isn't such a big deal. It's more of an issue because it usually translates to extra running, but not on Saturday. Saturday's run also marks the completion of 1/3 of my marathon training. 6 weeks down and another 12 to go.

Lazy Bum

I have been a total slacker this week! Despite my best intentions, I failed to get out of bed even once to get in my morning run. Much like every other week this summer, I set my alarm for 6am, but inevitably when the alarm went off I would opt to go back to sleep for another hour. It has been a constant struggle. And no matter what time I go to bed I just cannot get up in the morning. In spite of this, I did manage to get in most of my workouts this week. Pilates on Monday, a 3 mile run on Tuesday, and a 5 mile run on Wednesday. All in the evening post-work. When I run after work I seem to have much less motivation and energy than I do when I run in the morning. I'm sure it's all mental, but it definitely makes it harder to knock out the miles. I also ended up skipping my 3 mile run on Thursday. To be fair, I had to be at work at 7:30am, which would have required a 5am wake-up. Given my "success" in waking up at 6am all week, that seemed highly unlikely. I also had plans after work so there really was no time. I certainly could have made up the 3 miles today, but instead I opted for a nap. It's clearly been a bit of slow week. I'm going to view this as some much needed rest, and am planning to get up bright and early tomorrow for my 7 miler. I'm hoping this will be a fresh start, and I'll be back to my normal ways in no time.