Week 4 Wrap-Up

Wow, this week was tough.

After my run on Monday I was a little sore, but I went to dance class Tuesday night anyway - probably not the best idea. Sure enough, when I woke up on Wednesday I could barely move. Nevertheless, I ran again that night and spent the next 2 days paying for it. Every step on Thursday and Friday was punctuated by shooting pains in my quads. Wearing heels was out of the question on Thursday night when I went out, and I stayed out/up way too late that night - oops. So by last night, I was in my pjs by 5:45 and knew that an easy night in was pretty much required at that point.

I'm definitely still learning my way around runners' nutrition. I consistently want to eat EVERYTHING in sight - I've gained back some of the weight I lost over the year, which doesn't make me very happy, but I know this will get easier. Last night for dinner I had chicken tenders, some pasta with a mild tomato/cheese sauce, and a few cookies. I was a little concerned I wouldn't be able to eat this morning before I ran, but I had a slice and a half of cinnabon toast with a little peanut butter and a bit of milk and water as well. That seemed to be a good combination - I felt good through most of the run today.

Speaking of the run... today was the first big group run at fleet feet. Just before 7am I was on the 36 bus making my way down to Piper's Alley. I don't even get up this early for work, so it was a shock to the system - but definitely made easier by the early night last night (I fell asleep around 10:30) and the fact that I am really starting to enjoy running. I wasn't really sure what to expect and didn't really feel like talking to anyone - I almost left my iPod at Fleet Feet during the run which would have been a HUGE mistake as no one really talked during the run.

I started out at the back of the pack. For someone with an admittedly pretty high competitive streak, this was sort of frustrating. It was warmer than we anticipated today and I had to shed a top layer about 1/4 of the way through our run. After the halfway mark things went a little better for me. Even though I'm slow, I have pretty decent endurance built up from soccer and working out this year - and by the end of the run I was closer to the front of the group with the lead pacer. This definitely made me feel good, although I'll admit that those last 10 minutes were very tough. The final hill back up to LaSalle/North Ave was especially difficult. I just dug in and gave it everything I had, and luckily we had to wait for the light to change at the top, so I had a few seconds to catch my breath. It was definitely intense, and I definitely was tired - but I felt so good about finishing and doing okay!

Tomorrow I have to play soccer - likely the last game this season - glad not to be dealing with that anymore this week as it's just too much with the training. Looking forward to taking it easy during the day tomorrow before the game, though.