Today was totally a day where I felt like I did "stuff" all day, yet got little done. I guess by the time I woke up (post 10am- perfect), had coffee, ran, and had lunch, the day was basically halfway over. Then, when I attempted to do prep work while getting sucked into a marathon of "The World's Strictest Parents" I was less than productive to say the least....Hmm, not having TV at my own place seems to increase the appeal of it at my parents' house! Oh well. It looks like I will be prepping as I go this week. The good news is, (well bad money-wise) I have only one shift at the bakery (cuz I'm leaving for Boston Saturday!!! and they didn't need me Wednesday), but that with the fact that I will be running *slightly* less this week = more time to actually do my 'real' job ie: teaching. Hah.
I'm alittle worried because the last couple of days I've been experiencing a sore throat and cold-like symptoms. Hoping it is just allergies from the crazy weather-swings we have been having. Other than that, it atleast felt good not to have anything 'scheduled' for today. I'm more ready mentally for the week.
Andddd, yesterday. Half marathon pacing of my friend = success. He wanted to go under 1:45, and we went 1:44:03. It was FREEZING at the start, (20 something degrees + shorts = cold legs for first few miles). I was really proud of my friend. We went out pretty fast (~7:15ish first 3 miles) but then settled back. Miles 9-12 he was struggling a bit (battling an arm injury) but pressed through it and finished strong. A couple of those miles lagged to an 8:30 pace, but other than that, they were fairly even. On a personal level, it was a great race for me mentally. I felt like those middle miles could have been under 8, making it a 1:42ish effort. And, upon finishing I felt like I was just getting warmed up and could do the whole thing over again! Great confidence booster, having that pace feel fairly 'easy'. It also taught me that I can start conseratively and leave room to pick up the pace. As I've said before, I have 'issues' with this, but perhaps I am getting smarter/more confident as a runner. Overall, it was a great morning. My friend did great, and used his connections to get me a free asics jacket from the race, along with my free entry! :) Lovely.
My legs were tired on this mornings' easy run. I think that was more of a factor of jumping in my car immediatly after the race, driving 40 minutes back to work, then working for almost 10 hours on my feet. Then driving an hour to my parents' house. Blah. That part of the day = not as fun. But money = good. Plus, I got my paycheck from last week at the bakery when I worked 40+ hours. Somehow, that makes it all worth it!
Now, my parents are due in any second from Chicago. Time for me to go get ready for the week and eat some fro yo for my throat!
PS: I am getting SO PHYCHED for Boston! I don't think I can focus on anything this week other than that!
i wish i had your excitement over boston. i guess i'm just worried about my body holding up but no real nerves. that was the way it was with my debut marathon though...oh well. t-8 days!!
ReplyDeletehopefully it's just allergies youre feeling! sending healthy vibes your way :)
p.s. i am trying to put together a catch up blog post but i am still alive :)