12/31-1/6: Necessity

The gift of Running for a "Runner" is a key ingredient to life in many ways and many times varies depending on the person.  For about a year span, I put running on the back burner in my life.  I forced myself to neglect it, trick myself in believing i was over it and that i could use other forms of exercise to get my "fix" instead of that given by a nice daily morning/evening run, hard workout or satisfying race effort.  In the last year, running was not able to fit in as part of my "agenda" for most days.  As the year progressed, I felt something was missing from my life.  Of course i knew it was the fact that since the age of 14, I ran pretty much every day or if I wasn't running, i was injured and I would be biking or swimming with the goal in mind that I needed to be fit for my return back to the track and roads. 

  Believe it or not, as we grow older and think we have everything figured out, we have learned from our mistakes in the past and will not make others down the road- it is a reality check to learn how that is so far from the truth.  In the last month, I have started running consistently (with smart progression) and it has been a God send.  Running is the gateway for stress relief, motivation and achievement.  Those three things not present in my life in the last year really hit home recently and I am thankful for the gift of running.  Furthermore, I am very thankful to be surrounded by awesome teammates and a very dedicated coach, who I am proud to also call some of my best friends in life.  I am excited to see what 2013 brings both on the roads/track as well as in life.  Here's to a safe, fun and unforgettable 2013!

Monday:  9 miles.  I ran an easy 9 miles at Riley's lock on the soft/flat grade. 

Tuesday:  12 miles.  Hello 2013!  I jumped in a 5 x 2000 workout with Beth Young (who is training for the Phoenix Marathon).  She is really fit and the volume of the workout was the most I have run in about a year. 

Wed:  OFF.  Had a long day at work and was feeling a bit rundown from the day prior/New years eve festivities.

Thurs:  9 miles in Germantown.  Felt solid, dipped under 6:50 pace for my avg.

Fri:  6 miles in Black hill park (germantown).  Felt a big sluggish.  I just took it easy (just under 7 min pace).

Sat:  16 miles!  I ran Coach Jerry's infamous Marathon prep workout with the ladies.  When coach asked if I could run the entire workout with Beth, I was a little hesitant with the volume of the day.  Prior to saturday, I have not gotten close to a 16 miler in almost 2 years.  However, once I got going, it felt good.  It was fun hanging out with the girls team as the mens team rarely runs with the womens team (at least in the past).  GRC has some VERY talented ladies on the squad now and I am excited to see how they fare in 2013!  Beth crushed her workout, I got 16 miles in well under 7 pace for the average, and several of the ladies got some solid ice-breaker workouts in doing pieces of the 16 mile workout. 

Sun: 6 Miles.  I ran in Black Hill Park (just behind the place I am living at until I buy my first home!).  I took it very easy and felt better than I thought I would (a day after a 16 mile day).

   58 miles in 6 runs.